Bollywood filmmaker Karan Johar, whose last film Ae Dil Hai Mushkil was caught in a controversy for featuring Pakistani actor Fawad Khan, says while he continues to be “liberal” as a person, he has become “scared”.
“I’m a liberal in a headspace, that is extremely progressive about many things. But I just feel like I can’t say anything. I feel like I’ve joined the herd mentality of the silent society,” Johar said on Bollywood Roundtable 2016 with Rajeev Masand last week.
“I feel scared to raise a point in my film, I feel scared to give an opinion and then I feel scared what’s going to happen during the release of my film,” added the filmmaker, who was under attack from right-wing Hindu outfits for casting a Pakistani actor in his movie.
Johar, known for his flamboyat romantic dramas, says to deal with actors, a filmmaker needs to go beyond just being behind the camera.
“Actors, according to me, are the most vulnerable, insecure human beings that exist. And I think it’s not possible for you to just deal with them professionally. From a very young age, I discovered you are their counsellor, their guide, their therapist, their everything,” said Johar, who has a lot of friends in the industry and he gets them to reveal their secrets on his chat show Koffee With Karan.
Johar was on Bollywood Roundtable 2016 with Rajeev Masand, with Ram Madhvani, Ali Abbas Zafar and Nitesh Tiwari.
