Karan Johar shares heartfelt Guru Purnima note for Shah Rukh Khan and Aditya Chopra: “You both are the only reason I can tell stories today”

On Guru Purnima, which fell on July 29, filmmaker Karan Johar paid a warm tribute to Shah Rukh Khan and Aditya Chopra, thanking them for helping shape his journey in the film industry.He shared an emotional message on social media, along with old pictures, and talked about two important conversations that changed his life and inspired him to become a filmmaker.

Karan remembered the time before the making of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995).

He had planned to leave Mumbai for more studies, but Aditya Chopra called him at around 1 a.m.and asked him to help on the film.During that call, Aditya encouraged him to go into filmmaking.

Karan said, “I was dramatic and had a lot of film dreams, and I just needed a break because I was always working hard (not the kind of treadmill you find in gyms).

He told me I would make a big mistake if I didn’t pursue this path.I couldn’t sleep that night and, in my dramatic way, went to my father the next morning and asked for a year on a film set.He looked at my tired eyes (they looked like tears, but were really just from lack of sleep and a developing stye) and asked, ‘Son, will you know what to do on a set?’”

Karan admitted he had no experience on a film set but promised his father, the late producer Yash Johar, that he would work hard and follow every instruction.

He added, “He said, ‘That will make you a producer.To be a director, you need only passion.’ I was passionate, but I wasn’t sure if anyone would believe me at that time.Only Adi did.Only him.”

He also recalled another important moment with Shah Rukh Khan during a trip to Switzerland before Kuch Kuch Hota Hai.

He said, “My next conversation was with Bhai @iamsrk on a hilltop in Switzerland.I was looking at the mountains, pretending to be homesick and looking for sympathy.He came to me and said, ‘You will become a director, and I will star in your first film.’ I thought to myself, ‘He might be low on oxygen and not fully aware of what he’s saying.’”

According to Karan, Shah Rukh kept his promise after returning to India and continued to support him, eventually helping launch his directorial career with Kuch Kuch Hota Hai in 1998.

Expressing his thanks, Karan said, “I love you Adi and Bhai.I am here with my strengths and flaws, my ups and downs, my wins and my losses—all because of both of you.You both are the only reason I can tell stories today.#happygurupurnima.”

Karan Johar was last involved as the producer of Chand Mera Dil.

Aditya Chopra recently supported the film Alpha.Meanwhile, Shah Rukh Khan is preparing for his upcoming release, King, directed by Siddharth Anand, which also stars Suhana Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Anil Kapoor, Jackie Shroff, Arshad Warsi, along with special appearances by Rani Mukerji and Deepika Padukone.