Karan Johar hits back at people who accused him of “sabotaging careers”
Filmmaker Karan Johar has responded strongly to accusations that he has sabotaged careers and favoured only insiders, dismissing the criticism while highlighting his broader contributions to the film industry.
In a conversation with Raj Shamani, Johar addressed the label of being a “career destroyer”, saying, “People say I’ve ruined someone’s career. I haven’t done anything of the sort, I’ve simply done my job. It’s just a perception. Negativity spreads faster than positivity. It’s almost fashionable now to tear others down. Love me, hate me, but don’t be indifferent. If you’re talking about me this much, clearly I matter.”
He went on to say, “I’ve worked with a wide range of actors. I could give you a list of talents, completely new to the industry, who did their very first film with us. I encouraged them to follow their passion, and many of them are thriving today. Yet no one gives me credit for that.”
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Johar continued, “Why isn’t anyone acknowledging Lakshya Lalwani or Raghav Juyal, who themselves have said that Kill changed things for them? If I launch an outsider, no one talks about it. But the moment it’s a so-called ‘nepo baby’, it becomes news. I’ve launched 25 directors and nearly 50 actors—many of them complete outsiders. But why should I have to list them? If I’ve backed 20 outsider directors, the very captains of the ship, why focus solely on the stars?
“An actor isn’t the only reason a film succeeds. To say that would be to disregard the hard work of the hundred other people who contribute to making a film,” he concluded.