Karan Johar occupied fourth position in the Hurun India Rich List 2025 featuring the wealthiest Bollywood icons, with a net worth of Rs 1,880 crore. One of the richest Bollywood directors, most of Johar’s earnings came from his production house – Dharma Productions that his late father Yash Johar founded in 1976 – and endorsements, according to the list.
However, there was a point in this life, when he wanted to shut the iconic production house and just wanted to focus on his directorial ventures. 21 years back, the National Award-winning director found himself in a serious dilemma over the fate of Dharma Productions. While he was considering shutting down, a ‘reminder’ from his late father made him change his decision, and the rest is history.
Why Karan Johar wanted to shut his father’s company
In a conversation with film trade analyst Komal Nahta, the Kuch Kuch Hota Hai director shared that days after his father Yash Johar passed away, he was contemplating shutting down Dharma Productions and wanted to take a close friend’s advice on the same.
“I remember after Chautha ceremony, I was at home. I came to office alone. Although it’s a true story, it will sound filmy to you. I was on a call with a dear friend and saying that I want to come and have a conversation. Should I just direct? Should I just shut Dharma Productions? And because I felt that I should direct because I knew that if I direct outside, I will get a large number, and I’ll be able to just be a director,” Johar shared with Nahta.
Yash Johar, the legendary producer of films like Agneepath and Dostana passed away on June 26, 2004 at the age of 74 after a long battle with cancer.
‘My father was staring at me’
Just when Johar was at the doorstep on his way to meet his friend, something unexpected happened that led him not only to cancel his meeting, but also change his mind about the future of Dharma Productions.
He recalled: “At that moment, I was going to meet a close friend for advice and I reached the door and at the same moment, they got Papa’s photo and they were asking me – ‘Chandan ka haar daalein ya phoolon ka’ and they were putting it up at the entrance of the office. And while they were putting it up I felt like at that moment, my father was staring at me, like you know they were keeping the photo with the garland. In those 5 minutes I realised what am I doing – this is his company, he made it with lot of hard work, with all his heart, and I am actually thinking of shutting it. What kind of a son I am?”
Johar went back into his room and called his friend to cancel the meeting, telling him he had made up his mind about what he wanted to do. “I have decided what I want to do. I will take it on, I will take Dharma Productions,” he told his friend.
On hindsight, the filmmaker feels that was not just the photo, but “my father slapped me from there and that slapped came through that photo.”
Slap or blessing, whatever it was, it surely made Karan Johar explore his full potential as a producer and achieve great heights in Bollywood.