Karan Johar continues to reap benefits from his decades-old films, thanks to nostalgia and their universal appeal

It’s a good time to be Karan Johar.

While his latest accomplishment was lighting the dance floor on fire at Sonam Kapoor’s wedding, Johar has not been doing too shabbily at his day job either. In April, he became the first Bollywood filmmaker to get a wax statue at Madame Tussauds London. The multi-starrer Kalank , which he is producing, promises to be a mega-event when it releases.

Even his old work is finding ways of rewarding him. Ekta Kapoor is reportedly adapting Johar’s super hit family drama, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, into a daily soap. Tentatively titled Dil Hi Toh Hai, the show will go on air in about two months’ time on Sony Entertainment Telvision. Further, his talk show Koffee with Karan might soon reunite  Kuch Kuch Hota Hai trio Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol and Rani Mukerji to mark 20 years of the film in October.

Characters from Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham have etched their place in the audience’s memories and enjoy a strong presence in pop culture references, even almost two decades after the movie’s release. Johar created the elaborate family drama with some of the biggest superstars of the time and the song-and-dance heavy movie was one of the foremost examples of commercial Bollywood cinema. The family drama stretched over decades and lends itself well to the TV format. With Ekta Kapoor in the driver’s seat for the reboot, it would interesting to see how the soap opera queen adapts the much-loved family entertainer for the small screen.

Johar’s work generally lends itself well to adaptation as it is rarely centred around one event. His films always portray the development of relationships over time, and as such can be expanded and explored in a longer format. For instance, it is not tough to see Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna being given similar treatment as the show could look at the smaller things that could not make it to the big screen and provide a more complete experience.

Kuch Kuch Hota Hai was Johar’s directorial debut. In 1998, Johar brought together SRK, Kajol and Rani for a classic love triangle story. In his memoir,  An Unsuitable Boy , Johar revealed that his primary inspiration behind the blockbuster romantic drama (particularly the first half) was Archie Comics. That is probably why the college depicted in the film was painted in signature Riverdale colours. Anjali (Kajol’s character) was inspired from Betty Cooper. She plays a tomboy who falls for SRK’s Archiesque Rahul but is forced to play second fiddle to her BFF Tina (Rani Mukerji playing an impressive Veronica).

The film was a favourite for many 90s kids while growing up and it is easy to see why Johar is looking to utilise the nostalgia factor by bringing back the cast on his show. And indeed, who better to discuss and remember a film than the director and the star cast. Johar’s smarts are visible in this choice as while Koffee with Karan is a fairly popular show, the season opener has to be an eye-catching one as it sets the tone for the show. Johar looking back at his old work to inspire his new endeavours might not be the most original trick in the book but will probably work, especially considering the charisma SRK brings to talk shows.

It is interesting to note that Johar has directed all of 7 films in two decade-long career (his list of productions is considerably longer). With the kind of cultural impact he has been able to have with such a small body of work, it is exciting to contemplate what he might be capable of should he turn his energies more towards direction.