On the eve of his b’day, Karan Johar spoke to us about his party with close friends in the English capital and how things have drastically changed for him in his 40s
Shubha Shetty Saha (MID-DAY; May 25, 2016)

Karan Johar brought in his 44th birthday party last night in London in the company of his close friends including Shah Rukh Khan, Gauri Khan, Alia Bhatt and Sidharth Malhotra.

Speaking to hitlist from London, hours before the big celebrations, KJo says “I was in Austria and then came to London. Birthdays are occasions when I make sure that I am away from work. I am lucky some of my friends are here; I will have about 15-20 of them attending the party.”

The filmmaker says he has already made a birthday resolution for this year. “The day after my 45th birthday party, I would be on the sets of my film; a film that I will direct,” he adds. He goes on to elaborate, “Writing is my primary passion. In my 40s, my fear of failure has reduced considerably. Often, we give ourselves too much importance and start worrying. A film is a film; sometimes you go right, sometimes you may not. I have decided to go ahead with what I want, without worrying about the results. This year, I have a Diwali release (Ae Dil Hai Mushkil) and I will ensure I have a Diwali 2017 release too — a film directed by me. Most of us filmmakers have such a sense of self importance that we think the world is waiting for our films with bated breath. That’s so not true — unless you are the director of Star Wars. The whole universe is not waiting for us to break out on celluloid,” he says with a loud laughter.

Continuing with the explanation, he adds, “We are such masters of delusion. With social media and so much else happening around us, it’s time we realised that we are just one important but tiny dot in the whole scheme of things. My 40s have made me much more open about my personal headspace and where I stand. I want to do so much more now than when I was 34. In my 30s, I was bogged down by work. At 32, I lost my father and had to carry his legacy emotionally and professionally forward. Through my 30s, I conformed to societal norms, but now, I am at a point where I am doing things that make me happier and give me personal equity. I am living for myself, not doing what people expect of me. I am not afraid of conflicts or people’s opinions; only what my mother says matters to me.”

He says he is not limiting his banner to ‘just our brand’. “I am excited about various collaborations that we are doing now. I have no issues going to people and asking to collaborate if I think they are interesting, like I did with 2 States and then Baahubali. I think we are beyond that time,” he says.

Coming back to his big day, he says he plans to hit stores in London and shop to his heart’s content. “We think if we eat chocolate cake on our birthday, calories won’t count. Or if we shop a lot, it won’t make a dent to our bank account. That’s the only day I think you deserve whatever you buy and I am going to make the most of it,” he says with a chuckle.