'You will become a director': Karan Johar recalls Shah Rukh Khan's life-changing promise

Filmmaker says Aditya Chopra urged him to direct, while Khan promised to star in his debut long before it was made

Karan Johar reflected on the two conversations that changed the course of his career, revealing how producer Aditya Chopra convinced him to become a filmmaker and how Shah Rukh Khan promised to star in his directorial debut long before it was made.

Johar shared a series of throwback photographs on Instagram, paying tribute to his mentors and thanking Chopra and Khan for their unwavering belief in him.

Calling the two moments "life-changing", Johar recalled how Chopra persuaded him to abandon plans for further studies and instead join the film industry as an assistant director on Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ).

"Adi asked me to assist him on DDLJ. I was about to leave for my further studies. He told me I had to be a director," Johar wrote.

 

 

 

 

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Describing himself as "melodramatic and filmy", Johar said Chopra warned him he would be making "a huge mistake" if he chose a different path.

Unable to sleep after the conversation, Johar said he approached his father the next morning and asked for a year to work on a film set instead of continuing his education.

"He asked me, 'Will you know what to do on set?' and, 'Will you promise to work very hard and follow every instruction?'" he recalled.

His father ultimately supported the decision, telling him that passion was the most important quality for anyone hoping to become a producer.

Johar also recounted a conversation with Khan during a trip to Switzerland, where the actor expressed complete confidence in his future as a filmmaker.

"He came to me and said, 'You will become a director and I will do your very first film,'" he wrote.

Recalling his reaction with humour, he added, "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."

 

 

 

 

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He concluded by thanking both Chopra and Khan for believing in him long before he believed in himself.

"Shah Rukh Khan was serious. He believed in me for a reason I can't quite comprehend even today, just like Adi did," he wrote. "I am here—with my strengths and flaws, my ups and downs, my wins and my losses—only because of the two of you."

Ending his tribute, Johar wrote, "You both are the only reason I can tell stories today. Happy Guru Purnima, and a big shout-out to every guru who has paid it forward and created careers for others selflessly."

Johar made his directorial debut with Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), starring Khan, Kajol and Rani Mukerji, fulfilling the promise Khan had made years earlier. More recently, the filmmaker celebrated the third anniversary of his 2023 hit Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani.