What Karan Johar said about Bollywood ahead of directorial comeback
Director-producer-host Karan Johar will be returning to the director's chair after a gap of seven years with Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani next year. The family drama stars Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt in the lead roles. Now, ahead of his comeback, Johar has shared his thoughts on the current climate in Bollywood, the remake trend, and his own "lack of spine."
Why does this story matter?
While Johar has been active in the entertainment sphere as a producer, host, and reality show judge, he hasn't directed a film in over six years. He last handled direction duties for Anushka Sharma-Ranbir Kapoor starrer Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (2016). Moreover, his recent comments come at a time when Bollywood is reeling under constant boycott calls and harsh, toxic criticism on social media.
Johar said Bollywood lacks 'conviction'
Recently, at a Galatta Plus roundtable, Johar spoke about what Bollywood has been doing wrong in the past few years. Dissing the remake trend, he said, "We come from a mainstream industry in Hindi cinema, and that includes myself, which does not have one very strong quality that every other cinema on this panel has. That is conviction. We...always go with the flow."
'We started remaking every popular film'
Johar also pointed fingers at the Bollywood trend of hopping on to a bandwagon. "We had such an original voice in Salim-Javed in the '70s. We created a certain character...the concept of that angsty, angry hero was derived in other cinemas... In the '80s, suddenly something happened, and there came a host of remakes. We started remaking every film popular in Tamil and Telugu."
'I've made Rocky Aur Rani with a lot of conviction'
Johar also spilled beans on Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani—co-starring Dharmendra, Jaya Bachchan, and Shabana Azmi—slated to release on April 28, 2023. "The core conviction (in films) that is lacking has been something that I have learned," he said, adding he made his upcoming film "with only conviction." "I just hope that conviction comes across. I just want to continue telling stories."
