Karan Johar has in a short period of time earned the accolades of being one of India's finest directors, and the prestigious title does not come without being well-deserved. The young, chirpy man who has in just two films taken the international box office by storm and made himself and his production company a force to be reckoned with has certainly come a long way in recent times to be cited among the lists of top directors and his work on the list of top films. But as with all stories, this one too has a beginning. Karan is most often asked about his film's content, the process of filmmaking and the casts he chooses, in this discussion he candidly reveals how he ventured into films for the first time and his personal growth that has made him who he is today. Every journey has a first step, join me as I re-live Karan Johar's.

"My earliest memory is watching Roman Holiday at the Eros cinema with my mum. It was the first English film I ventured out to see in a cinema hall, I was completely mesmerised by the film. In those days English films used to come so rarely to India and only the big films were shown at the big cinemas, so my mum took me to see this one at the Eros cinema in Churchgate. That's my first film memory too actually, my second film memory is watching Bobby on video. Dimple Aunty was a very close friend of the family and she used to come round every day, and so for me it was like watching Dimple Aunty on screen looking so pretty that I fell madly in love with her by the end of the film. I couldn't see her the same way after that because I just thought she was so exotic in Bobby, and I watched that film fifteen times in three days, I was so madly in love with it. I think these are the two films that made an impression on me, Roman Holiday and Bobby."

"I grew up in the video phase back home so then there was a lot of video and I watched all the classics at home and caught up with the newer stuff too, I was completely film-obsessed, Hindi film obsessed. I started watching all of Raj Kapoor's older films and my mum used to listen to all the old songs so musically she was my influence and film-wise, it was my father. I only got into international cinema much later, I was a complete Hindi film buff. I grew up in South Bombay (Malaba Hill) where no-one was film-oriented because that was more Bandra-Juhu side, and I used to lie to my schoolmates that my father was a businessman, I couldn't tell them he made movies. It's not like today where it's the hippest thing, back then it was very uncool. And I remember my father did a film called Muqadar Ka Faisla and there was a big banner in Worli saying Yash Johar's Muqaddar Ka Faisla and my school friends used to say 'hey is Yash Johar your father' and I would say no it's another Yash Johar, my father is a businessman. I used to be embarrassed that my father made Hindi movies and even wrote on forms for his occupation businessman. Then I went to college and at that time my father's release was Agneepath and a certain amount of respect began creeping into the profession and so that was the first time I enjoyed the attention I got from my father making Indian films."

"In college I met once more with Aditya Chopra, I mean we knew each other because we've grown up together and used to be at parties together but I met him again at college, and I was also very friendly with Jugal Hansraj, who at that time asked me what do I want to be. I'd tell him something like advertising or media, nothing to do with films because it's terrible and the worst thing to be a part of. So I met Adi and we became really close and he told me 'you know, inherently you are made to make films, why are you running away from it?' and I said for the simple reason because I can't act because I'm aware of what I look like, the only other option is producing and I'm not very good with money and direction is a far cry for me because I don't think I'll be able to control a unit. He said 'But you have creativity and you're a good writer' and I said 'How do you know that?' and he replied 'I just feel you are. I'm scripting at the moment, it's going to be my first film called Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge and I want you to sit with me every day.' I used to think why is this man coming all the way from Juhu to sit with me and hear my inputs, and I had done my Masters in French and was ready to go off to Paris for six months for a course. Suddenly for three weeks we sat on the film and drafted it, and I was essentially a bouncing board for his ideas and he then said to me 'you should assist me on this film' and I said I don't think it's possible because I've never even worked with my father so I don't think he'd like me working outside and Adi said just give it some thought. I was all set to go to Paris but then I just thought about it and spoke to my father and he said you should do it and give it a shot. Yashji is like a family friend and he told me I don't think this world is for you because I wasn't cut out for it temperamentally, but he encouraged me to give it a try saying nothing ventured nothing gained."

"I began working with Adi and assisting him and it was my first time on the sets working. I mean before that when I had visited my father's sets I was the kid sitting on the chair sipping a cola, all of a sudden I'm working on a set so it was quite different. I remember my first day was when they started shooting the Mere Khwabon Mein song with Kajol and she's a childhood friend and so I was very comfortable with her and Shah Rukh I had only met once or twice, I was petrified of him because I had heard all these stories of him being arrogant and all. I was really lost on the sets and I told Uday I don't think I want to be a part of this world and tomorrow I'm going to tell Adi and then go home, and he tried to dissuade me and said give it another day and I was determined not to. I got up the next day and when I met Adi he was a little tensed about the shoot and I told him I need to speak with you and he said 'ok, but not now, come with Uday in the car and speak to me then' and I never got in the car and never told him. If I had then I just feel that would be the end of me, I wouldn't be where I am today. Somehow the second day was a little better and the next day was again better and by the sixth day I fell in love with direction and knew this is what I wanted to do with my life."

"The Switzerland shoot which was the last schedule was when I was sipping coffee with Shah Rukh and we had gotten really friendly during the film and he used to ask me how he should do a scene we were sitting there and he said 'you know, you should direct'. And I always used to think why is he asking me how to do a scene and why is Adi asking me to assist him and it hit me and I realised what they had realised about me or seen in me. He said I should direct and I said maybe in five to six years and he said don't be silly you should do a film next. And I told him I couldn't because I didn't feel ready and he told me 'I think you are ready and if you make your first film I'll do it.' Kajol overheard and she said what are you guys talking about and Shah Rukh told her how he was telling me to do a film and if I did he'd do it, so she came on board too and said 'Of course I'll do it as well'. I went home thinking they had gone mad but Shah Rukh then phoned my father and told him 'Yashji I'm doing Duplicate for you but I'm doing your next film as well and I want your son to direct it.' My father was in complete shock and told me Shah Rukh had said this."

"So Shah Rukh completed Dilwale…and said come and narrate an idea if you have one and I didn't, so he said I'm shooting in Jaipur and this was Jan '96 and Dilwale released in October '95. Adi said 'Karan you don't have an idea?' and I said I don't, so I got on the plane to fly to Jaipur to tell Shah Rukh I don't have an idea but I'd work on one, and on the flight I put down some random thoughts and just babbled them off to him. I just told him about one scene which is of a little girl who gets stuck on stage and her father helps her out, which is the scene from Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. I didn't have any story just this one scene and he heard it and liked it and said 'I like your thought and your idea, I'm doing your film', and I just didn't know why he was so nice to me! And he gave me dates for October '97, he said I'll start shooting for you on October 21st 1997 and that was the day we started shooting. I took from Jan '96 onwards to script the film and it took a year and I made the film Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and it really was as simple as that. I was never inclined towards films or moved in this direction, I really think it was a case of destiny's child because it's just the way life steered me. Had I had my way I'd be sitting in your place and writing articles or maybe doing something advertising-based. It's as simple as that and that's my story."

Fuad Omar.