Kamal Ghorui
Filmmakers Karan Johar and Aditya Chopra share a professional bond that goes back decades, and one of the most important links between them is actor Rani Mukerji. While Johar has collaborated with Rani on screen, Aditya’s association with her is far more personal—he has been married to the actor for the past 12 years. Recently, at an intimate conversation hosted at the iconic Yash Raj Studios, Rani and Karan revisited her journey in cinema, their friendship, and the famously elusive figure in Bollywood—Rani’s husband, Aditya Chopra.After briefly touching upon Rani’s upcoming film ‘Mardaani 3’, Karan steered the discussion away from her professional life and towards her personal side. Introducing the topic, he spoke about Aditya’s near-mythical presence in the industry and said, “Now you are married to a myth, and even conjecture about him doesn’t exist. Fortunately, we do know that he does exist. We have had the pleasure of spending time together. I am petrified of him because he carries this paranoia of no image going out. He used to tell me, ‘I am not coming to your house because the press will be there,’ and I used to keep telling him that there is no press.”Karan then recalled the secrecy surrounding Rani and Aditya’s wedding in Italy and how maintaining that confidentiality led to an awkward airport encounter with late actor Rishi Kapoor. Sharing the anecdote, he said, “I told everyone that I am just going to Manchester. I was lying through my teeth to everyone, and the first person I bumped into was Chintoo uncle (Rishi) in the airport lounge. He asked me, ‘Kaha jaa raha hai (Where are you going?)’”Continuing the story, Karan added, “I told him about my plans, and he asked me so many questions, and someone came and told me that my flight to Italy was ready. He caught me and asked me why I was lying, and I was so stressed.”Despite their long association, Karan admitted that Aditya Chopra still has the power to intimidate him. He joked that whenever Aditya calls him using his full name, he immediately assumes the worst. “Even now when he calls me and says my full name, I know that I am going to get fired. He only does that when he wants to reprimand me. I am 53, and I am still petrified of him. If I am reprimanded by anyone, it’s your husband, and I had to speak about him,” Karan said.
