Director Karan Johar reflects on how the film industry came together in 2020 to stop media ‘Bollywood bashing’

In a recent exclusive interview with THE WEEK, director Karan Johar opened up about how Indian film bodies and studios worked together to end ‘Bollywood bashing’ in the media in 2020.

Noting that it is difficult to bring all stakeholders to the table, Dzhokhar told the publication: Of course, sometimes we wish we could get together more often just to show solidarity. For some reason, it is difficult to rally the entire industry to his one cause.

“But during the pandemic, we all came together against certain news channels that were saying inappropriate things against us and where Bollywood was being bashed. It stopped. It was ridiculous, we were collateral damage for no reason,” he explains.

Read the full interview with Karan Johar in the next issue of THE WEEK, published January 21.

In October 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, four film associations and 34 film studios, including Johars, issued a letter to certain media companies for making “irresponsible, derogatory and defamatory statements against Bollywood”. The petition was filed in the Delhi High Court asking for a restraining order. Targeting the entire or members of Bollywood and restraining media trials of Bollywood celebrities. ”

These include companies owned by actors and directors such as Aamir Khan, Ajay Devgn, Anil Kapoor, Ashutosh Gowariker and Karan Johar, as well as the Film and Television Producers Guild of India and the Film and Television Artists Association. , the Film and Television Producers Council of India, and the Writers Guild of India. , Anushka Sharma, Farhan Akhtar, Ritesh Sidhwani, Rakesh Roshan, Kabir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Aditya Chopra.

Media companies and talents named in the suit include Republic TV, Times Now, Arnab Goswami, Pradeep Bhandari, Rahul Shivshankar and Navika Kumar.

The case stems from allegations of drug abuse, nepotism, toxic work culture and debauchery leveled against Bollywood celebrities following the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput in June 2020. It’s emitting. The lawsuit required television news channels to comply with programming rules and regulations. to withdraw all such defamatory content they have published;

“They (channels) target specific individuals with malicious intent to tarnish their reputation in the public eye, invade the private lives of various people in the industry and drag their private lives into the public sphere. , is trying to show that “a totally and completely wrong view across the board,” the petition said.