‘I love you Adi and Bhai… I am here with my strengths and flaws….my ups and downs … my wins and my losses … only and only because of the both of you.’
‘You both are the only reason I can tell stories today.’
Key Points
- Karan Johar pays an emotional Guru Purnima tribute to Aditya Chopra and Shah Rukh Khan.
- Aditya Chopra convinced KJo to pursue directing, advising him against leaving for further studies and highlighting his passion.
- Shah Rukh Khan promised KJo his first film on a hilltop in Switzerland, showing unwavering faith even before KJo became a director.
Karan Johar doffed his hat to the two ‘teachers’ of his life on the special occasion of Guru Purnima. In a long post on Instagram, he paid tribute to Aditya Chopra and Shah Rukh Khan.
‘Passionate I was but wasn’t sure anyone would believe me at that point…’
‘Two conversations were life changing for me,’ Karan Johar writes.
‘One was at 1 am in the morning when Adi asked me to assist him on DDLJ (I was about to leave for my my further studies )… he told me I had to be a director …
‘I was melodramatic and filmy and the only thing I needed was an interval because I was always on a treadmill (not the ones gyms are famous for) … he said if I didn’t pursue this path I would be making a huge mistake…
‘I couldn’t sleep that night and then in my true filmy self… I went dramatically to my father the next morning and asked him for a year of my life…. A year on a film set.
‘He looked at my moist eyes (looked like tears but was actually just lack of sleep and a developing stye) and said “beta… will you know what to do on a set ?” …. I said an emphatic NO….
‘He asked … “Will you promise to work very hard and follow every instruction ?”…. He said… “that will make you a producer …. To be a director you need only and only Passion”…
‘Passionate I was but wasn’t sure anyone would believe me at that point…. only Adi did… only him…’
‘SRK believed in me for a reason I can’t quite comprehend even today’
Karan Johar then talks about Shah Rukh, posting, ‘My next conversation was with Bhai @iamsrk on a hill top in Switzerland …
I was looking at the mountains (pretending to be home sick and seeking sympathy) he came to me and said ‘tu director banega and teri pehli film main karoonga‘… I thought to myself … he’s probably low on oxygen and may not completely know what he’s saying …
‘But he was serious and followed up with my father as we got back to India … my father (who was mildly hard of hearing) wasn’t sure either ….
‘But SRK was serious… he believed in me for a reason I can’t quite comprehend even today … (just like Adi did).’
He ends the heartfelt message with: ‘I love you Adi and Bhai… I am here with my strengths and flaws….my ups and downs … my wins and my losses … only and only because of the both of you ….
‘You both are the only reason I can tell stories today #happygurupurnima … and a big shout out to every guru who has paid it forward and created careers for others …selflessly.’
Photograph curated by Satish Bodas/Rediff
