KARAN JOHAR   Producer, Director and Host Karan Johar is associated with a many words… young, versatile, stylish and successful being a few. Amongst a young group of Indian film makers who have brought about a fresh and modern outlook to Hindi commercial cinema, Karan made his directorial debut at age 25 with Kuch Kuch Hota Hai in 1998 , a landmark film that was appreciated both critically and commercially in India and the world over. Karan Johar’s involvement in the scripting of Aditya Chopra's Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, and the subsequent appeal the film generated with audiences worldwide prompted him to then write his own script, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. This period also saw Karan Johar assist his father, Yash Johar, in the production of his ongoing film Duplicate, as well as contribute to Yash Chopra's Dil To Pagal Hai by handling all the costumes for the film’s star Shah Rukh Khan.      Kuch Kuch Hota Hai opened to widespread acclaim and earned Karan Johar several prestigious awards for direction, story, screenplay and dialogues. The film also earned awards for its principal artistes and technicians. Karan Johar followed up this success with his second film in 2001, the opulent multi starrer Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, which broke box office records all over the world. Besides featuring in the UK charts for four weeks (entering at No.3, December 14th, 2001 weekend), Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham also holds the prestigious record of being the first Indian film to enter the US top ten charts. In 2004, Kal Ho Naa Ho was released. This blockbuster was written by Karan Johar. In 2006, Karan returned to directing with Kabhie Alvida Naa Kehna. This multi-starrer marked a change in Karan Johar’s style of storytelling. He started to experiment with bolder topics like marriage, commitment and infidelity. The film was widely acclaimed in the international market and marks a step in the new direction that Karan Johar will embark upon… one to match today’s evolved cine-goer. By placing the onus on such a cine-goer, Karan Johar hopes to create entertainment properties with a dose of plausibility. Karan has won numerous awards for his work in films, including Filmfare Awards (Direction, Screenplay and Dialogue), IIFA Popular Awards (Story), Sansui Viewer’s Choice Awards (Director, Screenplay, Story) and Screen Awards (Director, Screenplay and Story). In 2008, Karan’s latest venture, Khan, starring Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol, will go on floor. He promises that the audiences will be left inspired after watching this film. Karan will also be encouraging new talent by signing on debutant directors for upcoming projects under Dharma Productions. Karan Johar has also taken his magic to the small screen as well with Koffee with Karan, India’s biggest celebrity chat show. Karan Johar has been emerging as one of India's young thought leaders and was chosen as one of 250 Global Young Leaders by the Geneva-based World Economic Forum 2006. The WEF aims to focus on the shifting global power equation to reflect the issues that would shape the planet's agenda for 2007 (when developing countries like India are emerging as key players). Along with various other Indian luminaries, Karan also spoke at the Wharton India Economic Forum 2006 held at the prestigious Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit in New Delhi in November 2006. Karan Johar is taking his role of representing Indian Films globally seriously. He spoke to the students of New York University in Feb, 2008 and is one of the distinguished speakers at the INDIA CONFERENCE 2008, a conference marking the ‘India@60 Charging Ahead’ story at Harvard Business School in March. He will also speak at the India Business Conference at the Kellogg School of Management in May 2008. Karan Johar has hosted many film awards and other ceremonies in India. On September, 30th, 2006 he became the first Indian filmmaker to be a jury member in the Miss World competition, in Warsaw, Poland. Karan has hosted and won the MTV Style Award, and won many awards for his small screen efforts, including two ITA awards (for Best Talk Show Host), two RAPA awards (Best Host, Best Talk Show Host) and the Global Indian TV Honours (Global Achievement and Best Anchor). Karan Johar is on the board of NDTV's Entertainment Company – NDTV Imagine, and will hold an equity stake in it, where he will work exclusively with NDTV to achieve new levels of excellence in entertainment programming. Karan Johar’s celebrity status has been complemented by the number of brands that are keen to associate with him as their ambassador. The brands he endorses includes Alfred Dunhill (men’s luxury leather goods, writing implements, lighters, timepieces, fragrances and clothing company), BRU Cappuccino, Luxury Watch Brand Timond, Chivas Life, ICI Dulux and Hewlitt Packard.      Always seeking new challenges, Karan is constantly on the look-out for new platforms to express his creativity, craft and style.