Karan Johar on The Romantics: The rom-doc reminds us of the past that seemed so organic and heartfelt

After seeing the Netflix documentary series The Romantics, Karan Johar paid a touching homage to his alma mater, Yash Raj Films. The Romantics, directed by Smriti Mundra, honours Yash Chopra’s heritage. It explores Bollywood’s history through the prism of Yash Raj Films’ influence over the past 50 years in popularising Bollywood around the world. It includes 35 prominent voices from the Hindi-language film industry. The show’s streaming service launched on February 14.

On Wednesday, Karan posted a variety of feelings on Instagram. He noted: “Binge watched #theromantics on @netflix_in by @smritimundhra for my alma mater, @yrf… I realised the purity, the innocence and the conviction we all collectively had…is so lost today for most of us…. Yash Chopra is not just a legend of romance… a connoisseur of chiffon, music, and beauty; a maestro of musicals. He was also a pillar of belief and conviction. Is there any conviction left today? We are burdened by media commentary… box office opening analytics, research engines (all probably relevant to the technology and times) but where did good old fashioned conviction vanish…. The memoir reminds us of a past that seemed so organic and heartfelt… Makes me want to go back to that zone of filmmaking. (sic)”

Karan continued, “I am so deeply inspired by the YRF story—its origin and its journey… Having learned everything I know from the corridors of the studio, I stand blessed, and watching The Romantics made me so aware of my strengths and my failings. Thank you, @smritimundhra, for weaving a narrative out of the archives and actually making an audience go through the many emotional beats through the four episodes. just brilliant! And finally, my best friend has a face, and how beautifully articulate was he? Adi, does that mean I can post all the images we have shared over the years that you have threatened to never speak to me about if I put them out? #justasking #loveyou Adi. Congratulations to my dearest friend @udayc for being such a force behind this. (sic)”

A recent special screening of The Romantics took place in Los Angeles to a roaring reception from the audience. The documentary includes the last interview with Rishi Kapoor. Aditya Chopra joined the lineage of Yash Chopra, who came from a humble background in Jalandhar and created his own sort of glossy, attractive cinema; the docuseries caught all of those moments.