Ibrahim Ali Khan and Khushi Kapoor made their much-anticipated Bollywood debut earlier this year with Nadaaniyan, a teen rom-com backed by Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions and helmed by first-time director Shauna Gautam. While expectations were high, the film failed to strike a chord with the audience and quickly became the butt of jokes on the internet, from dialogues like “greatest Noida” to the lead performances. The trolling soon escalated into body shaming and relentless negativity, which lasted for weeks.
Karan Johar Breaks Silence on Nadaaniyan Hate
In a recent interview with Galatta Plus, Karan Johar candidly addressed the online backlash the film and its debutants received. “Move on naa, move on. Till the next bad thing comes on,” he said. “I kept waiting — when is the next really bad film coming so they’d stop hating on Nadaaniyan? I felt terrible, especially for Ibrahim, Khushi and Shauna. They’re all newcomers. But apparently, I’m not supposed to say this or show sympathy because they come from privilege.”
Karan pointed out the double standards in how audiences treat star kids. “It’s as if they’re not allowed to have feelings because of their background. But they’re just starting out. They also feel the pressure, the pain, the rejection,” he added.
KJo Admits Responsibility for the Backlash
Karan also revealed that his team had reached out to some YouTubers requesting them to move past Nadaaniyan, but the response they got was that negative content around the film was driving high engagement. “Hating on Nadaaniyan became fashionable,” he noted, accepting partial blame. “Maybe if I wasn’t the producer, the backlash wouldn’t have been so brutal. I attract a lot of negativity and hatred.”
He further defended his casting choices, stating that despite popular belief, 80% of Dharma’s talent roster doesn’t consist of star kids. As examples, he cited Kill actors Lakshya and Raghav Juyal, both of whom come from non-filmy backgrounds.
What’s Next for Dharma?
Karan Johar is now gearing up for Dhadak 2, featuring Triptii Dimri and Siddhant Chaturvedi in lead roles. The upcoming film will serve as a spiritual sequel to 2018’s Dhadak, which had launched Janhvi Kapoor and was Ishaan Khatter’s second film.