When conversations turn to cinema-driven fashion in India, one name inevitably dominates the discourse — Karan Johar. More than just a filmmaker, Johar has long been a cultural tastemaker whose films didn’t
merely reflect trends but actively created them. From chiffon-clad heroines in Switzerland to Manish Malhotra couture becoming aspirational everyday wear, Karan Johar’s cinema redefined how India dressed.
In a recent chat with The Hollywood Reporter India, Karan Johar was asked about what happens to the plethora of sarees and costumes after a film has been shot. Karan said, “The saris go into our godown. And then they get used in other movies.” When pointed out that no one notices how he repeats the costumes, the filmmaker said, “You won’t know it. And a lot of it is worn; there are extras wearing it all the time.”
However, he mentioned, “Of course, not the iconic costumes, because you’ll get caught. But everything gets used in other movies — it’s constantly recycled. And my wardrobe is used all the time for films.” He explained, “Whenever Anaita [Shroff Adajania] is on a film, because we’re close friends, she has access to my wardrobe.”
Karan revealed how Ananya Panday wore his clothes in Call Me Bae. He said, “She’d [Anaita] come for Call Me Bae to pick up the clothes. And what she does is genius. You’ll not notice that Ananya Panday is wearing a lot of my clothes. But she will put it together so efficiently and beautifully. Because my closet is crazy, as you might imagine, she says, ‘This is the best shop in the world.’ She takes bags, she takes jackets, and sweatshirts. She’ll just take everything.”
When asked if he gets all his clothes back, Karan Johar said that sometimes they get lost. However, it doesn’t come to his notice. “No. Some just get lost. But I don’t even know. Half the times I’ve given her things that have tags on them. I’m just a compulsive retail maniac. It’s a disease. It is my disease, and I have to be in rehab for it to stop shopping,” the filmmaker said.
