Recently, Kangana Ranaut made headlines for calling out Karan Johar on Koffee With Karan for being nepotistic.
After the episode aired, Johar was asked to comment on Ranaut's claims at the LSE SU India Forum. This was his response:
"When she says 'flag bearer of nepotism', I don't think she has understood the entire meaning of the term. What is nepotism? Am I working with my nieces, nephews, daughters, cousins?
What does she (Kangana Ranat) think we're doing? Sitting and not giving her work? Maybe, I'm not interested in working with her. That doesn't make me 'movie mafia', that makes me a man with an opinion. I'm done with Kangana playing the woman card and the victim card. You cannot be this victim at every given point of time who has a sad story to tell about how you have been terrorised by the bad world of the industry, leave it."
Johar's comments subsequently launched an industry-wide debate about nepotism. Several people called Johar out on his privileged views.
Earlier today, a clip from a 2014 interview for The Front Row with Anupama Chopra has surfaced wherein Johar admits to being "guilty of nepotism".
To sum it up, in 2014, Johar was fully aware of his privilege as a renowned film producer's son, owned up to giving certain actors opportunities over others because of their family backgrounds, and admitted to being nepotistic. Three years later, Johar has forgotten all about it. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
You can watch the video here:
@karanjohar don't say nepotism in bollywood doesn't exist when you admit it yourself... #KanganaRanaut #karanjohar… https://t.co/e6BMsA7hCe