Karan Johar has previously admitted to getting the gender politics completely wrong in his debut film Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. The filmmaker now actively advocates for sensitivity towards gender representation in films. His last film as director, Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, took special care in addressing these issues. In a recent interaction on Lilly Singh’s podcast, he discussed self-censorship and pay parity in Hindi films. He also acknowledged that female-led films in Hindi cinema are now getting bigger openings than male-led films.
Speaking about the importance of being sensitive to gender politics, he said, “If we can get our politics right… I am not saying always entertain. Cinema is meant for large scale, entertainment, visual spectacle, joy, everything that you are meant to feel but you can do it all without the wrong politics. You can entertain a large audience across the nation by just not propagating, positioning and platforming incorrect gender politics or incorrect social norms, incorrect ways of being. Just basics have to be followed.”
He added, “Unfortunately, there is no censorship in the world that can help you, it has to be self-censorship. A film that doesn’t have right communication may still be a blockbuster but is that eventually a good thing, I am not sure.”
Karan went on to discuss the success of last year’s biggest blockbuster, Stree 2, and how its triumph was considered a victory for women. “When I see women achieving in India specifically, it is a small victory for the gender. When I see Stree, which is the biggest hit of the decade… Stree translates to woman. Of course, the men have to do a lot in the film but it is led by a woman.”
A year before Stree 2 hit theaters, Ranbir Kapoor’s Animal became a massive box office success. However, the film faced severe criticism for its misogynistic and derogatory portrayal of women, as well as for glorifying toxic masculinity.
Karan also cited the example of Alia Bhatt’s Gangubai Kathiawadi and spoke about the issue of pay parity in Bollywood. “When Alia did Gangubai Kathiawadi, that, to me, was a big victory in cinema. That character was completely driven by her performance and it opened to larger numbers than many leading men who are movie stars. This is big sign that a woman can lead a film. Men talk about pay parity and that they should be paid more because they bring more money, but we are talking about the time when women’s movies are opening much higher than some big male movie stars who are opening to dismal box office numbers.”
Karan’s latest production, Jigra, which he co-produced with Alia Bhatt and which starred Alia in the lead role, underperformed at the box office. However, Alia received immense praise for her performance in the film.
