Amid criticism, Karan Johar unfollows most actors on Twitter
Sushant Singh Rajput's tragic death has raised some pertinent questions and brought the entire film fraternity under scrutiny. One person who is facing a tsunami of criticism is filmmaker Karan Johar, as debates around nepotism, favoritism, and bullying in the showbiz have once again come to the fore. Now, Karan has unfollowed most of his friends and colleagues on Twitter, for no apparent reason.
Karan appears to have unfollowed several actors, including his close friends Alia Bhatt and Twinkle Khanna. He now follows just 8 accounts in total, out of which four belong to his production company Dharma Productions and its CEO Apoorva Mehta. The only three actors he now follows are Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, and Akshay Kumar. He also follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The criticism started with a note which Karan posted on Instagram, after the news of Sushant's death broke, lamenting that he did not stay in touch with the late actor despite feeling at times that something was amiss. He added that the incident has been a "huge wake-up call" for him. "Will miss your infectious smile and your bear hug," the filmmaker wrote.
"I blame myself for not being in touch with you for the past year...I have felt at times like you may have needed people to share your life with...but somehow I never followed up on that feeling...will never make that mistake again," Karan wrote.
However, Karan, who produced Sushant's last film Drive, received huge backlash online, as fellow users pointed out that the producer, along with Alia, had earlier mocked Sushant on his chat show Koffee With Karan. Some people also alleged that Sushant faced a boycott from Karan's Dharma Productions and several other powerful production houses, and had lost some of his films to other stars.
Not only that, Sushant's death has triggered discussions around how the movie industry actually works. Many said that prominent producers like Karan mostly support star kids or "insiders," thereby promoting nepotism, while "outsiders" like Sushant are often ignored.
In fact, a complaint has also been filed against Karan and seven others including Salman Khan, Ekta Kapoor and Sanjay Leela Bhansali, in connection with Sushant's death case at a Bihar court. The complainant alleged that Sushant was removed from seven films. "Such a situation was created which forced him to take the extreme step," he told ANI.
Meanwhile, Karan received support from some of his colleagues. Actor Swara Bhasker tweeted that blaming and trolling Karan and Alia for Sushant's death is the "height of idiocy and hypocrisy". Separately, filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma also voiced support for Karan, saying that he is a bigger victim of the "ignorant social lynch mob" as compared to the "ill perceived and suddenly discovered victim Sushant."
Sushant was found dead at his apartment in Mumbai's Bandra on Sunday. He had been battling depression for the past few months. The late actor's last rites were held in the city on Monday in the presence of family and some friends from the industry. Sushant's family has now reached Patna. His ashes were immersed today in the Ganga river in Patna.
In case you need help or know someone who does, you can reach out to AASRA for suicide prevention counseling. Their number is 022 2754 6669 (24 hours). You can also contact the Hyderabad-based Roshni NGO at +914066202000 or COOJ at +918322252525. Sneha India Foundation, which works 24X7, can be contacted at +914424640050. Vandrevala Foundation has trained counselors; their number is 18602662345.
