Mumbai – Filmmaker Karan Johar launched a scathing attack on a certain segment of the podcasting community on Saturday, accusing them of promoting negativity and disrespect towards the film industry for the sake of views. In a strongly-worded statement on his Instagram Stories, Johar called for an end to what he described as a “sub-culture of podcasters” who provide a platform for “clickbait” content.
Without naming any specific individuals, Johar wrote, “While I have utmost respect for credible and respectable members of the media! One sub culture of podcasters (basically chat shows with new age terminology) who have emerged from the woodworks… they invite guests who have nothing to lose… and those guests spew venom and say the most disrespectful things about hardworking and legendary members of our fraternity!”
He asserted that this practice “needs to stop.” The filmmaker also took sharp aim at the trend of featuring psychics and astrologers who make sensational and often grim predictions about celebrities. “Also psychics and astrologers giving awful and scary revelations even about people’s impending death is both insensitive and disgusting!!! Free speech? YES. ‘CLICKBAIT for followers’? NO!!!!” he concluded.
Johar’s public condemnation comes in the wake of a recently viral clip where veteran actor Anupam Kher was seen calling a podcaster “fake” for allegedly editing out a segment where he gave the host advice on humility. While Johar’s post didn’t reference the incident directly, its timing has led to speculation that it was one of the triggers.
The broader context also includes significant backlash earlier this year against certain podcast episodes where astrologers made alarming doomsday predictions for major Bollywood stars, sparking outrage over the ethics of monetizing such content.
Johar’s statement has ignited a conversation about the responsibilities of content creators in the rapidly growing podcast landscape, questioning the line between free speech and harmful, reputation-damaging rhetoric. The film community has remained largely silent so far, but the post has resonated widely on social media, with many users echoing the sentiment against sensationalism.
