Nayanthara fans angry with Karan Johar for 'throwing shade' at her on Koffee With Karan: 'Why does he sound so jealous'

Karan Johar's comment about Nayanthara's stardom on the recent episode of Koffee With Karan fell foul of many of the actor's fans, who have criticised the filmmaker on social media.

Samantha Ruth Prabhu made her debut on the talk show Koffee With Karan on Thursday, as she appeared alongside Akshay Kumar. In the hour-long episode, Samantha spoke about her life, career, and even divorce with actor Naga Chaitanya. However, one particular exchange she had with host Karan Johar hasn’t gone down too well with some fans. To be clear, the fans aren’t miffed with the actor but Karan, as they feel the filmmaker ‘belittled’ Samantha’s co-star Nayanthara on the show.

Karan Johar's comment on Nayanthara in this week's episode of Koffee With Karan has caused some anger in the actor's fans.

At a point in the show, Karan asked Samantha who she thought was the biggest female actor in the South is currently. Referring to her recent release Kaathuvaakula Rendu Kaadhal, the actor said, “Well, I just did a film with Nayanthara,” implying that she thinks Nayanthara is the biggest actor across the four film industries in south India. To this, Karan responded, “Well, not in my list!” He then went on to refer to a recent list, brought out by Ormax Media, of top female actors in the country which had Samantha as the number one female actor in the country.

This fell foul with some fans of the actor, who said Karan Johar was ‘needlessly throwing shade’ at Nayanthara. The exchange was shared on several social media platforms. A comment on Reddit read, “Isn't Nayanthara super well established like Kareena or PC level in the south? Yeh Karan ka problem kya hai Bhai (What is Karan’s problem)?” Many said Karan’s quick denial of Samantha’s compliment was rude and belittling to both actors. Some fans even pointed out that Karan’s next production Good Luck Jerry is actually a remake of Nayanhara-starrer Kolamaavu Kokila. “KJo I hope you do realize your remake of Good Luck Jerry is a remake of Nayanthara’s film,” wrote one fan.

Nayanthara has been one of the leading female actors in the Tamil and Telugu film industries for years. She has often been featured in lists of the highest-paid actors in the country as well. Over the years, she has worked in blockbusters like Billa (2007), Simha (2010), Arrambam (2013), Iru Murugan (2016), Bigil (2019), and Annaathe (2021). She has also delivered several female-led hits, most notably Maya (2015). Her box office success has earned her the moniker ‘Lady Superstar’ from fans Nayanthara will soon make her Bollywood debut opposite Shah Rukh Khan in Atlee’s Jawan, which releases in June 2023.