- By Aarushi Raina
- Tue, 20 May 2025 04:54 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
It's a nostalgic moment for Karan Johar at Cannes, who made his debut with his father and late filmmaker Yash Chopra with their film ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham. The movie's European rights were sold for USD 5,000 a the Cannes market. This year, he attended the film festival for the premiere of his upcoming movie Homebound, which stars Ishaan Khatter and Janhvi Kapoor. During his appearance, he remembered the time Aishwarya Rai Bachchan first walked the red carpet and called her the 'queen of Cannes'.
Karan Johar attended a special session at the Bharat Pavilion in the Cannes Film Festival, where he talked about his first visit. As quoted by IANS, he said, "I have a lot of emotional memories related to Cannes. I remember the year 2002, when my father and I were here at the Cannes market. I told him, ‘This seems like it’s really not of any consequence’. Because I remember he sold the European rights of ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham’ for $5,000. And at that time, I was like, ‘$5,000, isn’t that very little?’ And he said, ‘Look, it’s a start, we have to see it’. And unfortunately, he wasn’t alive to see the massive impact that our cinema, which began from ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham’, went on to all of Shah Rukh Khan’s movies.
Recollecting memories from the 2002 Cannes, he opened up about Shah Rukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's red carpet moment. The filmmaker shared how the actress' presence creates huge excitement the time she steps in.
Cannes 2002 pic.twitter.com/KGrbMbN35A
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Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani director added, "I remember it began in the year 2002, it was also the year that ‘Devdas’ had a beautiful screening, and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Shah Rukh were on the red carpet. And Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is literally the queen of Cannes. Like, every time she’s here, she creates such a huge amount of media energy and excitement. And she’s here again. So it’s just wonderful that I remember that so clearly."
Ever since Karan landed in Cannes, France, he has been sharing glimpses of himself with his Homebound team on his Instagram handle.
About the movie: Homebound is helmed by Neeraj Ghaywan, and his direction is bankrolled by Karan Johar under his banner. The movie starring Janhvi Kapoor, Ishaan Khatter, and Vishal Jethwa in lead roles, will premiere at the 78th Cannes Film Festival under the Un Certain Regard section on May 21.
