PremiumKaran Johar blames herd mentality for Bollywood’s downfall, says industry can learn this from South filmmakers
The filmmaker has recently presented several South superhits including Baahubali, KGF: Chapter 2 and RRR
Last Updated: 01.12 PM, Jun 16, 2022
Bollywood director Karan Johar seems to be in a candid mood these days. After saying the that era of superstars in Bollywood is over with today’s generation of actors lacking a certain aura and mystery, the Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani filmmaker has now said that Hindi filmmakers lack the conviction that their South counterparts have.
The director, who has backed several big Bollywood films and lately presented South superhits such as Baahubali, RRR and KGF: Chapter 2, opened up on why he believes Hindi films have not been able to step up in the box office race since the pandemic.
Talking to Film Companion, the director, who is also producing Varun Dhawan and Kiara Advani’s JugJugg Jeeyo, blamed Bollywood for being victims to everything “we should be running away from like paid PR”. “I think we are also victims of herd mentality,” he said, adding that filmmakers in the South know what they want from their films and aren’t seeking validation of any sorts. “They have conviction that just isn’t present in our cinema where everyone hops on whatever trend is popular,” he said.
Karan also said that he himself was guilty of following the trend rather than making the films that he believed in. When movies such as Aamir Khan was nominated for Oscars, the director said he too sought acceptance and did movies including Shah Rukh Khan’s My Name is Khan that was “neither here nor there”. The failures of these also prompted him to get back to making films that he was passionate about, he said.
The filmmaker, who turned 50 recently, also said that he is now planning to direct more films in the next decade. He is also producing Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt’s big budget fantasy adventure Brahmastra, which is expected to propel the Hindi film industry again.