Filmmaker Karan Johar remembered his late father, legendary film producer Yash Johar, on his birth anniversary with an Instagram post that was as heartwarming as it was hilarious. In the carousel post, Karan shared some old pictures with his late father and also revisited their bond, his father’s humour and the values he left behind.
Karan Johar remembers dad Yash Johar
Sharing a childhood photograph of himself with Yash Johar, the filmmaker wrote, “Happy birthday papa, miss you every day.”
In the next few slides, Karan recounted a funny anecdote, sharing how his father roasted him for wearing an oversized designer jacket after the success of his directorial debut, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai.
Karan wrote, “I remember Kuch Kuch Hota Hai had released and I decided to buy my very first designer jacket in celebration! I proudly walked into the Burberry store and bought the only jacket that fit me (those were my mega plus size days)… I wore it, and in my head I was looking rather smashing (the origin of my delusion).”
Karan added that far from being impressed, Yash Johar resorted to roasting him. “My father looked at me perplexed and asked, ‘Beta… yeh kya hai…?’ When Karan told him it was a jacket from Burberry, Yash Johar quipped, “Beta yeh Burberry nahi, bahut buri hai. (This is not Burberry, but very bad).”
The filmmaker also recalled how Yash Johar remained one of his biggest supporters, even encouraging him to consider becoming a mainstream Hindi film hero.
Karan also shared the deeply personal memory of his father’s final days. Karan recalled being with his father when he was on a ventilator and knowing that there was no hope. He wrote, “Papa I will take care of mom like a parent and a child…I promise”.
The tribute drew an affectionate response from members of the Hindi film fraternity. Manish Malhotra commented, “Yashji” with red-heart emojis, while Kareena Kapoor, Huma Qureshi, Urmila Matondkar, and Riddhima Kapoor Sahni shared rows of hearts. Filmmaker Farah Khan Kunder remembered him with both affection and humour, “He was the Best…I wonder smtimes what he would say about ur outfits today”.
All about Yash Johar
Yash Johar, who founded Dharma Productions in 1976, died in 2004 at the age of 74. Yash Johar began his film career as a publicist and a photographer in the 1950s, before becoming a production manager. He turned producer with Dostana (1980), the first film produced under the Dharma banner. Over the 80s and 90s, he produced films such as Duniya (1984), Agneepath (1990), Gumrah (1993), and Duplicate (1998). His legacy continues through the production house and through Karan Johar, who now manages Dharma Productions.