Karan Johar calls out podcasters inviting guests who speak ‘disrespectful’ things on film industry: ‘This needs to stop’

Karan Johar penned a note about podcasters who invite guests to speak negative things about ‘hardworking’ people of the fraternity.

Updated on: Aug 23, 2025, 19:51:55 IST

By Santanu Das

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Karan Johar has penned a statement on podcasters who invite guests and astrologers to talk negative things about the people of the industry. The filmmaker took to his Instagram Stories to share that this practice of making clickbait content for getting more views needs to stop. (Also read: Karan Johar to be back on set in 2026 to make old fashioned Hindi cinema: ‘It’s in my DNA so why run away from it’)

Bollywood film producer and director Karan Johar has a piece of advice for certain podcasters. (AFP)

What Karan said

Karan posted a long statement on his Instagram Stories on Saturday evening, which read, “While I have utmost respect for credible and respectable members of the media! One sub culture of podcasters (basically chat shows with new age terminology) who have emerged from the woodworks… woods that no GPS can locate… they invite guests who have nothing to lose. Who haven't been invited since World War 2, and those guests spew venom and say the most disrespectful things about hardworking and legendary members of our fraternity!”

He continued, “This needs to stop! Also psychics and astrologers giving awful and scary revelations even about people's impending death is both insensitive and disgusting! Free speech? Yes. Clickbait for followers? No!!” Karan did not take any names of podcasters or hosts that were part of the show.

Karan's recent projects

Karan recently co-produced Dhadak 2, which released in theatres on August 1. The social drama starring Triptii Dimri and Sidhant Chaturvedi was a remake of Tamil film Pariyerum Perumal. Earlier this month, Karan won the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment for his directorial feature Rocky Aur Rani kii Prem Kahani.

Meanwhile, Karan will feature in a special appearance in Aryan Khan's directorial debut The Ba***ds of Bollywood. The preview teaser of the show revealed his presence, where he was seen cussing someone on the phone. The show is set to release on Netflix on September 18.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Santanu Das
Santanu Das is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with over 5 years of experience, writing on films, pop culture and film festivals. He has a keen interest in writing about South Asian independent films and has covered several film festivals, including Sundance and CPH: Docx. He also brings a sharp perspective to the monthly column called The Fault in Our Stars, where he writes about a recent film/series and what stops the ‘good’ from becoming ‘great’. A gold medalist from Banaras Hindu University, Santanu completed his postgraduate studies in English from Jadavpur University. He is also a Rotten Tomatoes-certified film critic. When not watching films or speaking to celebrities, Santanu can be found reading a book. Some of his favourite films are Aparajito, Ponyo and The Double Life of Veronique. His favourite books include The Corrections, The God of Small Things and A Room of One's Own. Santanu continues to write passionately about films and celebrity culture. He brings a relatable, as well as critically informed, lens to entertainment and culture for a wide audience. Find him on LinkedIn: santanudasfilm Instagram: @santupechaRead More

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