From ‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani’ to ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham’: The Costumes That Define Karan Johar’s Characters

For Karan Johar, costume is never an afterthought. Often, it is instinct—a fully formed idea, long before the script has taken shape. To him, how a character dresses themselves is integral to who they are, and that vision has produced some of Hindi cinema’s most memorable fashion moments. In a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter India, the filmmaker shares the idea behind some of his most memorable looks.

Take Alia Bhatt's Rani Chatterjee in Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani (2023). Long before the script was finalised, Johar knew exactly how Rani would dress. “It’s just a feeling I had,” he says, tracing the character’s look to real-life journalist Poonam Saxena, who co-wrote Johar’s biography, An Unsuitable Boy. “I used to see that she was hip, and stylish, but always in a saree. She was my inspiration,” says Johar. “I thought [someone like] Rani Chatterjee would only wear sarees,” he adds. Once the film released, Rani’s wardrobe—conceptualised by Manish Malhotra—became a cultural moment, with her sarees taking the country by storm. When the film’s costumes were later auctioned, they sold out almost immediately, proof of how deeply her looks resonated with audiences.

Alia Bhatt as Rani Chatterjee in 'Rocky Aur Rani Kii Premkahani'

Sometimes, Johar says, “You see the character in your head.” This was true for yet another one of his most iconic films, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001), for which his costume designer, Malhotra, travelled across the country.

Amitabh Bacchan and Jaya Bacchan as Yash and Nandini Raichand in 'Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham'

“I always wanted the Raichands to look regal and rich,” Johar recalls. “The Jamawar shawls were something that was intrinsically a part of the writing as well,” he says, referring to the rich, heavy shawls worn by Amitabh Bacchan’s character, Yashvardhan Raichand.

The idea for the Jamawar shawls, now synonymous with the character, were a crucial detail, signifying generational wealth. There were no compromises on the look; the shawls had to be authentic. So, Malhotra, the costume designer for the film, scoured the country to realise the filmmaker’s vision. “Manish went all out, he really went all over the country [for those shawls],” says Johar. With a smile, he adds: “I always imagined that Yashvardhan Raichand would look like this.”