Karan Johar made his directorial debut in the 1998 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy-drama ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai.’ He was also the writer of the film. ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’ opened to critical acclaim and was a massive box office success. Johar also earned several awards for the film including the ‘Zee Cine Award,’ ‘Zee Cine Award,’ and 2 ‘Filmfare Awards.’ He next directed the 2001 Indian Hindi-language family-drama film ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham…’ The film received a mixed response from critics but was a major box office success. He again bagged 2 ‘Filmfare Awards’ for the film. In 2003, he produced the Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy-drama film ‘Kal Ho Naa Ho’ directed by Nikhil Advani. The film was a critical and financial success. The following year, he made his television debut as a host in the Indian talk show ‘Koffee with Karan.’ He remained a part of the show until it went off-air in 2019.
Johar returned to the director’s chair for the 2006 Indian Hindi-language musical romantic drama ‘Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna.’ The film opened to a positive reception and was a phenomenal box office success, grossing over ₹226 crores against a budget of ₹50 crores. He next produced films like ‘Dostana’ (2008), ‘Kurbaan’ (2009), and ‘Wake Up Sid’ (2009). In 2010, he directed the Hindi-language drama film ‘My Name Is Khan.’ The film saw rave reviews upon release with famous critic Subhash K. Jha calling it a “flawless film.” Johar went on to produce films like ‘I Hate Luv Storys’ (2019), ‘Agneepath’ (2012), and ‘Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu’ (2012). In 2012, he was seen directing the Indian Hindi-language coming-of-age romantic comedy-drama film ‘Student of the Year.’ The film earned mixed reviews from critics and was a financial success.
He went on to produce films such as ‘Gippi’ (2013), ‘Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani’ (2013), ‘Gori Tere Pyaar Mein’ (2013), ‘Hasee Toh Phasee’ (2014), ‘2 States’ (2014), ‘Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania’ (2014), ‘All India Bakchod Knockout’ (2015), ‘Brothers’ (2015), and ‘Kapoor & Sons’ (2016). The year 2016 saw the release of the Indian Hindi-language musical romantic drama film ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil’ directed by Karan Johar. The film saw mixed reviews upon release and did decent business at the box office. In 2018, he joined the band of directors for the Indian Hindi-language anthology film ‘Lust Stories.’ The film was widely praised by critics. He next produced films like ‘Raazi’ (2018), ‘Simmba’ (2018), ‘Kalank’ (2019), ‘Student of the Year 2’ (2019), ‘Good Newwz’ (2019), and ‘Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl’ (2020).
In 2021, he produced the Indian Hindi-language action film ‘Sooryavanshi’ directed by Rohit Shetty. The film received a mixed response from critics. He is all set to direct the upcoming Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film ‘Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani.’