Karan Johar says the machinery of paid negativity in Hindi cinema may be producing the opposite of what its backers intend. In an interview published by The Hollywood Reporter India on 11 November 2026, as Koffee With Karan streams its ninth and final season on JioHotstar, Johar argued that wishing harm on a peer simply hands energy to that person.
Karma, campaigns and a banner in the crosshairs
The backdrop is familiar. Actor Pooja Hegde claimed in March 2025 that negative PR tactics were used against her, and several guests on the current Koffee With Karan season have faced sharp online backlash. Vijay Deverakonda and Rashmika Mandanna both responded publicly after their episode.
Asked whether money is behind such pile-ons, Johar was cautious. “I’d like to believe no one is paying to bring me down,” he said, adding that proof would change the picture. He said his team had informed him of a campaign aimed at his banner, Dharma Productions, and that the report left him asking why anyone would spend money and effort pulling a colleague down.
His explanation is philosophical. “When you wish someone the worst, you’re actually empowering them,” Johar said, describing karma as “a very powerful, powerful thing.” He said he has never wished ill on another filmmaker’s work and sees no reason to, because he is content where he stands.
Why negativity outruns praise
Johar offered a more everyday reason for the pile-ons: audiences click on negativity more than praise. A headline praising an actor draws fewer viewers than a clickbait one, he argued. That creates a commercial incentive for hostile coverage, even before any money changes hands.
That framing matters for how the industry talks about PR warfare. A paid campaign is a specific, evidence-based allegation; a pile-on is a measurable audience phenomenon. Johar’s comments are closer to the second explanation: hostile content is rewarded with attention, so it persists whether or not anyone is paying for it.
For audiences, a burst of identical criticism is not proof of a coordinated attack. For teams, the first step is to check the engagement mechanics before making a public allegation. Johar himself said he has not looked closely enough to know whether money is behind the trolling against him.
What actually worries him
Johar’s larger concern is what he called the industry’s “herd mentality.” He cited actors rejecting characters for not being forceful enough, and pointed to Shah Rukh Khan’s gentle hero in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge as the kind of choice that now gets filtered out.
Three takeaways from the conversation:
- Johar frames negative PR as self-defeating: it energises its target, not weakens them.
- He says his team has flagged a campaign against Dharma Productions, but he has not verified whether money was behind it.
- He is more worried about safe, herd-driven casting than about trolling.
The full interview was due to appear on The Hollywood Reporter India’s YouTube channel later on 11 November.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter India
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