Revelation: Find out why Karan Johar told his team to treat Varun, Sidharth and Alia like ‘stars’ on ‘SOTY’ set

On 'Game Changers' with Komal Nahta, Karan spoke about the deep bond he shares with the trio and how he believed in their potential from the beginning. KJo also shared he never treated them like newcomers

Mumbai: Filmmaker Karan Johar recently opened up about his experience working with Sidharth Malhotra, Alia Bhatt, and Varun Dhawan, the three actors he launched in ‘Student of the Year’.

During his appearance on ‘Game Changers’ with Komal Nahta, Karan spoke about the deep bond he shares with the trio and how he believed in their potential from the very beginning. When asked who he had bet on before starting the film, KJo revealed that he never treated them like newcomers. Instead, he treated them like stars right from day one, recognising their innate talent and star quality. According to him, this approach helped the three actors deliver remarkable performances, and set them on the path to becoming some of the biggest stars in Bollywood today.

---

“No, I’m telling the truth, I won’t lie. For me, it was just that I told my team — Siddharth and Varun, these two were my assistants, and I met Alia for the first time when she came from school. And when I launched them, I told everyone on the set, the choreographer, the production, the designer, to treat these three like megastars,” Karan revealed.

The director further added how they are like friends to him. “They asked what it meant. I said, ‘If you give them that confidence, they will face the camera like stars. If you treat them like newcomers, they will give you the performance of newcomers’. And they performed like stars. And all of them call me ‘Karna’. They are like my friends. We did a 12-day workshop, and we four were together to get to know each other.”

Released in 2012, ‘Student of the Year‘ was a teen sports drama that introduced Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan, and Sidharth Malhotra to the Bollywood industry. The film became a major box-office hit, grossing over Rs 100 crore, and marked the beginning of successful careers for all three actors.