In a detailed Instagram post accompanied by a collage of photographs, Johar recounted the moments that, in his words, gave him the confidence to remain in the industry rather than leave for further studies.
The first conversation took place late one night when Aditya Chopra invited him to assist on Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. Johar was then preparing to go abroad. Chopra, he wrote, told him he was “melodramatic and filmy” and that the only thing he needed was an interval because he was “always on a treadmill.” Chopra insisted that failing to pursue direction would be a serious mistake.
Unable to sleep, Johar approached his father the next morning and asked for one year on a film set. His father, Yash Johar, asked whether he knew what to do on a set. Johar admitted he did not. His father then asked whether he would work hard and follow instructions, adding that such discipline would make him a producer, while direction required only passion.
Johar wrote that Aditya Chopra was the only person who believed in him at that uncertain stage.
The second conversation occurred on a hilltop in Switzerland with Shah Rukh Khan. Johar recalled looking at the mountains and “pretending to be homesick.” Khan approached him and said he would become a director and that Khan himself would act in his first film. Johar initially wondered whether the altitude had affected Khan’s judgement, but Khan later followed up with Johar’s father after their return to India.
“He believed in me for a reason I can’t quite comprehend even today,” Johar wrote. “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.”
He concluded with a broader acknowledgement of mentors who have supported others without expectation of return.
Johar and Shah Rukh Khan have maintained one of Hindi cinema’s most visible creative partnerships since the late 1990s. Their collaborations include Johar’s directorial films Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham… (2001), Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006) and My Name Is Khan (2010), as well as the produced title Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003).
By marking Guru Purnima with these specific recollections, Johar framed his own career as the direct result of early, concrete encouragement from two figures who took him seriously when his path was still uncertain. The post serves both as personal gratitude and as a public reminder of the informal mentorship that has long operated within the Hindi film industry.
