Filmmaker Karan Johar, one of the most prominent names in the Hindi film industry, continues to be both celebrated and heavily trolled online. In a recent interaction, Karan addressed the long-standing accusations of promoting nepotism and opened up about the criticism his latest film Nadaaniyan — which marks the debut of Saif Ali Khan’s son, Ibrahim Ali Khan — has received online.

During a conversation with Galatta Plus, Karan admitted that people often troll him for producing Nadaaniyan but fail to acknowledge his support for outsiders. He pointed out that while his film with debutant Ibrahim Ali Khan was panned, no one lauded him for backing projects by filmmaker Neeraj Ghaywan, who is an industry outsider. Karan previously supported Ghaywan’s Ajeeb Daastaans and is producing his upcoming drama Homebound. He said, “Cinema intellectuals will gush about anybody else but if it’s Dharma Productions, they will say nothing.”

Addressing the trolling around Nadaaniya, he 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.’”

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When questioned about Dharma’s alleged bias toward star kids, Karan Johar denied it and said, “It is not true. Come look at our roster.” Karan also made it clear that he wouldn’t stop working with star kids if he believes they are talented, regardless of public opinion. He said, “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.”

Karan Johar also weighed in on the recent social media post by late actor Irrfan Khan’s son, Babil Khan. Babil had shared a now-deleted video calling Bollywood a ‘fake industry.’ Karan expressed empathy, saying, “I felt as bad as people did as a parent after seeing Babil’s meltdown. I felt terrible because I also have a son and a daughter.”