“Everybody Grappling To.…”: Karan Johar Identifies Reason Behind Bollywood's Horror Run
Karan Johar believes that the Hindi film industry has been following a “herd mentality”.
Bollywood producer and director Karan Johar, who last helmed the 2023 hit film ‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani’, believes that the Hindi film industry has been following a “herd mentality” and trying to re-create the tried and tested formula. He further stated that several filmmakers in Bollywood are trying to copy a success story to try and cash in on the audience's interest. Citing the example of Maddock Films’ ‘Stree’, Karan Johar said that everyone is now trying to make horror-comedies rather than doing something fresh and original.
“I think it is everybody grappling to do what others are doing. We see Pushpa running and catering so strongly to the tier-2 and tier-3 audiences, suddenly, we will see 20 others wanting to do the same. You see Chhaava working, everybody would want to make historicals," Karan Johar told Bollywood Hungama in a new interview.
“Stree and everybody wants to make horror comedies. Those worked because they were individually strong, and there was no other option in that genre. It was a unique thought that made those films work,” he added.
The filmmaker also advocated the need for being original and coming up with fresh ideas to bring back audiences inside the theatres.
“We all need to have individual thoughts that are unique to ourselves. Someone asked me the other day, ‘Do you have a universe?’ I was like, ‘As in?’ They were like, ‘A spy universe or a cop universe.’ I was like, ‘My universe is cinema itself.’ I am not here to build universes, I am here to tell stories. In that story if there's a universe, then why not?” said Karan Johar.
Karan Johar recently attended the Cannes Film Festival 2025 for the premiere of his film 'Homebound', starring Ishaan Khatter, Janhvi Kapoor and Vishal Jethwa. The film has been produced under Karan Johar's Dharma Productions and directed by Neeraj Ghaywan.
The film received a nine-minute standing ovation at the star-studded film festival.
