Tarun Mansukhani was Karan Johar’s favourite muse. Right from getting paint and thermocol organised for art director Sharmishta Roy for Kuch Kuch Hota Hai to halting the tailors for a minor wardrobe malfunction in Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna and even fetching Karan’s favourite brew. There wasn’t a snitch Tarun couldn’t snatch out of the bratty boy’s frame as his consistent First Assistant Director.

“He was always there at Karan’s beck and call. When Karan got unnerved, he would just yell out for Tarun,” sound technician Nakul Pramanik recalls from the sets. Ten years later, Tarun has finally been given a camera to roll; his mentor has drawn in Bollywood’s It-Couple, Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan.

Not just mere show coordinators, ADs are holding the ropes of the set puppets and churn out movie after movie from directors’ stables. And where the director is the ultimate captain of the ship; the AD isn’t just his shadow player. He is also his man Friday, his confidante, his brother-in-arm, commander of his troops, creator of many thunderstorms and the only one who can get the breakfast menu right.