Filmmaker Karan Johar, known for his modern contributions to cinema, began his directorial career with "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai." Last year, he released "Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani." Today, on his 52nd birthday, let's explore his top 10 favorite films that inspired him to become a filmmaker.
Category
✨
PeopleTranscript
00:00I have been watching films since childhood and I used to cry when I was a kid
00:04that please take me to the cinema and show me a movie.
00:06It used to be the biggest high of my life.
00:08If there is any other derivative of Indian cinema,
00:11if there is any other word, then it's Sholay.
00:13Sholay is not a film, Sholay is a book.
00:16I saw a film in June, Lagaan.
00:18And I realized that cinema has changed.
00:21A different sensibility has come in cinema.
00:23A different thought has come in cinema.
00:26Awara will always be one of my most favorite Raj Kapoor films.
00:30And I believe that it's the best screenplay Indian cinema has ever seen.
00:40Namaste, I am Karan Johar.
00:41Today I am sitting here to share with all of you,
00:44what are my 10 favorite films.
00:46As you all know that Indian cinema
00:48has always been and will always be a very important part of our life.
00:52I am a filmmaker and I have been watching films since childhood.
00:55So it is a part of my life.
00:57But I know that if you are in this country,
01:00then Indian cinema has been a very big part of our lives.
01:05And I am very proud of our cinema.
01:07And I am here to share some of my few moments of celluloid with you.
01:10So I have been watching films since childhood.
01:12And I used to cry when I was a child,
01:14that please take me to the cinema, show me a movie.
01:16It used to be the biggest high of my life.
01:19People used to study, play.
01:21I used to watch only Hindi films.
01:22It was my biggest passion.
01:24And I am very happy about that.
01:28So I will start.
01:30First of all, I would like to say that Raj Kapoor and Yash Chopra
01:33have been a big influence in my films.
01:35They have been a big influence.
01:37They have played a big role in my films.
01:39So the first film I would like to say is Awara.
01:42Awara by Raj Kapoor was made in black and white.
01:46Raj Kapoor and Nargis were in this film.
01:51And I believe that the screenplay of this film
01:54is the perfect screenplay of Indian cinema.
01:57Many screenplays have been written by many geniuses.
02:00But this screenplay is a perfect screenplay.
02:03The conflict between father and son is still seen in films.
02:06It has been derived from Awara.
02:09The romance between Nargis and Raj Kapoor
02:12is absolutely memorable.
02:14The moments between Raj Kapoor and Nargis in this film,
02:17I don't think any kind of romance has had the kind of passion
02:20that we saw in Awara.
02:22And like I said, the conflict between father and son,
02:24even now when people write scenes,
02:26the conflict between father and son still exists in cinema.
02:29So you can go back to Awara
02:31and see the germs of that conflict in that film.
02:34So Awara will always be one of my most favourite Raj Kapoor films.
02:38And I believe that it is the best screenplay Indian cinema has ever seen.
02:42If you haven't seen Awara, trust me, you missed out on something.
02:45The name of the film I am going to take now is not a surprise.
02:49When I say it, you will think, oh my God.
02:53Of course.
02:54So this film is Sholay.
02:56Now Sholay, someone told me, this term Bollywood,
02:59can we find another term for it?
03:03Because Bollywood is not really complimentary to us.
03:05It feels like Bollywood is the derivative of Hollywood.
03:08So someone asked me, can we use another term to describe Indian cinema?
03:13So I said there is only one term and that is Sholay.
03:15If there is another derivative of Indian cinema,
03:18if there is another word, then it is Sholay.
03:20Sholay is not a film, it is a book.
03:23Whenever you want to learn something about Indian cinema,
03:26it is like you go back to the textbook of Sholay.
03:28Because it has everything that defines us as Indian cinegoers.
03:35It has romance, action, drama, conflict, music, scale,
03:40villain, hero, everything.
03:42Everything that we learn from Indian cinema is in Sholay.
03:47And it is so brilliantly shot, so brilliantly conceived,
03:50that even today if you see some sequences of Sholay,
03:53you will find them contemporary.
03:54A train sequence, or the way they have captured cinematography,
03:58the way they have shot the action,
04:00the way they have picturized the song,
04:01the way they have erected the set.
04:03Even today we are not able to do what they did in the 70s.
04:06Of course, the performances are all iconic characters.
04:10If you go back in time, even Sachin or A.K. Hangal,
04:13the small roles they have played in the films,
04:15they are all memorable.
04:16If you go back in time, you will see how many people
04:21Gabbar has used in references of ads, in marketing.
04:26And MacMahon did not say a single line in the film,
04:28yet the character Samba is memorable.
04:31This is the impact of Sholay.
04:33And I think that if any international audience
04:36who does not know much about our cinema,
04:38if you want to introduce them,
04:39then you have to start with Sholay.
04:41You have to show them Sholay,
04:42because Sholay is what we are all about
04:44as far as Indian cinema goes.
04:46Watch Sholay again and again,
04:48and you will know that this magic never fades.
04:50Sholay's magic never fades.
04:52I have always praised Yash Chopra in the media,
04:56or on any platform,
05:00because I believe that if I am a filmmaker today,
05:03it is because of Yash Chopra.
05:05I grew up watching his films,
05:08and I have given a lot of respect to his films,
05:13because I have learnt a lot from his films.
05:15The first time I saw his film, Kabhi Kabhi,
05:18I could not forget that moment, that moment.
05:21Because the romance I saw in it,
05:24the human interaction I saw in it,
05:26I may not have understood in my childhood,
05:28but I kept watching it every year.
05:31Today, when I watch it again and again,
05:34I have understood what Yash Chopra wanted to say.
05:36The relationship, the romance he portrayed,
05:39the subtlety, the human conflict,
05:42which I wanted to show in my film Kabhi Kabhi,
05:46I have learnt it from Kabhi Kabhi.
05:48Like I told Sholay that it is a textbook Indian film,
05:51I would like to say that Kabhi Kabhi is a textbook on human relationships.
05:55This is not a film.
05:56It is like visiting human relationships.
05:58Every relationship in that film,
06:00father-daughter, father-son,
06:02the casual interactions we have at home today,
06:05Yash has portrayed it beautifully in Kabhi Kabhi.
06:08And who can forget the song written by Sir Sair,
06:12Kabhi Kabhi comes to my mind.
06:14I think if you want to see,
06:16like I said that Awara's screenplay is the most perfect screenplay,
06:19you will not find a more romantic song than Kabhi Kabhi.
06:25It will mark, I would say,
06:28the presence of the most romantic song in the history of Indian cinema.
06:32Kabhi Kabhi can never be forgotten.
06:34Talking about Yash,
06:36there was another film of his, Lamhe.
06:39I was in college when I saw Lamhe.
06:42And when I went for the premiere,
06:44I went with my parents.
06:47And I still can't forget what I felt after I saw Lamhe.
06:50For the first time I saw that the industry stood up,
06:53and there was a standing ovation at the end of the film.
06:55Because it was such a proud film.
06:57It was a very brave film.
06:59People used to say that Sharda was made in the 40s,
07:02a film by Raj Kapoor and Meena Kumari,
07:04which was bold and still ran in those days.
07:07Lamhe is also bold, but it didn't run.
07:09I feel, like people say, it was ahead of its times.
07:12But I feel a film like Lamhe is so beautiful, it's like poetry.
07:15Maybe it never ran.
07:16Kabhi Kabhi is a child,
07:18who may become a little weak,
07:20but that child is always very beautiful for a parent.
07:23So that's what Lamhe is to Yashji.
07:25And Lamhe, to me, is my favorite Yash Chopra film.
07:28I watch it again and again,
07:30and tears come to my eyes when I watch that film.
07:33Because I connect with every emotion of Lamhe.
07:35Maybe it wasn't a commercial for the Indian audience,
07:39but it's an art form that no one can forget.
07:41Lamhe will always remain special to Yashji,
07:44and for me, as a filmmaker.
07:46I was 8 years old when I went to the cinema to watch this film.
07:49And I cried so much in the middle,
07:52that I had to take my mom outside.
07:54Because I couldn't stop crying.
07:57And I was disturbing a lot of people.
07:59That film was Masoom.
08:03When you see the first close-up of Jogal Ansaraj in that film,
08:06I remember that I was sitting in the hall,
08:08and this was the expression of 100 or 200 ladies.
08:11They went like this.
08:13Just like when they saw Jogal's Masoom close-up,
08:16it was an impact right across the hall,
08:19which I think was absolutely enigmatic and charismatic,
08:22the way it was portrayed.
08:24It's a very beautiful film.
08:26It's Shekhar Kapoor's first film.
08:28And I believe Naseer and Shabana have excelled themselves in this film.
08:31Again, it's a small film.
08:33It's based on a small story,
08:35but it's a story that touches the heart.
08:37And in the end, when Shabana is resolved,
08:41I remember it got tears in everybody's eyes.
08:43As a child, I wept right through the film.
08:45And I know, if you want to open your heart and cry,
08:48then you must watch Masoom.
08:50It's really...
08:52Jogal Ansaraj's Masoom is there,
08:55but Shekhar Kapoor's brilliance is also there in this film.
08:58And you'll know how subtle emotions have a larger impact at times.
09:03And this film teaches you that.
09:04Masoom is beautiful.
09:06I had gone to college when I grew up,
09:08and I was going to decide whether I should make films or not,
09:11whether I should go into films or not.
09:13Aditya Chopra, who is my best friend, called me.
09:15He said, there's a trial of Suraj's second film, Ham Aapke Hai Kaun.
09:18It's a long film, but come and watch it.
09:20He's showing us a long version today.
09:22It's a 3-hour, 30-minute film.
09:24So I was very excited because I had watched Maine Pyaar Kiya with a lot of love.
09:28So I went to watch it.
09:30And he took a smile with him, and I came back with that smile.
09:33The whole film, I did not stop smiling.
09:36And when I came out of the film,
09:39I told Suraj, he didn't know me at that time.
09:41I just shook his hand and I said,
09:43today I realize I want to be a filmmaker.
09:45Today I realized that I want to be a director after watching this film.
09:48Because that film had values, traditions, but it had a smile.
09:52Right from the beginning to the end,
09:54you couldn't stop smiling when you saw Ham Aapke Hai Kaun.
09:57It was a family story, a story of family bonding.
10:00But I have never seen such an innocently, honestly and sincerely told story.
10:05And there was so much conviction in that story.
10:08Who makes a film with 14 songs,
10:10on such a big scale, it was a big risk.
10:13There were 14 songs, and every song had a story.
10:16It wasn't that the song would come like this,
10:18stopping the narrative, stopping the story, and that song is coming.
10:22It was actually, this song, in the true form of a musical,
10:25it was increasing the narrative.
10:28It was taking the story ahead.
10:31And that is the biggest strength of Ham Aapke Hai Kaun.
10:33And it's a very brave film.
10:35Because it was a film of 3 hours and 30 minutes.
10:38And it came in a zone where most of the action was going on.
10:42In commercial mainstream films,
10:44there was a lot of fighting and fighting.
10:47This film, it brought back families into the audience.
10:50After that, we still make family films,
10:54and there's families in the cinema halls,
10:56but we forget that actually it's thanks to Ham Aapke Hai Kaun.
10:58They brought this family back as a unit in the cinema halls.
11:04Suraj and Rajshri family.
11:06And we'll always have to be grateful to them
11:08for bringing back families into cinema halls with Ham Aapke Hai Kaun.
11:11In 2001, I was making a film, Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gum.
11:15It was a very big film.
11:16So when I started this film, I thought,
11:19why is someone else coming this year?
11:21It's such a big film of mine, it's going to be a big hit.
11:24It's such a good film that
11:26no other film can ever match up to Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gum.
11:29I was wrong.
11:30I saw a film in June, Lagaan.
11:32And I realized that cinema has changed.
11:35There's a different sensibility in cinema.
11:37There's a different way of thinking in cinema.
11:40The most brave, proudly told story, Lagaan,
11:44was beautifully played by Ashutosh Gawarekar.
11:49Aamir Khan played that role.
11:51And the drama in the film,
11:53the combination of cricket and film,
11:55which they combined effectively,
11:57no one could have done that today.
11:59A lot of films were made on the triumph of human spirit.
12:02But if you compare Lagaan internationally,
12:05Lagaan will always be the proudest triumph film.
12:08And that's why I wasn't shocked or surprised
12:11when Lagaan was nominated for the Oscars.
12:13Because I've never seen such a proud Indian film.
12:16In which you feel you're proud to be an Indian,
12:19you're proud to be Hindustani.
12:21That form, that feeling is in Lagaan.
12:23And the way Anil Mehta has shot this film,
12:26and the entire ensemble cast,
12:2811 members of the cricket team,
12:30and all the British cast,
12:32Gracie, that foreign girl,
12:34who played her role beautifully.
12:36The music of Lagaan,
12:37is Mr. Rehman's most special music.
12:39Mr. Chavez has written it very well.
12:41The whole package, I think,
12:43Lagaan is the Sholay of our times.
12:45Of course, people talk a lot
12:47that Ram Gopal Verma and I have a problem,
12:50or we're unbun.
12:52Of course, they've said a little,
12:54I've said a little,
12:56but that doesn't take away that I think
12:58Sathya is an absolutely fantastic film.
13:00Sathya was released in 1998.
13:02Kuch Kuch Hota Hai Ke Saath.
13:04And when I saw this film,
13:06it's a film about the Bombay underworld.
13:08But the screenplay and performances
13:10are absolutely fantastic.
13:12Manoj Vajpayee's career is the best performance.
13:14Urmila Matondkar's performance is very subtle.
13:16And it's Ram Gopal Verma all the way.
13:18Brilliantly told, brilliantly structured,
13:20and absolutely brilliantly captured.
13:22Mumbai city has never felt like Sathya.
13:26It's an absolutely fantastic film.
13:28And every character is memorable.
13:30I believe it's the best Indian gangster film ever made.
13:33And I don't think even Ram Gopal Verma
13:35can do better than Sathya.
13:37Rishikesh Mukherjee is my favorite filmmaker.
13:39He has made very beautiful films.
13:41Khoobsurat, Milli, Guddi,
13:43whichever film you watch,
13:45there's a simple slice of life feeling.
13:48There's a smile, a smile,
13:50a simplicity that is very endearing.
13:52Which is very difficult to capture normally.
13:55I got that in a film in the year 2006,
13:58Lage Rao Munnabhai.
14:00I'm a big fan of the Munnabhai series.
14:02But Lage Rao Munnabhai is a very beautiful,
14:05Rishikesh Mukherjee type of picture.
14:07Which has a message, a social message,
14:10but it's also very entertaining.
14:12It's very hysterically funny.
14:14But there's a social message,
14:16an underlying social message,
14:18that runs right through the film.
14:20And it hasn't been made in years,
14:22like Lage Rao Munnabhai.
14:24We haven't seen this social message
14:26meets with entertainment for years.
14:28But this film had all those qualities
14:30that we normally see in Rishikesh Mukherjee's films.
14:33I think Raju Hirani is one of the country's finest filmmakers.
14:36And I think the Gandhi track that he kept in this film,
14:39it brought back Mahatma Gandhi.
14:41To a generation that had almost forgotten Mahatma Gandhi.
14:44The concept of Gandhigiri that he brought.
14:46It became cult, it became,
14:48almost like it had a huge fan following.
14:50If you ask small kids who Mahatma Gandhi is,
14:53they know this today.
14:55Before Lage Rao Munnabhai, they might not have this information.
14:58But today it's great that a film can bring back a legend like Mahatma Gandhi.
15:02And we have to thank Vinod Chopra and Raju Hirani for doing this.
15:05Lage Rao Munnabhai will be special,
15:07for not only its screenplay,
15:09but for bringing back the nostalgia of Rishikesh Mukherjee
15:11in modern day celluloid.
15:13And finally, I would like to say,
15:15the film that was released this year,
15:17which I really liked,
15:19and it's made it to my top 10 list,
15:22in that film, it's not a hockey film for me.
15:25It's not a sports film for me.
15:27There are many other qualities in that film,
15:29that run right through the film.
15:31It speaks about women empowerment.
15:33It speaks about sectional India and making it one.
15:35It speaks about various things.
15:37So, if you go to watch it,
15:39if you simply go to watch it, you'll say it's a sports triumph film.
15:42But if you go deep, you'll find out,
15:44that the writer of this film, Jaideep Saini,
15:47wants to say a lot about this country.
15:49About the status of women in India,
15:51which he has said through this film.
15:54And I think that it is Shahrukh Khan's best performance.
15:58If you want to see Shahrukh Khan's favourite performance,
16:00and best performance,
16:02then you have to see Chak De India.
16:04Because not only is it patriotic,
16:06not only is it a sports triumph film,
16:08but it speaks of India, and what we stand for,
16:10and what we should stand for.
16:12Chak De India is definitely the film,
16:14a film beyond films.
16:16So, these were my top 10 favourite films.
16:18I hope most of you agree with my list.
16:20I have made this list after a lot of thought.
16:22There is a lot of love in these films.
16:24I wanted to share that love with you.
16:27Of course, I am a big devotee of Indian cinema.
16:29So, I hope you enjoy my top 10,
16:31because I've had a great time sharing it with you.
16:33Thank you.