Yash Johar was born in Mumbai, India. on September 6, 1929 and died in June 26, 2004 (aged 74).He was an Indian Bollywood film producer. He made Hindi films that were noted for featuring lavish sets and exotic locations, but upheld Indian traditions and family values.
He started out in the film industry as a storywriter, gradually working his way up to being a producer. In 1962 he worked for Sunil Dutt's production company Ajanta Arts assisting in the production of his film Mujhe Jeene Do. In the late 60s and 70s he worked for Dev Anand's Navketan Films and was involved in the production of Guide, Jewel Thief, Prem Pujari and Hare Rama Hare Krishna.
In 1977, Johar launched his own banner Dharma Productions. The first film produced by the company Dostana was a huge box office success. The company produced a handful of other films in the 1980s and early 1990s most notably Agneepath, Gumrah and Duplicate. The company got unprecedented success with their 1998 film Kuch Kuch Hota Hai which was the directorial debut of Karan Johar and was one of the biggest hits of the year particularly in the overseas market. Yash's son followed up its success with his second film Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham which broke all box office records at the time to become the biggest hit in both India and particularly overseas where it entered the Top Five on the UK Charts. The last film Yash Johar was involved in the production of was Kal Ho Na Ho.
Johar is the father of Indian film director Karan Johar. Johar died on June 26, 2004 in Mumbai, aged 74, of a chest infection though had also been fighting cancer.After the death of Mr Yash, Dharma Production was overtaken by his son Karan Johar.