Karan Johar Says Copying Hit Films Won’t Bring Real Success
Renowned filmmaker shares insights on originality and trends in Bollywood
Karan Johar, one of Bollywood’s most celebrated filmmakers, has said that replicating successful films is not the key to real success. In a recent interview, the director of classics like Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham explained that originality is what truly connects with audiences.
> “Success cannot be achieved by simply copying another hit film,” Johar stated, addressing the ongoing trend in the Indian film industry.
—
Trends in Bollywood: Copy-Paste Creativity?
He pointed out how the industry often falls into a herd mentality. When an action film performs well, producers rush to make more of the same. If a horror-comedy like Stree becomes a hit, suddenly everyone wants to produce horror-comedies. Similarly, after Pushpa’s massive success, filmmakers started following the same gritty, massy storytelling style.
—
Originality Matters
Karan Johar believes this approach lacks creativity and long-term vision. He emphasized,
> “Films like Pushpa, Stree, or even Chhava became hits because they were original and rooted in strong ideas, not because they followed a trend.”
According to Johar, successful storytelling comes from unique concepts. Instead of building cinematic universes like Spy or Cop franchises, he said:
> “My universe is cinema itself. I didn’t come here to build a universe—I came here to tell stories.”
—
Karan Johar at Cannes 2025
Recently, Karan Johar attended the Cannes Film Festival for the premiere of Homebound, a film produced under his Dharma Productions banner. The film is directed by Neeraj Ghaywan and stars Ishan Khatter, Vishal Jethwa, and Janhvi Kapoor in lead roles.
—
Final Thoughts
Johar’s message to filmmakers is clear: trends may offer short-term fame, but timeless success lies in original, meaningful storytelling. As Bollywood evolves, directors and writers mu
st focus on creativity rather than imitation.
