To understand Karan Johar’s appeal in Bollywood, one must try to write negative stories about him. In journalistic terms, the term ‘negative reporting’ refers to articles that write articles that do not show a particular person in a good light.
This is what happened when I approached a famous producer friend about this topic. The topic is whether talk show host Karan Johar is a friend or an enemy in disguise.
“excuse me. What are you writing about?”
“It’s about Karan Johar’s ability to stir up controversy and get away with it.”
“Sounds like a negative story, doesn’t it?”
“It depends on how you look at it.”
“It’s okay. Let’s talk about it, but don’t quote me, okay?”
“why?”
“Don’t be stupid, Shomu (that’s what most people call me because they can’t pronounce my Bengali name). Karan is the most powerful producer in Bollywood today. He belongs to all camps, but to none. Several directors work under him. I can’t see anything to say against that. I’ll tell you what you want to know, so please quote me anonymously. There is also an option to cite ‘sources’. Yes?”
This sums up most of the conversations I had with some famous film personalities about Karan Johar’s show ‘Koffee with Karan’. They want to share our stories so we can honor the long friendships we have built. At the same time, they want to remain anonymous as they do not want to ruin their image in front of Karan Johar.
To put it in context, Karan Johar is probably the most powerful producer in Bollywood, moving in and out of three Khan residences with equal ease. All three Khans are the three camps of Bollywood.
Karan Johar also has his own little camp in Bollywood. These are the actors he either started or mentored in Bollywood. Apart from that, he also receives enthusiastic support from his childhood friends like Aditya Chopra and others, who have grown up with him.
Put it all together, Karan commands a pull that perhaps no one in Bollywood can match.
There is no one in Karan Johar’s phone book who doesn’t answer when he calls. If you remember Salman Khan’s episode Coffee with Karan (Where he famously said he was a virgin) Salman wondered when Karan would make a film with him.
This is Karan Johar. Everyone loves Karan Johar.
Karan is undoubtedly a talented filmmaker, but he surpasses his peers in the field of publicity. These skills of his are unmatched in Bollywood. Apart from Karan Johar, you probably can’t name anyone who has been in a relationship with everyone in Bollywood. They may not talk to each other, but everyone talks to Karan Johar.
The same influence extends to the media, with Karan reportedly having a number of senior Bollywood journalists (most of them in positions of responsibility) who are friendly with him. He even admitted on his show that he started several gossips in the media.
So the media also loves Karan Johar.
As a result, there are very few articles about Karan Johar that actually show him in a bad light. In fact, most of the Bollywood journalists are writing glowingly about him. People associated with Karan Johar have found themselves in trouble time and time again, but interestingly, Karan Johar has remained completely unscathed from all the controversies.
Kangana Ranaut then called Karan Johar a “Bollywood mafia” and a “flag-bearer of nepotism” on his show. Months after the controversy, Karan Johar mocked Kangana Ranaut on stage at an awards ceremony he hosted. There was an immediate backlash. (including me) About attacking a woman who was not present in person to defend herself. Varun Dhawan apologized almost immediately and Karan Johar apologized to the TV channel’s entertainment editor.
The same thing happened after Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul were suspended after making disparaging remarks on their shows. There was no sign of Karan Johar. The episode was re-aired and eventually both players were suspended. Both young players are making their mark in international cricket.
Months after Karan Johar reappeared in a similar manner, he told a foreign TV channel that he was sorry. He said he did not understand that the comment was derogatory in nature and that no one on his team did so. When the comment sparked a huge backlash, he didn’t react until recently, not knowing what to do. He said that he doesn’t care about TRPs and the popularity of his shows doesn’t matter to him as he is mainly known for filmmaking.
This is just another level of lying. Karan Johar has had an active career in television as a talk show host, talent reality show judge, and has continued to appear in other genres of shows, including award shows (which are also TV shows). Think about it. Has Karan Johar ever not appeared on TV on this or any other channel? Yes, you see what I mean. No matter what Karan says about the films he has directed or produced, the persona Karan Johar is a TV personality.
So, apart from Bollywood, Karan also has quite a presence in the television sector.
Now you have a picture of the ideal Bollywood paradox of why everyone has to remain friends with him even though they all got burned.
For now, imagine that you are a young Bollywood star. You’ve made a few movies and are on your way to the top. Then one day, you see a call or message from Karan Johar on your phone.
Can I ignore a call or message?
no. You will need to contact that person again. Now, when you call him again, he may ask you to come on his show, often putting you in an awkward position with questions he devises for you.
You can avoid it, but you can’t say no to Karan Johar.
You can act, but you can’t say no to Karan Johar.
You can say you’re sick for days, but you can’t say no to Karan Johar.
This is how the power equation works in Bollywood. Karan Johar is really high up in the power equation.
There is only one person who has publicly resisted Karan Johar – a woman.
This is Kangana Ranaut.
Do you know how most famous stars and filmmakers of Bollywood treat Kangana Ranaut?
If so, another story is needed.
