Karan is one of the most renowned film directors in Bollywood, producing several blockbusters like Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Kal Ho Naa Ho. On Sunday, an Indian film critic tweeted a teaser of his upcoming interview with Karan where they discuss the filmmaker’s recent flicks. However, a troll tried to mock Karan’s interview teaser by commenting in a now deleted tweet that a biography should be made on Karan with the title "Karan Johar: The Gay".
Interestingly enough, amongst the flurry of comments that poured in about the interview teaser, Karan was quick to single out the troll and gave him a sarcastic reply by calling him an “original genius” and “most prolific voice on twitter” for the day.
The fact that Karan, who commands a 16.6 million strong fan base on Twitter decided to rebuff a troll couldn’t go unnoticed by the Twitterati. Netizens were quick to laud Karan for shutting up the troll with his sassy reply whilst also urging the social media users to respect the renowned director.
Karan has been a vocal supporter of LGBTQ rights in India and that has often led to him being on the receiving end of homophobic slurs on social media. In 2018, when India’s apex court decriminalised homosexuality in the country, Karan was one of the foremost from B-Town to hail the decision.
Writing an opinion piece for news portal NDTV in 2016, Karan had talked at length about how he tries not to get bogged down by the homophobic rants that he faces on a daily basis. “At this stage, frankly, I'm almost excited to be trolled, or I would be were it just about the trollers and their sad little minds. By the way - it's not like I consider being called gay an abuse or a bad word (though I am intrigued - endlessly - by the equally endless obsession with my sex life. Or, umm, lack thereof)", Karan had written in his piece.