Monitoring Desk
MUMBAI: Veteran filmmaker Karan Johar has landed in hot water after an old interview clip resurfaced on the internet.
In the clip, Karan confessed wanting to “totally murder Anushka Sharma’s career”. He said this in jest during a conversation with Rajeev Masand and Anupama Chopra in 2016, but the comments have sparked outrage among many in the film industry.
Apurva Asrani was quick to react to the clip, taking to his Twitter account to say, “I totally wanted to murder Anushka Sharma’s career’ – Karan Johar confessed to Rajeev Masand and Anupama Chopra in 2016. Said in jest, I’m sure, but still a worthy point in the raging insider-outsider debate.”
Filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri also joined in the criticism, tweeting, “Someone’s only hobby is to make or break careers. If Bollywood is in the gutter, it’s because of some people’s dirty ‘backroom’ politics against talented outsiders.”
In the clip, Karan can be heard saying, “I totally wanted to completely murder Anushka Sharma’s career. Because when Aditya Chopra showed me her image, I was like, ‘no, no, mad or what, you’re signing her, you’re crazy! There is no need for you to sign this Anushka Sharma’. There was another lead actress at that time who I wanted Adi to sign, and I was totally behind the scene sabotaging her completely. I also reluctantly watched Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi.”
Anushka Sharma, who made her Bollywood debut with Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, has not yet commented on Karan’s remarks. However, the clip has sparked a heated debate about insider-outsider politics in the industry and the power of influential people to shape careers.
