Filmmaker Karan Johar has responded to long-standing accusations of sabotaging careers in the film industry. In a recent podcast with Raj Shamani, he addressed the “career destroyer” label, calling the allegations “unfair”.

“People say iska iska career destroy kiya. Maine kisi ka kuch nahi kiya. Maine bas apna kaam kiya,” he said, expressing frustration over the criticism.

Karan also spoke about the backlash he faces for supporting star kids, saying that people often ignore the outsiders he has launched. He gave the example of actor Adarsh Gourav, whose debut film, My Name Is Khan, was produced by Dharma Productions.

“I have worked with all kinds of actors. I can list several actors and other talents who did their first films with us – many of whom were complete outsiders,” he said, adding, “I’ve launched around 50 actors and 25 directors, many of whom come from non-film backgrounds. Yet, no one ever talks about that.”

He also questioned the lack of attention given to actors like Lakshya Lalwani and Raghav Juyal, who featured in Dharma’s recent film Kill. “If I launch an outsider, it goes unnoticed. But if it’s a star kid, it becomes a headline,” he added.

On the work front, Karan Johar’s next production Homebound will premiere at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard section. 

Directed by Neeraj Ghaywan and co-written by Ghaywan and Sumit Roy, the film stars Ishaan Khatter, Janhvi Kapoor and Vishal Jethwa. Martin Scorsese is on board as the executive producer.

The Cannes Film Festival will be held from May 13 to 24, 2025.