While Karan Johar has long been regarded as one of Bollywood’s biggest directors, the filmmaker once revealed that his directorial debut, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, was initially driven less by artistic ambition and more by the desire for success and financial stability.
Johar recently made his debut at the ‘Fashion is Art’ 2026 Met Gala in a meticulously crafted ensemble by Manish Malhotra. The outfit, which reportedly took over 6,000 hours to create, helped set the tone for India’s presence at the star-studded Manhattan event.
In a podcast interview from 2025 that recently resurfaced online, Johar opened up to Lilly Singh about some of the lesser-known aspects of his early life, his experience with cancel culture, and the lasting impact of his films across generations.
Reflecting on the cult following his movies continue to enjoy, he admitted that when he first stepped into filmmaking, he wasn’t thinking about legacy or cultural influence. At the time, the motivation was far more personal—it was about prestige and a much-needed comeback.
‘I wasn’t thinking about contributing to society’
Speaking to Singh, Johar recalled the harsh time Yash Johar faced, ahead of his directorial debut. Released in 1998, it preceded a series of flops like ‘Dostana’ (1980), ‘Duniya’ (1984), ‘Agneepath’ (1990), and ‘Gumrah’ (1993). At the verge of bankruptcy, Johar revealed that it was a time of huge turmoil.
“He had produced like five failures back to back. And we’ve seen some tough times, you know, and I just felt like I really want to make like a big monstrous hit for my dad,” he shared.
In 2025, filmmaker Nikkhil Advani, closely associated with the Johar household, revealed that their house was mortgaged amid this financial crisis. His mother, Hiroo, suffered a heart attack, and the family even resorted to selling their jewels, Advani told Lehren Retro.
Sharing his journey, Johar further told Lilly, “I wasn’t thinking about contributing to society. I wasn’t thinking about making a film that would make a difference, that, you know, I would say the politically correct thing that would actually be questionable to a large, you know, audience. No, I just wanted to make, and not the money for material reasons, but for prestige reasons.”
In all, he attempted to ‘win back’ Yash Johar’s ‘lost morale’, and only later thought of the gender and political commentary it carried. Moreover, he was even reprimanded by Shabana Azmi for his portrayal of the ‘heroine’.
Kuch Kuch Hota Hai: A box office success
Redeeming the Johar name, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai became a highly praised box office success. Not only did it save Dharma Productions, but it also became a historic milestone for whatever followed. However, it faced stiff competition from ‘NBae Miyan Chote Miyan’ and outpaced it to become the biggest blockbuster of the year.
In fact, it also became the third-biggest of the 1990s, trailing behind Ham Aapke Hain Koun!, and Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, making Shah Rukh Khan the ultimate king of 90s Bollywood. In fact, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai also outperformed Hollywood mega-blockbuster Titanic and dominated the 44th Filmfare Awards, winning 8 trophies.