Karan Johar’s selfie with Ma Anand Sheela earns flak and praise online: ‘Nothing about her or her toxicity is fabulous’

Karan Johar’s interview and selfie with convicted attempted murderer Ma Anand Sheela got him a lot of attention on Instagram.

Filmmaker Karan Johar recently interviewed former aide to godman Osho, Ma Anand Sheela. She was jailed after pleading guilty for attempted murder, arson and the infamous salmonella poisoning of over 700 people.

Karan Johar interviews Ma Anand Sheela in Gurugram on Sunday.

Karan also shared a selfie with her on Instagram, calling her ‘fun’ and ‘fabulous’. “Interviewing #maanandsheela was an experience! She is fun forthright and fabulous! Dodging every answer in her inimitable fashion! She is controversial without revealing a thing! Now that’s an art! She is witty and never at a wits end! Thanks for the help @shakunbatra,” Karan captioned his selfie.

Many colleagues of Karan from Bollywood congratulated him on his meeting and interview with her. Alia Bhatt, who has previously expressed a desire to play her in a film, ‘liked’ the picture. Her mother, Soni Razdan commented, “Wow. Wow. Wow” and music composer Vishal Dadlani wrote, “‘Seela is a beach!’ said the most venerable Osho. She must’ve done something right.”

However, there were a few others who expressed disappointment at Karan’s attempt to ‘glorify’ a ‘criminal and bio-terrorist’ with his selfie. “Trust bollywood to glorify a renegade and a lunatic criminal like Ma Anand Sheela just cause she is fun and fabulous,” wrote one. “No man! No! Nothing about her or her toxicity is Fabulous. God,” wrote another. “Wait.. why is everyone saying good things about her? Do you even know who she is? She is a cult member who killed,” wrote another.

Ma Sheela gained popularity after the success of the Netflix documentary Wild Wild Country - which charted the growth of Osho’s community from India to setting up a cult in Oregon in the US. It highlighted the role that Ma Sheela played in the growth of the community, and its downfall. In 1986, she pleaded guilty to attempted murder and assault for her role in the 1984 Rajneeshee bioterror attack on the people of The Dalles, Oregon. It was the first and is the single largest bioterrorist attack in United States history.

Ma Sheela was sentenced to 20 years in jailed but walked out on parole after serving 39 months. She later moved to Switzerland.

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