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Karan Johar on Cinema, Fashion, Instagram Critics and How Films Shape What India Wears
India's most fashionable filmmaker discusses his journey from sequins and sangeets to Shah Rukh Khan’s jeans — and everything in between
Karan Johar is the very definition of style in cinema. On a warm, winter day in Mumbai at the St Regis, our official venue partner, he preens and pouts in a pink suit. His efficiency is startling — quick changes, precise poses and expressions. He is perhaps India’s best and only filmmaker-model. This passion for fashion started in his childhood and at 53, shows no signs of letting up.
Since Kuch Kuch Hota Hai in 1998, Johar’s personal aesthetics have shaped fashion and how India dresses. He does a deep dive into the way film and style intersect and tells The Hollywood Reporter India why he might just be India’s Miranda Priestly!
Edited excerpts from the conversation:
THR INDIA: You’ve literally put the style in cinema. I don’t know a whole lot about style.
KARAN JOHAR: So, I’ve observed that. Though I like some of your looks, and I think that there has been a great transformation with your wardrobe from the time that you began. And I’ve been silently, quietly and assuredly observing your fashion journey. And it’s been commendable, I have to say.
THR INDIA: I remember you telling me to change my handbags.
KJ: Yes. Because there was one Versace handbag that had celebrated its centenary celebration. And I said, just go buy another bag just for yourself. It was that chinaware print which you loved.
FASHION EVOLUTION
THR INDIA: You’re the only filmmaker who observes a film critic’s handbags.
KJ: Yes. I have a disease. It’s a problem. For me, style is really a result of observation. As a child I used to just stare at anyone who came into the house. I used to love going shopping with my mother; I loved going to the sari shop. There was a market called Manish Market. I was just an unusual kid.
THR INDIA: The meeting of film and fashion is a very uniquely Indian thing. What has Bollywood done for Indian fashion?
KJ: Has it been an impressionable force of nature? Yes, there have been generations who are wearing clothes that they get from cinema and this has happened from time immemorial. Has it impacted pop culture? Of course it has. Let me tell you this goes back to the ‘60s which I believe was the most stylish part of cinema. I mean the saris, the immaculate suits. See the opening credit song of Yash uncle’s [Chopra] “Zindagi Ittefaq Hai” [from the 1970 film Aadmi Aur Insaan]. Mumtaz is dancing in this black short, knee-length dress. And [actor and film editor] Feroz Khan and [actor] Dharamji are with her in immaculate tuxedos; things that you would wear today.
THR INDIA: Right?
KJ: The late ‘60s is the most stylish, fashionable clothing that you will see. The ‘80s were jarring and it was not aesthetic and we learned nothing. But in Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! (1994), and Maine Pyar Kiya (1989) — there was an entire generation wearing that beautiful pink rose outfit that Bhagyashree had on in the “Kabootar Ja Ja Ja” song. And then Madhuri’s [Dixit] sari was exciting, that purple sari. And then came [designer] Manish [Malhotra] with Rangeela (1995), which I think changed the tide and brought wearable fashion to cinema in the ‘90s. And that went into Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995), that went into Dil To Pagal Hai (1997), to Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), then so on and so forth. Manish [Malhotra] says they’re still asking him for the “Maahi Ve” [from the film Kal Ho Naa Ho] lehenga and they’re still making the Kareena Kapoor [Khan] “Bole Chudiyan” outfit. I remember that dupatta tied around the neck became a thing. I think sangeet happened because of cinema.
THR INDIA: It’s all your fault.
KJ: Well, I’m happy to take that blame. It’s between Soorajji [Barjatya], Adi [Aditya Chopra] and me that we brought in this culture where every community now has a sangeet. It used to be specific to the Punjabi community.
KABADI TO COUTURE
THR INDIA: As far as fashion is concerned, I think of you as Miranda Priestley from The Devil Wears Prada. The films you’ve produced really shape how we think of fashion. Was that always part of the plan?
KJ: I’m not sure there was such a plan, really. My plan was to make a movie and release it. But I’ve grown up going to the kabadi (junk) store looking for old Vogue magazines and Harper’s Bazaars and Vanity Fairs and grown up just observing fashion. I was obsessed with fashion. When I was an AD (assistant director), my first interaction with Shah Rukh [Khan] was on the fit of his jeans. He used to wear these Wrangler jeans. And I said, “Can I give you Levi’s?” And he was like, “Why?” I said, “They’ll just fit you better and give you a better silhouette”. He went and asked Adi (Aditya Chopra) “Yeh kaun hai aur yeh kya bol raha hai? Jeans ke bare main baat kar raha hai.”
THR INDIA: When you went abroad to shop for Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, your father thought you were crazy.
KJ: He thought I was mad. That time brands to me meant DKNY, Gap, Polo Sport. That Gap jumpsuit in “Koi Mil Gaya” is from the children’s section because nobody older would wear that. That Polo Sport T-shirt is from a cycling shop; it was actually officially for a cyclist. It’s not meant for people to just wear and dance on a stage.
THR INDIA: Where is the “cool” necklace from?
KJ: We made that. It’s the most uncool thing to say cool. But we thought it was really cool. Manish [Malhotra] made it for me. I think C O O L we added. After the film released, I saw that chain everywhere. Even the guy who came to give us milk was wearing that Polo Sport T-shirt. It’s exactly what Miranda Priestley says, that great minds approve one colour. Top brands make outfits in that colour. It becomes the colour of the season and then it trickles down to the high street brands and then everyone’s wearing it. But one great mind thought of that cerulean or a certain kind of colour. Pop culture is created by cinema, at least in our country.
BEHIND THE CLOSET DOOR
THR INDIA: Tell me, where do all the amazing costumes go once a film is done?
KJ: The saris go into our godown. And then they get used in other movies.
THR INDIA: You’re recycling. How come no one’s noticed this?
KJ: Yeah, all the time. You won’t know it. And a lot of it is worn; there are extras wearing it all the time. Of course, not the iconic costumes, because you’ll get caught. But everything gets used in other movies — it’s constantly recycled. And my wardrobe is used all the time for films.
THR INDIA: Your personal wardrobe?
KJ: Whenever Anaita [Shroff Adajania] is on a film, because we’re close friends, she has access to my wardrobe. She’d come for Call Me Bae [2024] to pick up the clothes. And what she does is genius. You’ll not notice that Ananya Panday is wearing a lot of my clothes. But she will put it together so efficiently and beautifully. Because my closet is crazy, as you might imagine, she says, “This is the best shop in the world”. She takes bags, she takes jackets, sweatshirts. She’ll just take everything.
THR INDIA: And do they come back to you?
KJ: No. Some just get lost. But I don’t even know. Half the times I’ve given her things that have tags on it. I’m just a compulsive retail maniac. It’s a disease. It is my disease, and I have to be in rehab for it to stop shopping.
THR INDIA: I remember at an awards event you walked by me and you were in high heels. You changed the way I think about who wears what. But now, you’re a fashion influencer. So, are you dressing for yourself or are you dressing partly for spectators?
KJ: First and foremost, my own evolution of how I dress myself has changed with every passing decade. I became much more confident to try stuff in my 30s, and I went crazy in the 40s. And now I’m actually in quiet luxury mode. I’m trying to tone down because I feel like I should behave my age. Never have I dressed for an audience, really. I always dressed for myself first. If I love it, I’ll wear it. I’ll never be shy of it. I will never be apologetic for what I wear. I will never look awkward in something because I’m always happy to push the envelope when it comes to fashion, because I’m a huge proponent of the fashion industry worldwide. I love what it is and what it stands for. I’ve never looked at it as a frivolous industry. It’s a multi-billion-dollar industry. To me, fashion is art.
THR INDIA: How do you think paparazzi culture and Instagram have shaped the fashion landscape?
KJ: It’s huge. Instagram has blown the fashion industry all over the place. But it’s now too much. I feel people are just sitting at home and giving their commentary. What do you know about fashion? Have you been to fashion school? Do you have the qualification to tell me what I should wear and what the fit is or the silhouette? What started off as a great platform to share your ideas and your artistic abilities is being misused. And now, most movie stars are worried about leaving the house if they’re not styled.
THR INDIA: You have said that you’re going to tone down because you don’t want your kids to be bullied because of what you’re wearing. Is this coming from your heart or do you feel you have to?
KJ: Because I’m feeling older now in my head. I’m 53 years old. I have twins who are nine years old. And they do give me looks. I’ve noticed it. They’ve become my in-house fashion police. But I can tone it down a notch, which is what I’ve done now. I was into sequins in my 40s. Now I feel like I’m really looking mad in them. So, a lot of shine and prints have gone out of my wardrobe. I have evolved. I’ve gone into my 50s with a certain amount of grace.
STYLE FILE
The three most iconic film costumes?
KJ: I would say Mumtaz’s orange saree in “Jai Jai Shiv Shankar” [from the 1974 film Aap Ki Kasam]. Kareena Kapoor’s “Bole Chudiyan” [from the 2001 film Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham...] look. And Madhuri [Dixit] ’s purple saree for sure [from Hum Aapka Hai Koun].
STYLE FILE
The most stylish actor?
KJ: I think eternally Sonam Kapoor. She changed the game. She’s the most fashionable, stylish person. And Rhea [Kapoor] and her are a great team. I think she will always remain eternally fashionable. And I have to say, Rekha, of course.
STYLE FILE
Three things you see on Instagram that make you cringe?
KJ: Irresponsible and completely pointless fashion critics that have no qualification. Secondly, the price breakdowns. And third, what really annoys me are the clickbait headlines. The out-of-context provocative headlines. You click because you fall for it, and then it’s totally not what it says. The provocation annoys me.
STYLE FILE
The last film you saw that made you say “nice” because of the costumes?
KJ: In Hindi cinema from a costume lens, always what [Sanjay Leela] Bhansali does. Every movie of his, the costumes are just outstanding. I think that he’s a filmmaker I truly regard as one of the most aesthetic voices.
STYLE FILE
What’s a purchase you regret?
KJ: All the watches I bought in the 2000s. I regret buying all of them. I don’t wear watches. I spent a lot of money.
STYLE FILE
A look of yours that you wish you hadn’t worn?
KJ: There are many. For my 50th, I wore this green shiny sequined Dolce and Gabbana jacket. I swear, I looked like a disco ball in that. I regret it now. When I see the photos, I’m like, “What was I thinking?” I’m looking mad.
STYLE FILE
What’s your current personal style mantra?
KJ: I like the oversized silhouette. So, I like everything to be bigger. I love volume. I don’t like structured fits. But my style mantra really is, ‘just be you.’ Don’t try hard. If you don’t have a sense of aesthetics, no one is putting you in any jail for it.