Happy birthday Karan Johar: Here's what makes him a gamechanger
Bollywood's celebrated filmmaker, Karan Johar, is an instrumental figure in the film industry. The director has successfully delivered many hit films under his banner Dharma Productions. In addition to this, he also has been quick to detect which movie would be a success and hit the bull's eye. On his 50th birthday, we look at four pan-Indian films that received his backing.
There's no denying that the Baahubali franchise cemented the impact of South Indian movies on a national scale. Baahubali 2: The Conclusion saw a successful run in around 6,500 theaters across India in four languages—Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, and Malayalam. Before this, Baahubali: The Beginning reportedly grossed Rs. 500cr worldwide. The Hindi dubbed versions of both the SS Rajamouli films were presented by Johar.
The sports action film, Liger, written and directed by Puri Jagannadh, features Vijay Deverakonda, Ananya Panday, Ronit Roy, and Ramya Krishnan. Johar has produced the film alongside Jagannadh and Charmme Kaur. The film reportedly also has an extended cameo by American boxer Mike Tyson. Liger will mark his debut in Indian Cinema. Given all the creative forces behind this, we can expect another success.
Tamil film 2.0 was directed by S Shankar who co-wrote the film alongside B Jeyamohan and Madhan Karky. The sci-fi action film featured actors Rajinikanth, Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson, Sudhanshu Pandey, Adil Hussain, Kalabhavan Shajohn, and K Ganesh. It reportedly grossed $15M worldwide on its first day. 2.0 was distributed by Johar's Dharma Productions with Lyca Productions along with AA Films.
Johar recently announced his upcoming film, Selfiee, a Hindi remake of the blockbuster Malayalam film Driving Licence. Selfiee will feature 2.0 star Kumar alongside Emraan Hashmi in the lead. The film will narrate the story of a motor inspector who clashes with a superstar. In March, Nushrratt Bharuccha and Diana Penty were welcomed onboard. Johar's film is expected to go on floors soon.
