Karan Johar shows his support for fellow-industry member, Kamal Haasan

Karan Johar has always made his thoughts known and has on previous account stood up for several members of the Bollywood fraternity. This time around, the Dharma Productions has expressed his thoughts about the controversy surrounding Kamal Haasan’s recent film, Vishwaroopam. “Filmmakers and creative artistes have always been at the receiving end of some people looking for mileage. I stand in complete support of Kamal Haasan because we (film industry) are only interested in putting forth our ideas and stories in an entertaining format, minus any agenda,” said the director-producer.

Karan faced a similar dilemma during the release of his 2010 Shah Rukh Khan-starrer, My Name Is Khan. “Looking at what’s happening around Vishwaroopam, I remember the tough times that I faced around the release of My Name Is Khan (2010). But at that time, Shah Rukh (Khan) and I had each other’s support, and that came in as a huge help. Most importantly, when people turned up and showed their support (by watching the movie), it was heartening for all of us,” added Karan.

According to him, celebrities are “soft targets,” given the fact that they have maximum reach and no real power. This makes it easy for people to point fingers at celebrities. Karan has kept a wary eye on social issues and has crafted his films accordingly, keeping himself away from negative news as such. “I am attentive when it comes to choosing my film’s subjects. I am always worried about who I have to fight a court case against if I choose a particular storyline. As an Indian citizen, I should have complete freedom of speech, but instead I think about who is going to drag me to the courts,” said Karan.