Posted:
I like living out my dreams
As Karan Johar turns 37 today, he tells us about his fears, hopes and why he'd rather be alone than surround himself with 'unwanted clutter'
By Subhash K Jha
Posted On Monday, May 25, 2009 at 02:28:50 AM
| ' How are you bringing in your birthday? I am having a get-together where I have invited people I respect. ' How has the year been for you? I have covered a lot of work. Now I am 37, but it's just a number. I might give up the hair dye. Maybe when I am 40 I will go officially grey. ' Thirty seven and growing older. How does it feel? Growing old is a fear I am facing now. I admit I worry all the time about being alone when I am old. But you can't fight your destiny. If I am destined to be alone, so be it. As I'm getting older, I enjoy being alone in my space. ' Isn't that a scary space to be in? I like being the master of my days and nights. Maybe I am getting too used to being alone, so much so that I may not enjoy having someone in my life. I am answerable and accountable only to my mother. She understands my passions and weaknesses. The same situation with someone else seems like a distant and strange option. A couple of years ago I was looking for a relationship and commitment. I'm no longer sure I'm ready to do that. Life is no longer a poem, a novel or a book. I realise life is very different. ' It's been a stressful year? Stress is good. I am happy with the stress. It's a healthy kind of stress. And I'm happy that our production house has undertaken so much work. Dharma Productions has never been so active. ' Does it take your personal life away? No. It's a choice. Thinking about my personal life would make me very depressed. Better to move away from it. Work is therapeutic. It's a healthy distraction. ' Does that mean your personal life is unhappy? It's empty. Better that way than to fill it up unnecessarily. I have realised emptiness is better than unwanted clutter. I have lots of close friends but I have no personal life. ' Do you surround yourself with hyperactivity to fight off loneliness? It's a conscious decision to surround myself with people who are doing quality work. I feel the people in my workplace are a family beyond an immediate family. I feel the need to constantly nurture that family. It fills in all the empty spaces in my life without any expectations from me. Isn't that a great equation? ' But that's like being exploited. I've been subjected to that treatment in the past. You can never run away from the risk of being used. I've mastered the art of no-expectation from people around me. I am attached to and yet detached from people around me. It's a brilliant balance to achieve. ' Why do you have so many untried directors in your company? They are the hungriest, and they come with no baggage. ' But hunger to achieve is a measure of talent? It is. The hunger within them makes them tap the talent that they have. And, these aren't youngsters from the blue. They have a certain cinematic background besides a hunger to excel. At one time I used to see those qualities in myself. When I was just starting out I used to wonder how I could be a filmmaker when I wasn't eccentric enough to qualify as one. Now I see I've fallen into my own erratic pattern of existence. And of course I'm strange, therefore qualified to be a filmmaker. A star-studded affair Karan Johar plans to celebrate his 37th birthday today by hosting a grand party at a Worli hotel. The bash promises to be one of the biggest parties of the year, with Karan personally inviting everyone associated with him personally and professionally. The guest list includes Shah Rukh and Gauri Khan, Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao, Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor, Shahid Kapur and Priyanka Chopra, Aishwarya and Abhishek Bachchan, Amitabh Bachchan, Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone, Imran Khan, Kajol, Manish Malhotra, Vivek Oberoi, Tusshar and Ekta Kapoor, Rishi and Neetu Kapoor, Bobby and Tanya Deol, Parmeshwar Godrej and Kajal Anand among others. Kunal M Shah |
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