'I love you Adi and Bhai... I am here with my strengths and flaws....my ups and downs ... my wins and my losses ... only and only because of the both of you.'
'You both are the only reason I can tell stories today.'
Key Points
- Karan Johar pays an emotional Guru Purnima tribute to Aditya Chopra and Shah Rukh Khan.
- Aditya Chopra convinced KJo to pursue directing, advising him against leaving for further studies and highlighting his passion.
- Shah Rukh Khan promised KJo his first film on a hilltop in Switzerland, showing unwavering faith even before KJo became a director.
Karan Johar doffed his hat to the two 'teachers' of his life on the special occasion of Guru Purnima. In a long post on Instagram, he paid tribute to Aditya Chopra and Shah Rukh Khan.
'Passionate I was but wasn't sure anyone would believe me at that point...'
'Two conversations were life changing for me,' Karan Johar writes.
'One was at 1 am in the morning when Adi asked me to assist him on DDLJ (I was about to leave for my my further studies )... he told me I had to be a director ...
'I was melodramatic and filmy and the only thing I needed was an interval because I was always on a treadmill (not the ones gyms are famous for) ... he said if I didn't pursue this path I would be making a huge mistake...
'I couldn't sleep that night and then in my true filmy self... I went dramatically to my father the next morning and asked him for a year of my life.... A year on a film set.
'He looked at my moist eyes (looked like tears but was actually just lack of sleep and a developing stye) and said "beta... will you know what to do on a set ?" .... I said an emphatic NO....
'He asked ... "Will you promise to work very hard and follow every instruction ?".... He said... "that will make you a producer .... To be a director you need only and only Passion"...
'Passionate I was but wasn't sure anyone would believe me at that point.... only Adi did... only him...'
'SRK believed in me for a reason I can't quite comprehend even today'
Karan Johar then talks about Shah Rukh, posting, 'My next conversation was with Bhai @iamsrk on a hill top in Switzerland ...
I was looking at the mountains (pretending to be home sick and seeking sympathy) he came to me and said 'tu director banega and teri pehli film main karoonga'... I thought to myself ... he's probably low on oxygen and may not completely know what he's saying ...
'But he was serious and followed up with my father as we got back to India ... my father (who was mildly hard of hearing) wasn't sure either ....
'But SRK was serious... he believed in me for a reason I can't quite comprehend even today ... (just like Adi did).'
He ends the heartfelt message with: 'I love you Adi and Bhai... I am here with my strengths and flaws....my ups and downs ... my wins and my losses ... only and only because of the both of you ....
'You both are the only reason I can tell stories today #happygurupurnima ... and a big shout out to every guru who has paid it forward and created careers for others ...selflessly.'
Photograph curated by Satish Bodas/Rediff
