A mother talks about Karan Johar’s Good Samaritan act for her child

It’s a side of filmmaker Karan Johar few know of. Most know him as this party-hopper, gossipy, very talented filmmaker who is thick with the best of B-Town celebs and SoBo’s socialites. Lots of people troll him on social media and while he takes on most with a pinch of good humor, he gives it back in style to the rest in his inimitable saucy, wicked style. But here’s a little story that will make many emotional after reading it.

A source tells us, “Many don’t know that Karan Johar has helped a lot in furthering the cause of the girl child and helped pay for the education of girls. But many a seasoned person would be taken aback by his recent gesture of kindness. Senior journalist and Bollywood author Bharathi Pradhan whom he has known for years approached him to give a lecture at her son Siddhesh’s Symbiosis Law College in Pune and he chartered a helicopter to Pune and back (spending almost five lakh from his own pocket) – because he had a flight to catch to London and was pressed for time.

Bharathi confirms, “Karan was so gracious I can’t even begin to tell you about it. It was my son’s last year at his law school and he wanted me if I could arrange for a celebrity down to his college for their annual utsav, Symbhav. I spoke to Karan two months in advance and he said, ‘yes sure I will do it’ as that time his diary was free. He didn’t know what he was going to do later.”

But Bharathi was in for a shock a few days before the event day. “Karan’s date diary was chock-a-block and the children had been born by then and they were in the ICU but of course, I didn’t know about that when it happened. He had to keep the commitment and had to be back in Mumbai by 9 pm so catch his London flight so he asked me if the college could pre-pone it from 5.30 pm to 3 pm? Everything was done.”

A couple of days before the event he messaged saying, “Bharathi I am so time-strapped that I will have to take a helicopter to fly down to Pune. He took me with him and what I found more wonderful was that from the helipad to the college and back he had hired his own car and didn’t charge the college a single penny. His father Yash Johar was a good friend of mine and he is like his parents – gracious, kind and caring people. I remember when I Karan’s mother Hiroo to thank her for Karan’s gesture she said, the day was so rushed for him, that he came back home after returning from Pune, completed some work at home and left for London. The best thing about Karan is that he never behaves as if he has done you a favor or expects you to return it in any way. If I critically review one of his films he never tells me about it. People don’t often get to see this caring and committed side of him. He spent so much money on the trip from his own pocket but not a word did he mention about that. I will always remember what Karan has done. He’s very, very special.”

Vaibhav Choudhary