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Claims of paid trolling and negative PR campaigns have become a regular part of conversations around Hindi cinema, with actor Pooja Hegde going as far to claim in March 2025 that negative PR tactics were used to target her.
Speaking to THR India as Koffee With Karan airs its ninth and final season on JioHotstar, filmmaker Karan Johar said he cannot understand why anyone would spend money and energy pulling a peer down, and added that karma tends to return whatever is sent out.
Johar said he has never wished ill on any filmmaker’s work or success. “I have never ever felt negatively towards anyone’s films, towards their success,” he said. “There are way more superior filmmakers than me. There are way bigger filmmakers than me.” He added that he is content where he stands, and therefore sees no reason to bring anyone down.
On the effect of such negativity, Johar said, “Don’t they know that karma is a very powerful, powerful thing? When you wish someone the worst, you’re actually empowering them. Because all you’re doing is giving that energy to them.”
On whether money is behind the pile-ons, Johar was cautious. “I’d like to believe no one is paying to bring me down,” he said, adding that he has not looked closely into the matter and that proof would change the picture. He said his team has informed told him of a campaign aimed at his banner Dharma Productions, which left him asking why.
Johar offered a more everyday theory: “Do they realise that negativity tracks much more than positivity?” A headline praising an actor draws far fewer viewers than a clickbait one. Even so, he said, “None of them deserve this excessive trolling.”
The conversation follows backlash directed at guests this season, with Vijay Deverakonda and Rashmika Mandanna both responding publicly after their episode.
Johar said his larger worry is the film industry’s drift toward safe choices. “I’m more concerned with the herd mentality,” he said, citing actors who reject characters for not being 'forceful enough' and pointing to Shah Rukh Khan’s gentle hero in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge.
Watch the full interview with Karan Johar dropping on our YouTube channel later today