Karan Johar regrets making Aditya Roy Kapur and Shraddha Kapoor's OK Jaanu. Here's why

Filmmaker Karan Johar, in a new interview, shared that listening to one's instinct is crucial in a director's career.

Filmmaker Karan Johar has admitted that he looks back at making OK Jaanu, the Hindi remake of Mani Ratnam's OK Kanmani, starring Aditya Roy Kapur and Shraddha Kapoor, with a tinge of regret. He shared that he sensed that it was not the right move.

Karan Johar's OK Jaanu was released in 2017.

Karan Johar looks back

Karan spoke on the Jay Shetty podcast about the film OK Jaanu, which featured Shraddha Kapoor and Aditya Roy Kapur. He discussed the power of intuition and reflected on Aditya Chopra’s belief in him.

The filmmaker mentioned that his instincts have remained a guiding force throughout his journey. In fact, Karan acknowledged that he hasn't always listened to his intuition.

At that moment, Karan looked back at the making of OK Jaanu and shared that he didn’t listen to his instincts. He said, “At that time, Aditya and Shraddha just had a hit, Aashiqui 2. They already agreed to do the film, and the film came to me as a project. Ready. With a great remake. Shaad Ali–a great director. Wonderful actors. And yet, in my heart, I actually felt that, ‘Should this film be remade?’ because it is so much in the moment. Can the moment be recaptured?’”

Talking about the film’s performance, Karan shared, “It wasn’t anyone’s fault. Everyone did their job well. But deep down, I knew it wasn’t the right move–and I didn’t act on it. Even today, I sometimes don’t listen to my instincts. And when I don’t, I go wrong. It’s a mistake I keep making.”

About OK Jaanu

The film, starring Shraddha Kapoor and Aditya Roy Kapoor, was released in 2017. The Shaad Ali-directed remake was a remake of the Tamil romantic drama O Kandhal Kanmani (2015), which was directed by Mani Ratnam. It focused on contemporary romance and the relationship between the lead pair in a live-in relationship.

AR Rahman composed the music, with Humma Humma, a reimagined version of the song from the Mani Ratnam classic Bombay, and Enna Sona emerging as chartbusters. Despite high expectations, the film failed to elicit the expected response.

About Karan's projects

At the moment, Karan is looking forward to the release of his next film is Dhadak 2, starring Siddhant Chaturvedi and Triptii Dimri in the lead roles. It is slated to release on August 1. It is produced by Dharma Productions alongside Zee Studios and Cloud 9 Pictures. It is directed by Shazia Iqbal.