Filmmaker Karan Johar has criticised what he described as Bollywood's growing herd mentality, saying lead actors are increasingly seeking aggressive, alpha-male screen images and attempting to influence decisions beyond their performances, including casting, visual effects budgets, trailer cuts and posters.
In a recent interview with Anupama Chopra for The Hollywood Reporter India, Johar said he was concerned about "confused artists and filmmakers" abandoning their instincts because they believed certain approaches would work at the box office. He recalled hearing lead actors interrupt narration sessions to complain that a character was "not alpha enough" or "not front-footed enough".
Johar cited the success of Saiyaara, which features what he described as an empathetic male lead, as an example of a film that did not follow the aggressive hero template. He also referred to Dhurandhar, saying its background score and overall craft were distinctive but warning that its success could lead to attempts to imitate it. "But every film cannot become that," he said.
Johar said questions during narration sessions increasingly moved beyond the script to whether a film was "deeply rooted" and how much was being spent on visual effects. He questioned why actors were concerned about a film's VFX budget, saying he would not compromise on its quality to save money.
He was also critical of actors questioning casting decisions after agreeing to join a project. Johar argued that selecting the rest of the cast was the responsibility of the filmmaker and casting team. "I'm flummoxed with people's insecurities," he said, adding that some actors wanted to become "box-office gurus" and trade analysts. "When are you... acting exactly?" he asked.
Johar also acknowledged that filmmakers and producers had contributed to the problem. He said they had been "deeply complicit" in creating what he described as a monstrosity by giving in to demands rather than setting boundaries, partly because refusing could lead to uncomfortable situations.
He said he continued to value the opinions of experienced actors such as Shah Rukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan, whose knowledge and experience, he felt, exceeded his own. However, he also expected actors to respect the filmmaker's role in shaping a project.
Johar has previously criticised Bollywood's tendency to imitate successful films. In a July 2024 interview with journalist Faye D'Souza, he questioned whether the success of Jawan and Pathaan meant filmmakers should make only action films.
(Compiled from media reports with the help of our in-house AI tools, and edited by our desk)