Tarun Mansukhani, the director behind hits like Dostana, Drive, and the recent blockbuster Housefull 5, has long been a close collaborator with Dharma Productions and Karan Johar. While celebrating the success of Housefull 5, Tarun opened up about the valuable lessons he picked up from the veteran filmmaker, especially when it comes to managing stars on set.
“A lot of it helped me, primarily my learning from there, how to work with stars,” Tarun said. “One thing is that you do what you want, talk as you like, but then again this doesn’t work every time. Sometimes you need to handle their mood, sometimes stars have something going on in their lives, how to empathize with them, handle the situation with them, handle their moods — all of that I learned while watching Karan Johar work. How to handle stars.” But the lesson didn’t stop there. Tarun realized that the same care and understanding are needed for the entire team.
He went on to explain, “During the shoot, a lot of my assistants have to move bases, and if you’re working the entire day, then when will they hunt for a house, right? The team is going through a different set of problems, and if you start screaming at them, it will demoralize them. So how to help your team — that was the biggest learning for me.”
For Tarun, the art of filmmaking goes beyond just calling the shots — it’s about empathy, patience, and leadership. Thanks to Karan Johar’s example, he’s not just directing movies but also managing people with heart.