Karan Johar turns 53: Awaara, Sholay, Lamhe, Masoom, Lagaan and 5 other favourite movies of the celebrated filmmaker
Karan Johar turns 53 today on May 25. The filmmaker has helmed seven movies and produced dozens of them in the 27 years since his 1998 blockbuster directorial debut Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. Let's take a look at Karan Johar's 10 favourite films, as shared with Lehren back in 2007.
Awaara (1951)
Karan Johar picked Raj Kapoor and Yash Chopra as the two major influences on his filmography. He hailed Awaara as the best screenplay ever written in the history of Hindi cinema, and lauded the romance of Raj Kapoor and Nargis' characters.
Sholay (1975)
Johar shared Ramesh Sippy's 1975 blockbuster potboiler is a textbook more than a film. He said the screenplay by Salim-Javed still seems so fresh that many of the film's scenes come across as contemporary even today.
Kabhi Kabhie (1976)
Karan Johar revealed that the nuances in the romance and interpersonal relationships that Yash Chopra attempted in the Amitabh Bachchan and Rakhee-starrer is what inspired his 2006 film Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna.
Masoom (1984)
Johar recalled weeping throughout the screening of Shekhar Kapur's directorial debut to an extent that his mother Hiroo Johar had to escort him out of the theatre.
Lamhe (1991)
Karan Johar shared that though Yash Chopra's age-gap romance didn't click with the audience then, both him and Chopra considered the Sridevi and Anil Kapoor-starrer as the late legendary filmmaker's lesser loved baby.
Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! (1994)
Karan Johar recalled how he was in two minds about becoming a director when Aditya Chopra invited him to a special screening of the extended version of Sooraj Barjatya's sophomore feature. Johar was blown away by the director's conviction in the musical romance.
Satya (1998)
Johar admitted while he and Ram Gopal Varma don't always get along, that doesn't stop the former from appreciating the latter's seminal gangster film. The filmmaker called Manoj Bajpayee's performance as Bhiku Mhatre his career's best.
Lagaan (2001)
Karan Johar was confident no film would be able to challenge the supremacy of his mega-budget family drama Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, until he watched Ashutosh Gowariker's period sports drama, which changed the rules of Hindi cinema.
Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006)
Johar thinks of Rajkumar Hirani's cult comedy as a hark back to the cinema of Hrishikesh Mukherjee, which effortlessly blended family-friendly entertainment with important social messaging. He also lauded the Sanjay Dutt-starrer for redefining Mahatma Gandhi to an entire generation.
Also Read: Karan Johar's Dhadak 2 cleared with U/A certificate by CBFC after 16 cuts related to caste-based references, slurs, and violence
Chak De! India (2007)
Karan Johar claimed that Shah Rukh Khan's performance as the girls hockey team coach Kabir Khan is his best. He also lauded the film's writer Jaideep Sahni for incorporating themes like women empowerment and national unity in Shimit Amin's sports drama.
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