Karan Johar is no stranger to controversy, and his latest tongue-in-cheek comment about Bollywood’s insider vs. outsider debate has once again put him in the spotlight—but not in the way he might have hoped.
Taking to Instagram Stories, Karan shared a glamorous business class selfie, accompanied by a playful caption:
“Living on a plane… What a privilege to be an outsider from the plane and an insider to the warmth of my hotel room. I am so happy to be entitled to my own thoughts and cut off from WHYFI.”
While Karan’s sarcasm was clear, social media wasn’t exactly amused. Instead, the internet quickly resurfaced an old video where the filmmaker confessed-right in front of Anushka Sharma-that he had once tried to sabotage her career.
In the now-viral clip from a 2016 interview with Rajeev Masand and Anupama Chopra, Karan admits, “I completely wanted to murder Anushka Sharma’s career because when Aditya Chopra showed me her picture, I was like, ‘No, no, you don’t need to sign her.’” He even revealed there was another actress he had been pushing Aditya to cast instead.
Karan went on to say he reluctantly watched Anushka’s debut film, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, but was blown away by her performance in Band Baaja Baaraat—leading to an apology. “I felt so embarrassed that I would have ruined the graph of an exceptional talent,” he admitted.
But for many, the apology was too little, too late. X users wasted no time calling out what they saw as proof of industry gatekeeping:
“KJo meant every word & hired Rajeev Masand at a top position in his new company. Sushant was a game-changer who exposed the industry’s dark side. Karma’s doing its work-100 flops in 2022, 50 more in 2023 & counting!”
“This reminds me of an interview where KJo humiliated Kriti Sanon, asking her what she could ‘learn from Alia Bhatt’-as if Alia’s the only actress who matters.”
“I used to respect him for his spunk. Now, all I see is a bully who tried to crush anyone outside his elite circle. And who is he, anyway? A mediocre filmmaker with no sense of fashion.”
Meanwhile, despite the backlash, Karan Johar is expanding his horizons. On 10 March, he announced his entry into Punjabi cinema with Gippy Grewal’s much-anticipated drama, Akaal-which is set to be the first Punjabi film to release worldwide in Hindi.
But with old wounds reopening and the nepotism debate reigniting, one thing is clear-Karan’s witty Instagram quips aren’t enough to silence the critics.
