Karan Johar’s Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham could soon find an unexpected admirer in the British royal family. Prince William recently spoke about meeting the filmmaker in London and referred to him as an “icon”.
During a recent conversation, the Prince of Wales was also recommended the 2001 Bollywood family drama, featuring an ensemble cast led by Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol.
Prince William talks about Karan Johar’s K3G
The interaction took place around the Earthshot Prize, an environmental initiative launched by Prince William in partnership with The Royal Foundation. Karan Johar has been involved in efforts to strengthen the initiative’s reach in India, a contribution the Prince acknowledged during their conversation. The discussion then shifted to films when a journalist asked William if he had seen any of Karan’s movies. While speaking to BBC Asian Network, Prince William spoke warmly about KJo and acknowledged his contribution to the initiative.
He said, “Really cool. I mean, he’s again an icon, and he’s been so helpful in kind of being able to help the Earthshot prize land, well in India. We want to make it a truly Indian Earthshot Prize. It’s the biggest one we’ve done.” William also described Karan as “modest” while speaking about his association with the initiative. The conversation then turned to the filmmaker’s work, with the journalist highlighting how his popular movies have found audiences beyond India. He revealed that he was yet to watch any of Karan’s films, but appeared open to giving them a try.
Prince further added, “No, he’s being very modest. But I’m sure as time goes on, he’ll introduce some more films to me.” The journalist then recommended Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001), Karan’s family drama featuring Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Hrithik Roshan and Kareena Kapoor Khan. Urging the Prince to watch the film, the journalist said, “Yeah, we all say K3G anyway. If you meet Karan again, ‘Tell him, I’m going to watch your film K3G, he’ll love you.’” William was receptive to the suggestion and replied, “Okay got it, I’ll mention that too when I see him.”
The two-day Earthshot Prize Summit will bring together business leaders, environmental innovators, funders and community organisations to help promising green projects grow through collaboration and partnerships. It will culminate in the sixth Earthshot Prize Awards on November 17, 2026, where 15 finalists will be recognised and five winners will each receive £1 million to scale their environmental solutions.
