Karan Johar On Finding The Right Co-Founder For A Successful Business

There are moments when Karan Johar speaks, and it feels less like advice and more like a quiet revelation. During his chat with Kamiya Jani on Curly Tales Stories From Bharat, while promoting his new show Pitch To Get Rich, he dropped one such truth bomb. Kamiya, our editor-in-chief, asked him a deceptively simple question, “How do you know when you’ve found the right co-founder?” And Karan Johar didn’t even pause. He looked straight at her and said, almost instinctively, “It’s all about instinct, Kamiya.”

Karan Johar On Trusting Instinct In Business And Life

That one word, instinct, seemed to unlock an entire philosophy. He went on to explain that it’s like a superpower we all have but rarely trust. “You know it in the beginning,” he said, leaning forward, “whether this partnership, this relationship, this work energy with someone will last long and feel right.” He wasn’t talking about corporate compatibility or shared goals. He was talking about vibe, the kind that tells you, in a split second, whether the other person will walk beside you or pull you down.

But Karan, being Karan, didn’t sugarcoat the truth. He admitted that most of us mess up that inner knowing by thinking too much. His expression was clear: we try to do logical thinking or overthinking, and in doing so, we silence that gut feeling. For him, logic is often the villain. “The analytical mind usually breaks deals,” he said bluntly.

Also Read: From Scarlett House To Bad Boy Pizza, 10 Celebrity-Owned Restaurants In India That Opened In 2025

Balancing Heart And Mind

He’s not just speaking abstractly. Karan Johar revealed that he follows this principle religiously when it comes to his work at Dharma Productions. “Jab main kisi ko hire karta hoon ya fire karta hoon, I always go by instinct,” he said matter-of-factly. No endless resumes or calculated spreadsheets, just the sense of whether a person fits. Because in his world, energy matters as much as skill.

And that instinct extends all the way to his films. “Whenever I get a feeling that a film shouldn’t be made, it just doesn’t work if I ignore that,” he confessed. It’s almost eerie, the way his intuition has a track record. Some filmmakers rely on box-office predictions or audience surveys; Karan relies on something older, quieter, sharper and more abstract. 

Also Read: Uorfi Javed Reveals Her First Reaction On Winning ‘The Traitors India’

By the end of that segment, it was clear he wasn’t just talking about co-founders or collaborators. He was talking about life choices, about trusting yourself when your head and your heart are at war. For Karan Johar, instinct isn’t a fallback plan, it’s his creative GPS, his inner editor, and his way of cutting through the noise. And maybe that’s why, love him or not, he rarely misses his mark.

Cover Image Courtesy: Internal