Koffee, fashion and nepotism: How Karan Johar changed the way a filmmaker is seen, judged and celebrated | Bollywood News
Back in 1999, at the 44th Filmfare Awards, when a nerve-wrecked Karan Johar stepped up on the dais to receive his maiden Best Director honour for his 1998 directorial debut Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, he got the entire auditorium — and the entire nation watching the broadcast on Doordarshan — hooked to his speech. “Ever since I’ve dreamt of being here in front of all the people that I’ve grown up watching, I figured if I wanted my dream to come true, I’d have to be a compere. Because I never really thought I’d turn director,” he said. As he concluded his acceptance speech — a self-admittedly rehearsed script rendered with the command of a professional compere — the hearty applause was directed at not only his monumental achievement, but also his refreshing eloquence. He wasn’t the age-old director with a hangover from his pind, but a new-age one raised in the increasingly cosmopolitan South Mumbai. He was also not just a filmmaker good at calling the shots on set, but also a well-rounded personality, …
