Karan Johar says his late father, producer Yash Johar, once told him to learn horse riding and become a hero, a suggestion that was immediately shot down by the filmmaker’s mother, Hiroo Johar.On his father birth anniversary on Sunday, the “Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani” director shared a moving tribute and recalled how his father always rooted for him.Recalling their interaction after Johar brought his first designer jacket, a Burberry coat, Johar said his father looked perplexed and asked him what it was.“With pride, as if I had conquered Bond Street itself. I said ‘Papa yeh Burberry hai!’ He took a deep Punjabi breath and said, ‘Beta yeh Burberry nahi…Bahut buri hai…’ I was shattered and then almost immediately burst out laughing! That was my father – rooted, basic and very very funny…“He was also my biggest fan. Even when I looked like I had eaten an entire country and was trying for over an hour to zip myself into very stretched pants…And then on several occasions he would say, ‘Tu itna handsome hai- hero ban ja! Horse riding kyun nahi sikhta’,” Johar shared on Instagram.The actor said his mother was there to give him a reality check every time his father hyped him up.“Can you imagine me horse riding on Juhu beach ??? Or being a mainstream hero??? My mother always took me aside after his hyper raja beta delusions and bought me back to earth by saying, and I quote, ‘Son you cannot be infront of the camera and certainly not on a horse,” the filmmaker, who later went on to become a successful host later, said in the post.The filmmaker, 54, then remembered the late producer for his values and kindness.“My father was my hero. His values, his kindness, his unmatched humility and his ability to be so selfless, it almost seemed inhuman,” he said.Yash Johar died in 2004 at the age of 74 in Mumbai after suffering from a severe chest infection while battling cancer.“He left a void in my life 22 years ago that I refuse to fill…and I never will…When you lose a parent, you gain a god. He is my god. I pray to him everyday. What a blessing that is for me…. Miss you papa…everyday,” Johar said.The post also featured throwback pictures of Johar with his father, who was the founder of Dharma Productions and backed movies such “Dostana”, “Gumrah” and “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai”.
