‘Yash Johar was raees, not ameer’: Karan Johar says father was ‘rich of heart, humanity’, says everyone in Bollywood will endorse this

ALSO READ: Karan Johar says he had no ‘plus one’ for National Awards, felt the loneliest when he got the news: ‘No one to hold hands, share the highs’

She then asked Karan about the kind of relationship he had with his father. Karan replied that his father was the best human being he has ever come across and that he taught him to always be kind and helpful to people. He said, “My dad, not by my own admission, but you can ask anyone in the industry and they will tell you that he wasn’t ameer (rich); he was raees (wealthy).

He continued, “He was wealthy in character, humanity and the richness of heart. He used to tell me that it is important to be there for people, and he truly believed in the power of karma. He also taught me that I shouldn’t expect something in return from someone just because I have given them something.”

He clarified that his bond with him was very different than the usual father-son relationships. “Unlike most fathers and sons who have a very awkward relationship, my father was a hugger and a kisser. He used to make me sit on his lap when I used to weigh 100 kg. He would pinch my cheeks, and we had a very warm relationship. He was obsessed with me and would never notice my flaws. For example, he never cared that I did kathak, and he never felt that this is something for girls. He used to clap his hands with joy,” said Karan.

ALSO READ: ‘Satish Shah didn’t deserve weeping, mourning’: Ratna Pathak Shah on celebrating actor, says only time he was shattered was for wife Madhu

He explained that his father had blinders on whenever it came to any of his son’s flaws. He said, “He thought I was the most handsome boy on the planet, and when Kuch Kuch Hota Hai came out, he used to tell people, ‘Mera beta bilkul director number 1 hai (My son is director number one).’ It was so embarrassing that I wanted to dig a hole and put my head in it, but he truly was a fan of me.”

He added, “My poor mother would discipline me and only give me Rs 25, but then he would come, hand me Rs 100 and say, ‘Rakh le’ (keep it).”

Yash Johar founded Dharma in 1980 and the very first film was Raj Khosla’s movie Dostana starring Amitabh Bachchan and Shatrughan Sinha, which was a hit. But the next four films tanked at the box office. These included, “Ramesh Talwar’s Duniya (1984), Prakash Mehra’s Muqaddar Ka Faisla (1987), Mukul S Anand’s Agneepath (1990), and Mahesh Bhatt’s Duplicate (1997).”

During an appearance on Jay Shetty’s podcast, Karan recalled the tough times his father went through and said, “Those old-fashioned producers sold homes and jewellery, and all that happened to us. My mum had to sell her maternal house, there was jewellery sold, my father sold the only piece of land he owned, because we delivered back-to-back disasters at the box office. Just watching them fail… and today, when there’s so much chatter about nepotism, especially surrounding me, I laugh.”