In an interview published on Monday, director Karan Johar discussed a variety of topics, including why he dislikes the nickname “Kjo,” who would play conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar in a biography, and which of the companies he promotes he actually uses. He also acknowledged that the entertainment industry fudges box office figures and that some Bollywood stars aren’t always truthful in their social media movie critiques.
Karan was asked, “What do you hate being called more, ‘Kjo or nepo’?” Karan said, “It is just annoying when people call me Kjo.” The filmmaker was also asked what went wrong with films like Adipurush, Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan, Samrat Prithviraj and Laal Singh Chaddha. Karan said that apart from Laal Singh Chaddha, he has not watched the other films on the list. He said, “I liked Laal Singh Chaddha. I don’t know why it went wrong, I enjoyed and I remember crying at the end of it.”
When asked which non-film personality he’d like to have on his chat show, Koffee with Karan, Karan said that he would like to interview Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Regarding biopics, Karan stated that he would cast Vicky Kaushal as Virat Kohli, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan as Neeta Ambani, Amitabh Bachchan as Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Ranbir Kapoor as Rahul Gandhi, and Pankaj Tripathi as conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar.
Asked if he’d ever like to make a film about a political event, Karan said, “The emergency is being made and I am excited to watch it.” Emergency stars Kangana Ranaut and the actor is all set to portray the role of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Karan and Kangana have been involved in a famous feud that began on his show, but has now become entirely one-sided.
When asked which audience comment or piece of advice hurt him, the director said, “Someone said ‘Karan Johar ko producer hona chaiye.’ Karan also revealed that Bollywood celebrities are liars and said that their movie reviews are not always genuine. He said, “We are all liars. We are all big fat liars.” He admitted that the industry sometimes ‘fudges up’ box office numbers as well.
