On KJo’s birthday, celebrate his most acclaimed directorial film timeline till date

Celebrating his 47th birthday this year, the ever-vibrant personality of Indian cinema, Karan Johar, has given us movies which we can watch N number of times & never get tired. His success lies in his story-telling which has made him reach the zenith of entertainment industry.

Born in 1972, he first started his career by playing the role of ‘Shrikant’ in a Doordarshan serial, Indradhanush. From there he took charge of ‘Dharma Production’ by serving as director, co-writer, costume designer, actor & producer. Not only this, he has written a book ‘An Unsuitable Boy’ in 2016, hosted his talk show ‘Koffee with Karan’ & judged television talent shows.  Under Karan Johar, Dharma Production has produced a number of films which have gained popularity over the time, like Raazi, Kal Ho na Hoo, Dhadak, Yeh Jawani Hai Diwani, etc.

On his birthday, here is his Directorial timeline which made Dharma Production climb the ladder of success.

1995– Karan Johar embarked his journey in the film industry as an Assistant Director of Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, directed by Aditya Chopra. The film is till date immensely popular and has been the iconic bollywood film made. Karan Johar even acted in the movie as Rocky.

1998– He made his own directorial debut under Dharma Productions with ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’, a bollywood romance about a love triangle. The film became a major blockbuster and received many positive critical views. It was the highest grossing Indian film of that year and grossed a worldwide total of INR 1.06 billion. The movie won the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment, and won the 44th Filmfare Award of Best Film, Best Director, all four acting awards & other 2 major awards, too.

2001– Karan Johar next directed the movie ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham’, a multi-starrer family drama. It was the second major blockbuster at the box office earning a worldwide gross of INR 1.36 billion. It became the first film to be given a theatrical release in Germany. K3G bagged several popular awards, including 5 Filmfare Awards.

2006– Again a multi-starrer film, this romantic drama, ‘Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna’, marks the 3rd directorial venture of KJo. It was a success internationally especially in the United States, and grossed a worldwide total of INR 2.26 billion. The script of the film was invited to be included in the library of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Science, co-written by Karan Johar. The only Filmfare Award they received was in the category of Best Supporting Actor by Abhishek Bachchan.

2010– ‘My Name is Khan’ is the 4th movie directed by KJo which follows around a Muslim man with Asperger’s syndrome facing the racial attacks 9/11. this film became a major commercial success and received rave reviews from critics who praised Johar’s unconventional directorial style. The final worldwide gross was INR 223.44 crore.

2012– KJo recruited 3 debutant actors in ‘Student of the Year’ where the plot was about group of students gunning for the title. It received mixed reviews from critics. It stands at an all India collection of INR 700 million.

2013– Karan Johar directed an anthology film called ‘Bombay Talkies’, where the film was about homosexuality. It didn’t perform well at the box office but earned positive reviews from critics. It coincided with the celebration of the 100th year of Indian cinema & marked the beginning of a new era in modern cinema. Also, it screened at Cannes 2013.

2016– ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil’ was made with a little autobiographical element involved of Karan Johar. The plot dealt with unrequited love and again emerges as a commercial success but received mixed to positive reviews from critics. The film grossed INR 160.69 crore in India & INR 237.56 crore worldwide.

2018– KJo released a film on Netflix called ‘Lust Stories’, an anthology that served as a follow-up to Bombay Talkies. It explored female sexuality where the critics praised the film’s portrayal of women, which has been rarely dealt with in Indian films.

His next venture would be ‘Takht’ which is emotionally connected to him through his father and its production will start later this year.