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An Introspective of Filmmaker Karan Johar

By Ekta R. Garg

I’m one of the movie-lovers in this group. Like most people, I loved Karan’s directorial debut, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. But I’ve been incredibly disappointed with the second two films of the quartet he’s released thus far. Aside from not liking his scripts and not agreeing with what his actors are doing, I think Karan has lost his ability to focus in his films.

Just before the release of My Name is Khan, I read an interview of Karan’s in which he talked about how his father was a major factor in his first two films. As a producer, Yash Johar didn’t just provide his son with finances to make his movies. He also provided him with important guidance on the process of making those films, helping his son stay on track with his scripts and staying true to his characters.

That guidance is clear in Karan’s first two movies. While I found Kuch Kuch Hota Hai slightly lacking in logic in some places, Shahrukh and Kajol more than made up for it. It was fun and interesting to see Shahrukh play a father, something he hadn’t done before. Playing a father and a widower was a risk, and he did a remarkable job. After all, it was only a year earlier that he’d played the brash director of musicals in Yash Chopra’s Dil To Pagal Hai. It was a character women could adore. But in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Shahrukh had to convince us he’d experienced the greatest tragedy of life—losing the one you love. 

Kajol was, as always, amazing. Her transformation from Anjali the Tomboy to Anjali the Woman still makes my jaw drop when I watch the film on DVD. She got everything right—Anjail’s mannerisms, her body language, her interaction with everyone else in the script. Kajol was made for this role.

The film’s surprise was Rani Mukerji as she stood her own with her more experienced co-stars. She radiated a sensuality and confidence that most young women in the industry have to work at for years, but Rani had it from the get-go.

Karan knew his script and more importantly, he knew his actors and how to get each of them to do exactly what needed to be done—hence, the blockbuster success of his first film. And he stayed true to his original vision; he presented us with a story that walked the line without a bobble.

Despite the many criticisms of his second film, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, I think Karan also managed that perfect balance with this movie. Sure, the Raichand household was opulent beyond belief, but it was exactly that opulence that fueled Yashvardhan Raichand’s arrogance in wanting to maintain his family’s standards and reject his adoptive son’s wife. Amitabh Bachchan gave his Yashvardhan that air of high-brow principles with a touch of grace. Having his real-life wife, Jaya, play his wife Nandini gave him the perfect foil. While both Amitabh and Jaya are incredibly experienced and talented, I wouldn’t be surprised if just the tiniest bit of their real-life marriage seeped through their on-screen pairing.

Shahrukh and Kajol were wonderful together, of course, but in this film I would give the edge to Kajol as far as acting prowess. By the time this movie was released, Shahrukh had done so many emotionally-charged roles that I don’t think this role was much of a stretch for him. It was Kajol, born and brought up in a Bengali household, who had to embrace all things Punjabi, a task that’s revealed as difficult only in the “making of the film” documentary on the DVD. Once again, Kajol made her role seem effortless.

As the lynchpin of the story, Hrithik Roshan held his ground in a mega-star cast. He looked great and was able to give us lively and hip when necessary as well as subdued and emotional as the situation demanded. But Kareena Kapoor had some of the best lines and some of the best scenes, hands down. No one could have lived Pooja, or Poo, the way she did.

Along with slamming the luxurious lifestyle, people said there was too much crying post-intermission, but I have to say even when I watch the movie today, I still get involved with the film. Again, Karan had a story to tell, and he told it with razor precision. No scenes or lines were out of place.

And then his father, Yash Johar, died.

The industry grieved for him, and then it went back to making films. So did Karan, although it’s obvious he still misses his father. At the start of any movie released by the Dharma Productions banner, a picture of Yash Johar appears on the screen along with the words, “We still miss you.”

After the senior Johar’s death, Karan made Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, and the loss in Karan’s life was immediately obvious. I don’t have objections to the concept of the movie; dozens of movies across the world have been made about infidelity and its effects on a person’s marriage. If that’s the story Karan chose to tell, fine. But he’d obviously lost the guiding force that kept his first two films on track.

One of my biggest objections was to Shahrukh’s portrayal of his character. I understand the point Karan was trying to make about how a person can use his or her family members as scapegoats for major life disappointments. But I think Shahrukh needed a restraining hand to keep him from overdoing it, which he did too many times to count. By contrast, Preity Zinta didn’t seem emotional enough. And the whole relationship between Rani Mukerji’s character and Abhishek Bachchan’s was also irritating to watch. Yes, I do believe that even in the 21st century, people make decisions based on the wishes of others (i.e., her decision to marry him even though she knew on her wedding day she didn’t want to be with him), but somehow Mukerji’s portrayal of that character just rubbed me the wrong way. There was something not quite right about it.

The major disappointment of the film for me, though, was Amitabh Bachchan. What he did in the movie was not dignified; it didn’t bring him any credit as a person, and it certainly did nothing to help his generation. He plays a widower in the film whose wife, before her death, urges him to live life to the fullest. For some reason Karan equated that with making Amitabh’s character sleep with anything in a skirt and then flaunt his casual sex encounters. To Amitabh’s credit, he didn’t shy away from his part; he performed it with full gusto. But it’s sad that Karan gave this senior actor a part that was so shallow. He had an amazing opportunity to elevate the status of senior citizens in the eyes of the Indian audience, and he blew it.  Still, every director is allowed his mistakes. So, like so many other Karan Johar fans, I simply shrugged and wrote it off.

And then came the announcement, the shooting, and the release of My Name is Khan. With this film I think Karan has been able to regain some balance. The first half of the film is great! Karan shows the same focus and sense of purpose so evident in his first two movies.  There were a couple of minor sticking points for me—Kajol seems a tad too enthusiastic about every scene and line, but maybe she was just really excited about working with Shahrukh and Karan again. Also, a few scenes immediately after the bombing of the World Trade Center in the film just don’t ring true to that time. But overall the first half of the film made me excited about what was to come.

It is post-intermission that Karan loses his way. He drags the story out and exaggerates some of the situations. Many have said he broke the stereotype of Asperger’s syndrome only to reinforce other stereotypes.  Overall, I didn’t like the second half of the movie with the exception of—who else?—our lead pair. Shahrukh’s character is charming; we don’t see the famous dimples for most of the movie, so when they do appear it’s a treat.

And then there’s Kajol. This woman has so much talent, it should be illegal. Her character’s determination and focus, the grit and self-confidence she displays are unbelievable. If Karan has done nothing else right in his movies, the one thing he has done is cast this awesome actress repeatedly.

Of course, the movie has been reasonably successful, and I’m sincerely happy for Karan as well as the rest of the Dharma Productions team. I also wonder what he might be planning for his next film. Like so many other directors today, he has opened his production company to other directors so they can make movies under the Dharma Productions banner and he’s probably busy managing the affairs of his company. But I do hope he makes another movie soon. Despite the loss of his father and the major guiding force in his career, Karan has a lot of talent and I hope he doesn’t wait quite so long to make a movie again.  All of his fans—including me—are excited to see what he’ll come up with next.

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