- Saturday, May 17, 2025
Karan Johar, who often refers to Alia Bhatt as his “first child,” fiercely defends her talent and journey, calling out trolls who dismiss her growth as mere nepotism. Their bond goes far beyond just a director-actor relationship.
By: Vibhuti Pathak
Veteran filmmaker and producer Karan Johar has once again addressed the long-standing nepotism debate that often targets him and his production house, Dharma Productions. In a recent interview with Johar spoke candidly about the harsh criticism he regularly receives, especially for launching star kids, and defended actors like Alia Bhatt and Ibrahim Ali Khan.
Karan Johar’s latest production Nadaaniyan, which featured Saif Ali Khan’s son Ibrahim Ali Khan in his debut role, failed to impress critics and audiences alike. The lukewarm reception sparked another wave of online trolling accusing Johar of continuing to promote nepotism.
Reacting to the backlash, Karan said, “Hating on Nadaaniyan became fashionable. The more you hate on it, the more videos you put out, the more engagement you will get. People are loving nepo kid bashing, and I am like ‘move on.’”
Johar pointed out that people often overlook the fact that he has also supported talents outside the film industry. He cited his collaboration with filmmaker Neeraj Ghaywan, who comes from a non-filmy background, to illustrate that Dharma Productions doesn’t exclusively work with star kids. “No one remembers how I’ve worked with outsiders as well. The narrative conveniently forgets that,” he said.
The director also commented on the bizarre trend of random podcasts where his name is dragged into conversations for no apparent reason. “There are people who come now on podcasts, and I noticed, out of the blue, they’ll ask, ‘What do you think about Karan Johar?’ But that person also had an opinion. ‘No, I don’t want to meet him.’ I’m like, ‘I don’t know you.’ Random podcast, random question, random answer,” he remarked.
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Karan was especially firm in defending Alia Bhatt, who debuted in Student of the Year (2012) alongside other industry kids like Varun Dhawan and Sidharth Malhotra. She has since gone on to earn critical acclaim for her performances in films like Highway, Udta Punjab, Raazi, and Gangubai Kathiawadi.
Taking a strong stand, Johar said, “If you’re still calling her a nepo kid after watching those films, then you’ve got to be the most idiotic person on this planet. And no one can help you.”
Refuting claims that his banner only promotes star kids, he added, “It is not true. Come look at our roster. Am I the face of Bollywood hate? And if I am, then ‘thank you’ for giving me this elevation. But do I deserve it? I don’t think so.”
As the conversation around nepotism in Bollywood continues to ignite social media, Karan Johar’s comments shed light on the complexity of the issue. He urges critics to evaluate talent on merit rather than lineage and reminds audiences that the film industry is more nuanced than the labels used to define it.
