Aug 30, 2024 12:54 PM IST
Karan Johar opens up about being verbally attacked during childhood for being different, the name-shaming he faced and eventually learning to love himself
Karan Johar has been a victim of trolling a lot of times, however, the filmmaker has always dealt with it head on. While he has become used to dealing with the negativity now, recently he opened up about how he faced such instances while growing up as he admitted to feeling “different from other boys”.
Talking about his growing up years, Karan told astrologer-spiritual coach Dr. Jai Madaan on her YouTube channel how he used to feel different. “Mujhe laga main doosron ladkon ki tarah nahin hoon,” he said, adding, “I was never like the other boys—their interests, their style, their sports—it just wasn’t me. It took me years to understand that I don’t owe anyone an apology for being different. I’ve embraced who I am, and that’s become my power.”
The 52-year-old also mentioned that he was often called the term “pansy” because he was “feminine as a child” and it used to “disturb” him a lot. “It was this particular comment which felt like a verbal attack on my core being, my personality and I couldn’t express main iss kism ka ladka hoon, meri choices or interests are different from other boys. But I feel jab vo mujhe attack karte the, it used to make me question my very being,” he added.
The Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani director confessed that when he realised his uniqueness, he went into “some kind of a zone” and found comfort in food, chocolates and desserts, resulting in him gaining weight between the age of 7-9. However, he eventually learnt to love himself and takes pride in that. “To this day, I have never regretted the way I’ve lived or the work I’ve pursued. Everything I do is for me, unapologetically. I just want to live my truth,” he said.
