Karan Johar
Karan Johar

Recently, at the Jaipur Lit Fest, Karan Johar that speaking “about one’s personal life in today’s time can land you in jail.” He also continued to say that freedom of speech and democracy are a “big joke,” and he feels like wherever he goes, there’s “some kind of a legal notice” awaiting him. And now, while at the screening for film Aligarh, he was asked whether he could express feelings without any fear or hesitation. This is what he had to say:

Without fear and without any hesitation, I can say anything. My silence has stated everything. I’m not scared of anyone. The thoughts are mine and will always be mine and I’m very proud of my own feelings and thoughts.

He was asked to elaborate further on his comments at the Lit Fest, and he said:

We are filmmakers, we are entertainers, and that doesn’t mean that we don’t have our own thoughts and opinions. Sometimes these things happen and sometimes we make statements at certain platforms. I’m proud to be a filmmaker in India. I’m proud that I have a voice because I’m a filmmaker and I hope I continue to have that voice.

When asked about his comments coming under attack by political leaders and other celebrities who believe there’s no intolerance in the country and film industry, Karan said:

Just the way our films are, we must take all kinds of opinions, all kinds of feedback, all kinds of criticism in the right way. So if I have an opinion, you could agree with it and you could not agree with it. It is my prerogative to have an opinion, it is your prerogative to agree or disagree, and I firmly believe that.

What are your thoughts?