Karan Johar Shares Akshay Kumar Switches To Punjabi When Negotiating: ‘When He Doesn’t Want Others To Know…’

At Akaal’s trailer launch in Mumbai, Karan Johar said that Akshay Kumar shifts to Punjabi when he wants to have a private conversation without producers catching on. 

Karan Johar said that Akshay Kumar shifts to Punjabi when he wants to have a private conversation without producers catching on. 

Source : Instagram/@karanjohar, PTI

Filmmaker Karan Johar is stepping into Punjabi cinema with 'Akaal', directed by Gippy Grewal. Set to release in both Hindi and Punjabi on April 10, this marks Dharma Productions' first Punjabi-language project. At the film’s trailer launch in Mumbai, Karan shared an interesting anecdote about Akshay Kumar. He said that Akshay Kumar shifts to Punjabi when he wants to have a private conversation without producers catching on. 

Akshay Kumar speaks in Punjabi to negotiate

“Even today, when Apoorva Mehta is the main negotiator and Akshay Kumar doesn’t want Apoorva to know what he wants to say, he talks to me in Punjabi (laughs),” Karan Johar said, adding that he still uses Punjabi in negotiations. 

Akshay has worked with Dharma in 'Kesari' and 'Good Newwz'. 

Karan calls Akaal tribute to his father

Speaking about the significance of ‘Akaal’, Karan called it a tribute to his late father, veteran producer Yash Johar. “My father was from Lahore. He was connected to his Punjabi roots and traditions. But because my mother was Sindhi, so we found common ground in Hindi and English. But today, he’ll be proud because it’s the launch of Dharma Productions’ first Punjabi film,” he said. 

On influence of Punjabi in Hindi film industry

Reflecting on Bollywood’s past, Karan noted, “All the producers and directors came from Punjab. Whether it was Manmohan Desai’s set or Yash Chopra’s set or J Om Prakash’s set, everyone used to speak in Punjabi. The hero was Punjabi. The heroine was a South Indian. It was almost like a template. My father used to speak to the distributors in Punjabi in the morning. I knew Punjabi very well, but my problem would be when my mother woke up and started speaking in Sindhi. That’s where I got confused. I completely understand Punjabi.” 

Expressing his gratitude to Gippy Grewal and his team, Karan said that making his Punjabi film debut with the actor-director was an easy choice. “Like they say in Jerry Maguire, ‘You had me at hello.’ I’d say they had me at Gippy Grewal,” he concluded.