Veteran Bollywood Actress Farida Jalal Questions Karan Johar’s Loyalty; Reveals Why She Turned Down ‘Kal Ho Naa Ho’

Mumbai: Veteran actress Farida Jalal, who staged a successful comeback with ‘Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar’ under the direction of Sanjay Leela Bhansali, has expressed her disappointment over Karan Johar for his swift shift in loyalties. Despite this, she commended his deceased father, producer Yash Johar, while exploring her unresolved disputes with Karan. She recounted her long-term professional relationship with his father, feeling that the respect for this bond dissipated once Karan took the reins of the family’s Dharma Productions. Read on to find more details.
In a recent interview with Bollywood Bubble, Farida said, “Back in the day, Karan Johar… I don’t know what he’s like nowadays, loyalties shift very fast. He doesn’t have any role for me in his films these days, even though they wouldn’t make a film without me at one point. His father, Yash Johar, was one of my favourite producers. What a man, what a gem of a person! He’d call me up and say, ‘Dekhiye Farida, hero ka role toh baad mein likha jaata hai, aapka role pehle likha jaata hai (We write your character even before we’ve decided where to go with the protagonist)’ (sic).”
The Heeramandi actress further added, “I first met Karan on the sets of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge , because he was Aditya Chopra’s right hand man on that film. We became very close. He would tell me that he’s going to make a film, and Kajol, Shah Rukh and I were all with him. He came to tell me the story of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai… It is still his best film, and I’m not just saying this because I was in it. It was a very sensitive film. He would write each and every word, every scene himself. I cried when he narrated the film to me (sic).”
Their relationship took a downturn not too long after. Talking to India Today, she shared that post the release of the movie “Student of the Year” in 2012, Karan hadn’t offered her any parts in his Dharma Productions. She went on to say that he had reached out personally, admitting he hadn’t been fair to her. However, even then, they didn’t work together again after “Student of the Year”. A strikingly similar situation played out with Aditya Chopra. She openly admitted she’d gladly take on a role if Yash Chopra offered it. Despite her cameo in “DDLJ” as a personal favor, she never found herself part of any future YRF movies under Aditya Chopra’s direction.
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