Karan Johar on allegations of destroying careers, asks why he isn't given credit for launching outsiders after Ibrahim Ali Khan-Nadaaniyan debacle
Filmmaker Karan Johar said that he is indifferent to trolling, both from the general public and specific detractors. In an interview, Karan said that he doesn't feel hate for anybody, and that he's a compassionate person. He also addressed accusations of having 'destroyed' the careers of those he doesn't get along with, and said that he doesn't receive due credit for launching scores of outsiders over the course of his career. Karan appeared on Raj Shamani's podcast, where he said that the public tends to focus on lead actors, which undermines the efforts of everybody else who works on films and shows.
He was asked why people associate him with someone who 'destroys' careers, and he said, 'I suppose negativity travels and positivity doesn't… It has become fashionable to hate on me. They blame me for this and that. The positive perspective that I have about this is this: love me or hate me, don't be indifferent to me. If you're discussing me, it means that I matter. I have worked with everyone. I can give you detailed data about the number of outsiders we've launched. But nobody talks about it.'
Karan said that he doesn't want to brag about supporting complete outsiders. 'Look at Adarsh Gourav, he's such a talented actor. He started out with My Name is Khan,' Karan said, adding that Lakshya, the star of Kill, was an outsider as well. 'We mounted a Rs 52 crore film on his shoulders; the list also includes technicians such as production designers, creatives, we're all in this together. I've encouraged them, and they're doing wonderful work today. But nobody is interested in looking at this.'
Karan said that audiences and the media highlight nepo-kids, which is why they become popular. 'If I have launched 20 outsider directors, they're meant to be the captains of the ship, then why are you only focusing on the stars. An actor isn't the sole component behind the success of a film. If I say that a film has worked only because of the star, then I am diminishing the work of the 100 people who've worked on the film.' Karan said that actors such as Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor, who also belong to film families, are undeniable.
Recently, Karan faced backlash for producing the film Nadaaniyan, which featured debutant Ibrahim Ali Khan, the son of actor Saif Ali Khan. The movie, and Ibrahim, received negative reviews. 'If you can discredit me for launching a nepo-kid, then why can't you credit me for launching an outsider director? Why? Tell me why? Why is this credit not given to me? This year alone, you'll only talk about the star kid I've launched, and you'll talk about Janhvi Kapoor and Sara Ali Khan and Ananya Panday, but you won't talk about Lakshya Lalwani. Why don't I get the credit for this? I don't want it, but I'm only raising this question.'
In the past, actor Kangana Ranaut has accused Karan of being the 'flagbearer of nepotism'. Following an interview in which Priyanka Chopra spoke about being bullied into a corner in Bollywood, Kangana posted on social media, 'This is what @priyankachopra has to say about Bollywood, people ganged up on her, bullied her and chased her out of film industry a self made woman was made to leave India. Everyone knows Karan Johar had banned her.'
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