Yash Johar (6 September 1929 – 26 June 2004) was an Indian film producer and the founder of

Dharma Productions Dharma Productions Pvt. Ltd., commonly known and doing business as Dharma Productions, is an Indian film production and distribution company established by Yash Johar in 1979. It was taken over in 2004, after his death, by his son, Karan Joh ...

. His films featured lavish sets, were often set in "exotic" locations, and incorporated Indian traditions and family values. He is the father of Karan Johar, now a noted filmmaker himself.

Personal life

Johar was born on 6 September 1929 in

Amritsar Amritsar (), historically also known as Rāmdāspur and colloquially as ''Ambarsar'', is the second largest city in the Indian state of Punjab, after Ludhiana. It is a major cultural, transportation and economic centre, located in the Majha r ...

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

, in a Punjabi family. He was married to Hiroo, sister of filmmaker

Yash Chopra Yash Raj Chopra (27 September 1932 21 October 2012) was an Indian people, Indian film director and film producer who worked in Bollywood, Hindi cinema. The founding chairman of the film production and distribution company Yash Raj Films, Chop ...

. He died on 26 June 2004 in

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

, aged 74, of a chest infection, though he had also been fighting cancer. After his death, his son took over

Career

Johar began his career as a

publicist A publicist is a person whose job is to generate and manage publicity for a company, a brand, or public figure – especially a celebrity – or for a work such as a book, film, or album. Publicists are public relations specialists who ...

and still photographer in the early 1950s, working on the film ''

Badal ''Badal'' () is a 2000 Indian Hindi-language action drama film directed by Raj Kanwar. The film stars Bobby Deol and Rani Mukerji in lead roles with Amrish Puri. The movie is inspired by ''The Devil's Own'' (1997), starring Harrison Ford ...

'' (1951). He worked for

Sashadhar Mukherjee Sashadhar Mukherjee (29 September 1909 – 3 November 1990) was an Indian filmmaker in Hindi cinema. He started his career with Bombay Talkies in the 1930s, and later established Filmistan Studio with Rai Bahadur Chunilal (father of music direc ...

's production company Filmistan as a production executive on the film ''

Love in Simla ''Love In Simla'' is a 1960 Indian romance film, produced by Sashadhar Mukherjee and his Filmalaya production house. Directed by R. K. Nayyar, who co-wrote the script with Agha Jani, the film had the producer's son, Joy Mukherjee, in the lead r ...

'' (1960). In 1962, he joined

Sunil Dutt Sunil Dutt (born Balraj Dutt; 6 June 1929 — 25 May 2005) was an Indian actor, film producer, director and politician. Dutt was one of the major stars of Hindi cinema in the late 1950s and 1960s and continued to star in many successful film ...

's production house Ajanta Arts. He was a production controller for films like ''

Mujhe Jeene Do ''Mujhe Jeene Do'' () is a 1963 Hindi film, directed by Moni Bhattacharjee and written by Aghajani Kashmeri. This dacoit drama stars Sunil Dutt, Waheeda Rehman, Nirupa Roy, Rajendranath and Mumtaz. Shot in the Chambal Valley ravines of Bhin ...

'' and ''Yeh Raaste Hai Pyaar Ke''. He helped filmmaker

Dev Anand Dharamdev Pishorimal Anand (26 September 1923 – 3 December 2011), better known as Dev Anand, was an Indian actor, writer, director and producer known for his work in Hindi cinema, through a career that spanned over six decades. He was ...

handle the production of his 1965 film ''

Guide A guide is a person who leads travelers, sportspeople, or tourists through unknown or unfamiliar locations. The term can also be applied to a person who leads others to more abstract goals such as knowledge or wisdom. Travel and recreation Ex ...

'', which was successful at the box office. He continued with Dev Anand's

Navketan Films Navketan Films was a film production house based in Mumbai, India. Started in 1949 by actor-director and producer Dev Anand and his elder brother Chetan Anand, whose debut film, ''Neecha Nagar'', received the Palme d'Or (Best Film) award, at the ...

and handled production of films like ''

Jewel Thief ''Jewel Thief'' is a 1967 Indian Hindi-language spy thriller heist film directed by Vijay Anand. The film stars Ashok Kumar, Dev Anand, Vyjayantimala and features four bond girl-like actresses portrayed by Tanuja, Helen, Faryal and Anju Mahen ...

'', ''

Prem Pujari ''Prem Pujari'' is a 1970 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film produced, directed and written by Dev Anand for Navketan Films, his directorial debut. The movie stars Dev Anand, Waheeda Rehman, Shatrughan Sinha, Prem Chopra, Madan Puri a ...

'' and '' Hare Rama Hare Krishna''. In 1976, Johar launched his own banner,

. The first film produced by the company, '' Dostana'', directed by

Raj Khosla Raj Khosla (31 May 1925 – 9 June 1991) was one of the top director, producer and screenwriter in Hindi film industry from the 1950s to the 1980s. He was known for bringing in "neo-noir" and style in Indian cinema, and also as a "women's direc ...

, was a box office success in 1980. The company produced a handful of other films in the 1980s and early 1990s, most notably '' Duniya'' (1984), '' Agneepath'' (1990), '' Gumrah'' (1993) and ''

Duplicate Duplication, duplicate, and duplicator may refer to: Biology and genetics * Gene duplication, a process which can result in free mutation * Chromosomal duplication, which can cause Bloom and Rett syndrome * Polyploidy, a phenomenon also known ...

'' (1998). He was also an associate producer on the 1994 Hollywood film ''

The Jungle Book ''The Jungle Book'' (1894) is a collection of stories by the English author Rudyard Kipling. Most of the characters are animals such as Shere Khan the tiger and Baloo the bear, though a principal character is the boy or "man-cub" Mowgli, ...

''. The company found unprecedented success with the 1998 award-winning film '' Kuch Kuch Hota Hai'', the directorial debut of his son Karan Johar. The film starring

Shah Rukh Khan Shah Rukh Khan (; born 2 November 1965), also known by the initialism SRK, is an Indian actor, film producer, and television personality who works in Hindi films. Referred to in the media as the " Baadshah of Bollywood", "King of Bollywood" ...

, Kajol,

Rani Mukerji Rani Mukerji (pronounced ; born 21 March 1978) is an Indian actress who works in Hindi films. Noted for her versatility, she is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Rani Mukerji, multiple accolades, including seven Filmf ...

and

Salman Khan Abdul Rashid Salim Salman Khan (; 27 December 1965) is an Indian actor, film producer, and television personality who works in Hindi films. In a film career spanning over thirty years, Khan has received numerous awards, including two Nation ...

was one of the biggest hits of the year both domestically and in the overseas market. The film was critically acclaimed as well, winning major awards at Indian award ceremonies. Karan's second directorial, '' Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham...'' in 2001 was also immensely successful. Johar was also involved in the production and distribution company

Dreamz Unlimited Red Chillies Entertainment is an Indian visual effects, production and distribution company established by actor Shah Rukh Khan and his wife Gauri Khan in 2002. It was transformed from the defunct Dreamz Unlimited. Based in Mumbai, the studio' ...

founded in 1999 by Shah Rukh Khan,

Juhi Chawla Juhi Chawla (born 13 November 1967) is an Indian actress, film producer and entrepreneur. She established herself as one of the leading actresses of Hindi cinema from the late 1980s through the early 2000s. Recognised for her comic timing and v ...

and

Aziz Mirza Aziz Mirza (born 15 August 1947) is an Indian film director, producer and screenwriter known for his works in Bollywood and Indian television. Background Mirza was born the son of bollywood script-writer Akhtar Mirza. He is a brother of the fi ...

. He helped set up the company as well as handling the production process of their first film, ''

Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani ''Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani'' () is a 2000 Indian Hindi-language satirical film released by Dreamz Unlimited (now Red Chillies Entertainment). The producers derived the title from lines of the song "Mera Joota Hai Japani" from '' Shree 420'' ...

'' (2000). ''

Kal Ho Naa Ho ''Kal Ho Naa Ho'' (, ), also abbreviated as ''KHNH'', is a 2003 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy drama film directed by Nikhil Advani, written by Karan Johar with dialogue by Niranjan Iyengar, and produced by Yash Johar. The film stars ...

'', was the last film he was involved in, which was a major critical and commercial success, becoming the top-grossing film domestically and in the overseas market that year.

Selected filmography

Producer

* '' Dostana'' (1980) * '' Duniya'' (1984) * ''

Muqaddar Ka Faisla ''Muqaddar Ka Faisla'' () is a 1987 Hindi action film directed by Prakash Mehra and produced by Yash Johar. It stars Raaj Kumar, Raakhee, Raj Babbar, Meenakshi Sheshadri, Tina Munim in pivotal roles. Bappi Lahiri has composed the music for t ...

'' (1987) * '' Agneepath'' (1990) * '' Gumrah'' (1993) * ''

'' (1998) * '' Kuch Kuch Hota Hai'' (1998) * '' Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham...'' (2001) * ''

'' (2003)

References

External links