When Yash Johar passed away in 2004, his only son, Karan Johar, initially decided to shut down Dharma Productions and focus solely on filmmaking. The decision stemmed from his lack of confidence and limited business knowledge. However, everything changed in a single moment when Karan looked at a photograph of his late father. “I suddenly felt like, ‘Main kaisa beta hoon?’ I realised my mistake and decided to continue what he had built,” Karan Johar shared with Komal Nahta on his YouTube show Game Changers. What helped him revive the production house was an 11-page letter written by his father—a technical document that detailed Yash Johar’s properties, investments, and other key information. “It became a bible for me,” Karan said. One of the pages included a list of people who owed his father money, along with a strict instruction: “Only if these people call you on their own will you take the money. You will never call them yourself to ask for it.” “Such was his goodwill that, barring one person, everyone eventually called and returned the money they owed,” Karan recalled. ALSO READ | Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari box office collection day 6: Varun Dhawan-Janhvi Kapoor-starrer still hasn’t hit the Rs 40 crore mark Speaking further about his father’s integrity, Karan recounted an incident in Goa: “It was about a year after my father’s passing when a man from Goa reached out to me and said, ‘I own a lot of land in Goa because of your father.’ Apparently, when my dad went to Goa for the shoot of Agneepath, he had set up a shoot on this man’s land and, out of courtesy, paid him Rs 1 lakh. That payment helped the man expand his business. To express his gratitude, he offered to gift me a large piece of land in a prime locality. But since it wasn’t mentioned in my father’s letter, I refused to accept it." "I regret that decision now—I literally slap myself for it," joked Karan. The filmmaker-producer also shared a light-hearted glimpse into his family’s household habits, particularly around gifts. “In the industry, the exchange of gifts is quite common. I have been taught to always reciprocate equally when receiving gifts. Whenever I get something, I seriously assess whether it’s made of silver. My mom taught me how to check, because many people send plated silver. When that happens, I ask my staff to store it away. But if it’s pure silver, we use it at home. For anyone who sends something genuine, I calculate its value and make sure to send a return gift of equal or higher worth. I am very particular about this—Dad used to call it ‘duniyadari.’ I know it sounds very domestic, but honestly, you have to check the purity—many pieces are just plated!”
