Karan Johar was in Delhi recently to speak at the AIMA’s (All India Management Association) 9th National Leadership Conclave. Addressing the role of cinema in society, Johar said that over time, cinema does bring about change and hopes that filmmakers who fail to grasp this concept now will one day realise how important their voice is.

Karan said, “I believe (as filmmakers), we have tremendous power, and therefore, with tremendous power comes tremendous responsibility. What we project and what we say, we have to consider it with some amount of sensitivity because people take the spoken word very seriously. Of course, no one can change the fabric of society with one feature film. It is not possible. It takes a lot of work and a lot of cinema if you want to drive home a point today. I believe so many films that talk about women empowerment are finally hitting home today. Nothing happens overnight.”

He continued, “Of course, there is a flip side to that as well. There have been films that continue to be harmful, but I hope those filmmakers realize with time how important the platform they have is, how important their voices are.”

Talking about how he blends sensitive issues into mainstream cinema, Karan said, “There are two things – there are some cerebral filmmakers who will be very-very true to their communication and do it in a way that is perhaps not understandable to a large section of society.”

Johar added there are second kind of filmmakers like him who try to make the message more accessible, but which critics call dumbing down of content. However, he doesn’t agree that it is dumbing down the message.

He said, “It is what I call accessibility. Can you talk about the issue in such a way that it is accessible to people who may not understand nuance? We need to communicate it with a certain amount of front-footedness. If you are sensitive about the issue and sensitive about it reaching a vast audience, it will happen organically and that’s what I have tried to do even in Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani.”

“Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006) was about breaking stereotypes and exploring the grey areas of human relationships. As a filmmaker, I feel the need to evolve and explore territories that may not be conventional but are what our society experiences daily. Topics like monogamy and infidelity are often brushed under the carpet in traditional family settings. I thought I have to address it. I have tried to push the envelope. There are certain things that I won’t do anymore. I feel that we have made our errors in the past, but all this I have realized in due time. At that time, I didn’t know any better. There’s a moment in Rocky Aur Rani, where Ranveer addresses cancel culture and says, ‘I didn’t know better, but don’t cancel me, correct me.’ That’s what happened to me.”