Karan Johar fires back at 'Nadaaniyan' criticism with 'Kuch Toh Log Kahenge' retort

Speaking to media at an event in Mumbai, Karan said, 'Bas yehi kahunga, purani film ke alfaaz hai, purane gaane ka yeh alfaaz hai, Kuch toh log kahenge, Logon ka kaam hai kehna. Chhodo bekaar ki baaton mein, Kahin beet na jaaye raina.” (People will say something or the other. It's the job of people to say something. Forget all these useless things.)

“Nadaaniyan,” backed by Karan Johar, marked the acting debut of Saif Ali Khan’s son Ibrahim Ali Khan alongside Boney Kapoor’s daughter Khushi Kapoor. Released on Netflix, the romantic drama received widespread criticism from several netizens. The film received negative reviews from critics as well, quickly becoming a topic of ridicule on social media, where users harshly criticized the performances of Ibrahim and Khushi. Coming from prominent film families, the two starkids faced intense scrutiny, with many pointing out Bollywood’s ongoing nepotism issue. The trolling went beyond their acting, with some harsh remarks about their appearances as well.

Despite the onslaught of online negativity, both Ibrahim and Khushi have found support from industry insiders. Filmmakers like Vikram Bhatt, Hansal Mehta, and actor Sonu Sood have publicly shown their backing for the duo, standing up against the online abuse.

Last week, even Karan Johar posted a picture with a cryptic caption on Instagram, amid the growing backlash surrounding his latest production, “Nadaaniyan.” Sharing his photo from a hotel room, he wrote, “Living on a plane..what a privilege to be an outsider from the plane and an insider to the warmth of my hotel room. I am so happy to be entitled to my own thoughts and cut off from WHYFI.”

Directed by Shauna Gautam, the teen romantic comedy also stars Mahima Choudhary, Suniel Shetty, Jugal Hansraj, and Dia Mirza in key roles. Nadaaniyan premiered on Netflix on March 7, 2025.