Exclusive: When Karan Johar revealed the secret to creating perfect on-screen romance

During the course of a more than two-decade career, Karan Johar has established himself as one of the most recognisable directors in Bollywood history. In terms of his love stories, Karan is undoubtedly one of the most sought after directors in Bollywood. His stories, though unrealistic at times, manage to capture our hearts time and again.

In an exclusive interview with Filmfare some years ago, the ace filmmaker talked about the key ingredients for directing a romance. Here is an excerpt from the interview, “The most important thing is to get the energy of the couple correct. A real-life couple never gets it right. The mid-level couple, which shares a friendship but no lust and a chemistry that isn’t over familiar, always gets it right. When the lead couple is too much into each other, the awkwardness is often seen on screen. What I love is when two people who don’t know each other well come together. There’s an attraction but they haven’t acted on that. The sizzle that they create on celluloid is amazing.  Like take for example Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol, they’re an attractive couple. There has been nothing but friendship and respect between them. Their friendship has always been up to a point and has never gone beyond that. That is why they sizzle on screen. The second prerequisite is whether the couple looks good together in a frame. Their physical attributes and their body language play a big role. The songs and dialogue also play a huge role in a romance. If there’s no love in your lines then the romance will be flat. You have to be a lover yourself to make a good love story. If you have no romance in you there’s no way you can project love. Love is my dream. Even though I might not have love in my life, cinema becomes a vicarious medium for me to express the love within me for someone. For me it’s so unrequited that every time I project it, I get it right.”

Karan now has Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani to be released next which marks his return to the director’s seat after 7 years.