At the ongoing Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) 2017, Karan Johar said he wanted to make iconic films, and not just films that contribute to pop culture.
Johar said, as reported by the Indian Express, “I may have contributed to pop culture but I don’t think I have contributed to the brilliance of cinema as yet. I’m yet to make my Lagaan or a Rang De Basanti or a Lage Raho… which I believe are defining iconic films.”
He also said that his television appearances made him come across as less serious than directors like Rajkumar Hirani and Anurag Kashyap.
”I’m a talk show host and then I’m dancing on reality shows which is embarrassing for my family too. So, Raju Hirani, Imtiaz Ali, Zoya Akhtar or Anurag Kashyap will be taken more seriously because they are serious filmmakers whereas I’m dancing on Jhalak Dikhla Jaa. But I’m ok with that as long as I make that one feature film that I believe I have yet to make, which will supersede any perception or any observation on me and what I represent,” he said.
Johar praised actor Aamir Khan and said he would love to work with him at some point, but hoped he wouldn’t be the first director to give Khan a bad film.
Johar also said that he should have made more movies in his 19 years in the industry.
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He said, “You start believing that you are so important that you can’t fail. Nobody is that important. Cinema is bigger than all of us. Last year, I promised myself to lessen the gap but I’m still crackling with the idea of what to make because it’s the same fear of failure, overestimation about the self that keeps popping up, which I have to fight out.”
He said he wanted to dedicate his next film to his children – Yash and Roohi. He said the film would capture the “humungous level of excitement” he has about being able to raise his children.