Friendship Day prompted filmmaker Karan Johar to take a nostalgic walk down memory lane as he shared one of his most personal social media posts. Reflecting on childhood insecurities, lifelong friendships and the people who stood by him through life’s highs and lows, the filmmaker penned an emotional note on Instagram. From recalling his first friend and his bond with Dharma Productions CEO Apoorva Mehta to mentioning his recent days in the ICU with his mother, Karan’s post celebrated the value of friendship while ending with a humorous reference to his ‘troll army.’
Karan Johar recalls his childhood friends and self-image issues
Karan Johar began his note by looking back at his childhood, recalling how he often watched boys playing cricket from his building window while feeling left out. Describing himself as a “PLUS size 7-year-old,” he joked that he preferred hopscotch and often wondered why it wasn’t considered a national sport. Behind the humour, however, was a feeling of loneliness that stayed with him during his early years.
The filmmaker explained that being an only child often made him feel isolated and prone to self-pity. He revealed that everything changed when a lively Parsi girl named Farzana Muncherjee entered his life and became his first true friend. wrote, “My second thought was why don’t I have any friends? Being an only child gave me the greatest gift of all time… self pity!!!!” Karan mentioned that Farzana is still a close fiend of his after 47 years.
Karan Johar’s post on Friendship Day
He then recalled another defining chapter from his school days when a clerical error placed him in a different classroom than usual. Feeling like an outsider once again, Karan remembered the awkward moment when his principal asked the class who would become his friend. After an uncomfortable silence, one student raised his hand – Apoorva Mehta. Karan revealed that Apoorva agreed to be his friend on one amusing condition: he had to bring vegetarian snacks to school from the following day. That friendship eventually grew into a lifelong bond, with Apoorva now becoming the CEO of Dharma Productions.
Karan Johar with Apoorva Mehta
Karan Johar reveals his mother was in ICU
The filmmaker also opened up about a recent emotional phase in his life in the post, revealing that he spent days in the ICU with his mother. He, “Recently I was in an ICU for 15 days with my mom (she’s back home and doing well now) and I realised how much love I have… no matter what your wealth may be – the only investment that will always reap rich dividends is friendship.”
As he concluded his heartfelt message, Karan thanked all his friends for their unwavering love and support over the years. He also added his trademark humour by joking that he wanted to end the post with the iconic line, “Mujhse Dosti Karoge?”, but decided against it because his “troll army” might object. He signed off by giving a playful twist to one of Bollywood’s most iconic dialogues from his own film Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, writing, “Pyaar dosti hai is all very well… But I hate to shatter that bubble and say pyaar se kahi zyaada dosti hai!”
Karan Johar’s post on Friendship Day
Karan’s lengthy post was an ode to all his life-long friendships as well as the importance of love and friendship in his life.