Karan Johar juggles different roles — filmmaker, chat show host, and now, the judge on Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 10. With these distinct roles, come adulation and hate in equal measure. The filmmaker, who has been no stranger to trolls in the past few years, says he has learnt to tackle online hate. What then is his biggest fear?

“I fear indifference today. I feel that you can love me, hate me, but don’t be indifferent to me. I don’t fear failure. Over the years, [the fear of being trolled] started diminishing. I am afraid that I may do something and no one would care about it. That’s much worse than hate,” he admits.

Many appearing on his chat show, Koffee with Karan, have mentioned that Johar has been one of their guiding gurus. It’s a tag he wears with pride, happy to be Alia Bhatt’s 4 am friend, or to dole out relationship advice to millennials Janhvi Kapoor and Sara Ali Khan.

“Usually, people don’t listen. Most people like to unload their emotions and feelings. I am a good listener, which is why I have been at the receiving end of people’s troubles, trials and tribulations. I can’t say I enjoy it, but I feel compassionate enough to lend an ear.”

In 2016, she was one of the participants on Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa. Six years and several popular dance numbers later, Nora Fatehi finds herself on the other side of the table — a clear marker of how far she has come. As she shares the judges’ panel with Karan Johar and Madhuri Dixit-Nene, she has the advantage of identifying with the contestants’ situations.

“I understand where they are coming from, and relate to what they are feeling every moment. I went up to each [participant] and said, ‘Don’t feel bad if I say anything; it’s only constructive criticism.’ They were happy to [take my feedback]. We have built that kind of rapport from the beginning,” she says. 

Her journey is a prime example of how the Colors show is the perfect platform to showcase one’s talent. “We, [as judges], are here to uplift and inspire [the contestants]. Jhalak opened a lot of doors for me, and was the turning point of my career.”

Dance reality shows have become as much about contestants putting their best foot forward, as about the drama — be it tiffs between participants, or emotional back-stories. It’s not surprising that reality shows are often accused of being scripted, but Fatehi defends them. “How much reality do you want? It’s TV at the end of the day. Even Kim Kardashian’s show [Keeping Up with the Kardashians] is choreographed to an extent. But here, the talent and their stories are real.”

After being the face of hits like Dilbar dilbar and Kamariya, Fatehi took the leap towards acting. Her performance in Bhuj: The Pride of India (2021), however, left the critics unimpressed. But she is undeterred. “Due to my upbringing, I was taught from an early age not to pay attention to criticism. I was part of a big project; that is huge in itself. Everything else doesn’t matter. I have given so many auditions, faced so many rejections, and given the favouritism that happens [in the industry], I used to feel I won’t [make it up to here]. Now, the kind of people I am working with and the scripts I am getting, it’s all interesting.”

There is little that is outside Karan Johar’s comfort zone. It all comes naturally to the filmmaker — from going behind the camera, to being the sassy host of a chat show, or being a judge on Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa. Ready with the 10th season of Colors’ dance reality show, Johar says he thoroughly enjoys it, thanks to his Punjabi genes. “I am not a trained dancer, but I have the energy of a Punjabi,” he quips in his trademark humour.

“[Earlier], we were taught that if you are a filmmaker, you should have a serious personality. I have never [lived by] that; I stay true to my energy. I have broken all the myths around filmmakers. No matter how mad I look, if I feel like dancing on the stage, I will. Dancing comes from a place of abandon.”

To the filmmaker-judge, dance is synonymous with a sense of freedom. It’s also a reminder of the joys of his childhood days. “My father [Yash Johar] would encourage me to dance when my friends used to come over. He would say, ‘Karan dances well to Dafli wale dafli baja. Karan, nacho.’ I would dance with abandon. My parents encouraged me, regardless that it was Jaya Prada’s steps [I was emulating]. Nobody told me you are a boy, and so-and-so should be your behaviour pattern.”

In the upcoming season, Johar will be joined by Madhuri Dixit-Nene and Nora Fatehi on the judges’ panel, as television actors Dheeraj Dhoopar, Rubina Dilaik, Shilpa Shinde, and others put on their dancing shoes. Many often call out reality shows for being scripted, but Johar dismisses such talk. “For Jhalak, we have never been prepped or told what to say. Every time I have been a judge on a reality show, it has always been me [voicing my thoughts]. I have never followed a script.”

He goes on to add that at home, he has an ardent fan of reality shows in mother Hiroo Johar. “I have seen my mother clap for contestants or cry for them. Sometimes, when I go home, I see that she is upset because a certain contestant has been eliminated. I have even taught her how to vote. My kids [Yash and Roohi] don’t watch reality shows. The day they will go to YouTube and watch my [episodes], I am scared they will hold it against me.”

Fourteen years ago, Ali Asgar participated in the dance reality show, Zara Nachke Dikha. The artiste-comedian is back on TV with another dance reality show, Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa (JDJ) 10. He will be seen performing as Daadi – the iconic character from Kapil Sharma’s comedy show – in the initial episodes of the dance reality show. In an interview with BT, the actor talks about his reasons for taking up JDJ, fighting stereotypes and his decision to quit Kapil Sharma’s show. Excerpts…

I still don’t call myself a dancer and I don’t know whether I can dance. However, I have a sound understanding of tune and rhythm. I believe in entertaining, which isn’t just comedy. I have told my choreographer to design dance performances that suit me. My attempt is that till the time I last on Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa, do-chaar chauke maar ke nikalne ki koshish karenge taaki logo ko yaad rahe.

Yes, but then even legendary actors have been typecast. However, whenever they have played a serious character, people have resonated and cried with them. I should get the opportunity to showcase my versatility. My image as a comedian is so strong that it has become like a baggage and people don’t consider me for any other role. Woh mujhe auraton ke libaas ke baahar dekh hi nahi paa rahe and they doubt whether I will be able to play something else. Only a handful of producers have shown their belief in me by giving me an opportunity to explore other shades as an artiste. How do we change this mindset? In fact, I stayed away from TV for a long time fearing that people might think I was happy doing just comedy.

Yes, of course. However, it tends to get monotonous. It’s not that I had any qualms about playing female characters but I also wanted to play something else.

I wasn’t creatively satisfied, as my character (Naani) wasn’t growing. I had intimated the team about it even before going to Australia (2017). I had a lot to perform as Daadi, which wasn’t the case with Naani’s character. Par uss waqt itna raayta phail gaya tha (unfortunately, the fallout between Kapil and Sunil Grover took place at the same time) ki kuchh log baat ko uss taraf le gaye aur kuchh doosri taraf. Itna kuchh ho gaya tha ki kya safaai dena aur kya bolna.

We missed each other’s calls back then and there was a communication gap. With time, both of us moved on. But I am happy that I was a part of it and I learned a lot from him. I will always respect him. He understands the pulse of the audience and knows how to hold a show.

I completely agree that I couldn’t recreate the success in projects that followed. Ho sakta hai shows mein woh baat nahi thi ya performance mein kuchh kami hogi. Complaining about it now is a futile exercise. There is always a lot to analyse. However, I don’t have any regrets. I had a reason to quit and it wasn’t an overnight decision. If the intent was to earn money, I would have still continued on the show.

Here's some bad news for fans of Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa - the dance reality show fashioned after Dancing with the Stars. Following reports that the show runners had grand plans for its milestone 10th season, Mirror has learnt that they have decided to do away with the entire season. As per norm, the show's introduction every season has preceded Salman Khan's Bigg Boss but this time, while Salman has already begun work on promos of his show, there's no signs of Jhalak going on the floors.

A source from the channel told Mirror, “In October, Bigg Boss will replace Rohit Shetty's Khatron Ke Khiladi that is currently on air, so there's no slot for Jhalak this year.“

Last year's season saw Jacqueline Fernandez make her TV debut as judge on the dance show. She was joined by filmmaker Karan Johar and choreographer Ganesh Hegde, with Farah Khan stepping in for Ganesh later. The season was unusually long. It kicked off in July but the finale happened only in January, rounding off a seven-month run, with the episodes being shot much in advance.

This year, the channel also introduced a new show, India Banega Manch, hosted by Krushna Abhishek and Mona Singh to fill-up the weekend slot before Khatron Ke Khiladi, leaving no space for Jhalak.