Karan Johar slams cinema intellectuals for praising AWIAL but ignoring Cannes selection Homebound: ‘One Nadaaniyan and you will…’

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Karan Johar is feeling a great sense of pride as his movie, Homebound, is set to appear at the esteemed Cannes Film Festival in 2025. Lately, he’s expressed some frustration towards film critics who have been praising last year’s Grand Prix winner All We Imagine As Light, while seemingly overlooking his own work. He pointed out that there’s often little recognition given to the innovative ways his production company has broken new ground, but he’s frequently criticized for films like Nadaaniyan instead.

In a recent conversation with Galatta Plus, Karan Johar expressed that he receives more criticism for films like Nadaaniyan compared to the praise he receives for backing a project such as Homebound. He admitted this disparity left him feeling disheartened. Karan felt that people were judging him harshly due to his distinctive or flamboyant persona, which sets him apart from other filmmakers.

Karan expressed that whenever they ventured into something novel or tested cinematic limits, the response was not as significant. He felt that when their films addressed crucial or sensitive issues, it went largely unnoticed. He said, “Mention one film like ‘Nadaaniyan’ and I’ll be under attack. It becomes ‘Karan Johar’s Nadaaniyan’ and then the criticism just keeps coming.

The filmmaker continued to commend the film “All We Imagine as Light” and its director Payal Kapadia, who made headlines at Cannes last year. However, he expressed that while critics and cinema enthusiasts would openly appreciate films like this, they often overlooked the fact that a mainstream studio such as Dharma Productions also had a movie chosen for the film festival.

Karan went on to say, “We’ve fully financed and shaped the project according to our vision, aiming to showcase intriguing films from our country, making us proud on the global stage… Yet, not a single critique from cinema experts who usually praise others, but remain silent because it’s a Dharma Production film. I find this lack of commentary unfair.

The actors Janhvi Kapoor, Ishaan Khatter, and Vishal Jethwa will stay at home for this upcoming film. Neeraj Ghaywan wrote and directed it. This production is set to make its debut at the 78th Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard category. The esteemed Hollywood director Martin Scorsese serves as executive producer for this movie.

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2025-05-17 12:22