Happy Birthday, Karan Johar! From Alia Bhatt, Sidharth Malhotra, to Janhvi Kapoor, actors launched by the ace filmmaker

Alia Bhatt, Janhvi Kapoor, and Sidharth Malhotra are just a few of the young actors to whom acclaimed director Karan Johar has given their big break. He has paved the way for several other actors who have gone on to become hugely popular with fans of all ages.

Karan Johar, also known as KJo, is turning 51 this year, so it's a good time to reflect on the Bollywood stars he helped launch.

In 2012, Alia Bhatt made her Bollywood debut in Karan Johar's Student of the Year, which received positive reviews. Alia has continued to work with Dharma Productions, appearing in films including 2 States, Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania, Shandaar, Kapoor & Sons, Badrinath ki Dulhania, Dear Zindagi, Raazi, Kalank, and Brahmastra: Part 1: Shiva.

Karan Johar's Student of the Year (2012) was also the first film for Varun Dhawan, who quickly became one of Bollywood's biggest stars. His leading man role was well-received by moviegoers. He has worked with Karan Johar on several projects since Student of the Year, including Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania, Badrinath Ki Dulhania, and Kalank, a historical drama.

Sidharth Malhotra made his Bollywood debut alongside Varun and Alia in Karan's Student of the Year 2 in 2012. After starring in Brothers with Akshay Kumar, Jabariya Jodi, Kapoor & Sons, Hasee Toh Phasee, Baar Bar Dekho, Ittefaq, and Shershaah, Malhotra went on to act in additional films produced by Karan.

In 2019, Karan debuted Ananya Panday, daughter of Chunky Panday, alongside actor Tiger Shroff in the film Student of the Year 2. The film, directed by Punit Malhotra, bombed at the box office. Together, they worked on movies like Gehraiyaan and Liger, both of which Karan's Dharma Productions produced.

Tara Sutaria, along with Ananya Panday and Tiger Shroff, made their Bollywood debut in the film Student of the Year 2. Since then, Tara has not starred in any more films released by Dharma Productions.

The 2018 love film Dhadak, directed by Karan Johar and starring Janhvi Kapoor, daughter of the late actors Sridevi and Boney Kapoor, marked Janhvi Kapoor's debut in Bollywood. Shashank Khaitan directed this official remake of the Marathi movie Sairaat. Janhvi has continued to work with Dharma Productions, starring in films like Gunjan Saxena and the upcoming Mr. and Mrs. Maahi.

Ishaan Khatter, brother of Shahid Kapoor, debuted in the film Dhadak alongside Janhvi Kapoor. Ishaan's performance was praised; nonetheless, the film was commercially unsuccessful.