Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions, founded by his father Yash Johar in 1979, made a strong debut with the hit film Dostana (1980), starring Amitabh Bachchan, Shatrughan Sinha, and Zeenat Aman. Despite early success, subsequent films faced challenges. Karan recently reflected on his relationship with wealth and how Dharma’s setbacks impacted him.
“Right after Dostana, Papa saw a series of about five failures. He had a small export division, which he wanted me to take over eventually. During those days, we used to get movies financed. Financers would give us money and we would pay them back with interest. When one of the films failed, my mum (Hiroo Johar) sold my nani’s flat, and when another faced the same fate, she sold some of her jewellery. My father had to sell a little property he had in Delhi. These are the stories I have heard,” he said during a chat.
"We were not wealthy, but rather middle class to upper middle class. We always had food, I attended a good school, and my dad had a decent car. Travel abroad was out of reach. Growing up in an affluent neighbourhood, I felt special to my father, who treated me generously. If my pocket money was Rs 25, he'd give me Rs 50. I lived beyond my means thanks to him," Karan Johar shared.
