Filmmaker Karan Johar has apologised after he “unintentionally” hurt the sentiments of the people from Northeast India and said it had “come from a place of no knowledge”.
“I would like to apologise if I have hurt any sentiments..... it was purely unintentional and came from a place of no knowledge which is absolutely no excuse.
“I am extremely sensitive to the different cultures of our land and I am very sorry,” Johar tweeted on Wednesday.
The filmmaker, who is currently co-judging reality show India’s Got Talent along with actresses Kirron Kher and Malaika Arora Khan, often shares behind-the-scene videos on social media called “Toodle”.
In one such video late on Monday, Johar was seen pulling Kher’s leg for wearing a traditional headgear, which was gifted to her by a contestant from Arunachal Pradesh.
Johar, too, was given one. But he had not put it on. In the video, Kher asks why he did not, to which, the filmmaker, goofing around, said: “Because you have guts, I don’t.”
Several users on social media pointed out that Johar was being “disrespectful” towards the “japi” — a traditional hat from Assam — which is a “symbol of respect for all the people of Assam”.
