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Twitter user accuses Karan Johar’s films of ‘perpetuating stereotypes against gay people’, Apurva Asrani responds

Asrani said that not only Karan, ridicule of gay people was a trend in Bollywood films.

Twitter user accuses Karan Johar’s films of ‘perpetuating stereotypes against gay people’, Apurva Asrani responds

Award-winning editor-writer Apurva Asrani has called renowned filmmaker Karan Johar’s films Student Of The Year (2012) and Dostana (2008) “damaging.”

He shared his thoughts in response to a Twitter user who accused Johar's films of “perpetuating certain stereotypes about the LGBTQ+ community.”


“I will also blame Karan Johar's movies for perpetuating certain stereotypes about the LGBTQ+ community, particularly through the use of certain characters and comedic elements,” read the tweet.

Reacting to it, Asrani said that not only Karan, “ridicule” of gay people was a trend in Bollywood films. While he slammed some of Johar's films, Apurva said the filmmaker had also backed a “sensitive” film like Kapoor & Sons (2016).

“Not just Karan Johar, it was a trend in Bollywood to ridicule and caricature gay people. But thankfully that has ended a while ago. As damaging for (rainbow flag emoji) as Dostana and Student Of The Year were, he also made Kapoor & Sons, which was more sensitive,” the editor-writer said in his tweet on Friday.

For those not in the know, Kapoor & Sons released in 2016 and turned out to be a commercial success. The film starred Sidharth Malhotra, Alia Bhatt, and Fawad Khan in lead roles. Khan played the character of a gay author in the film. The film was praised for its sensitive portrayal of  homosexuality.

Stay tuned to this space for more updates!

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Instagram/ukchinafilm

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Highlights:

  • Forum brings UK and Chinese film professionals together to explore collaborations.
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  • Telling stories that feel real to their culture, yet can connect with anyone, is what makes them work worldwide.
  • Meeting three times a year keeps the UK and China talking, creating opportunities that last beyond one event.

The theatre was packed for the Third Shanghai–London Screen Industry Forum. Between panels and workshops, filmmakers, producers and executives discussed ideas and business cards and it felt more than just a summit. British-Asian filmmakers were meeting and greeting the Chinese industry in an attempt to explore genuine possibilities of working in China’s film market.

UK China film collaborations take off as Third Shanghai London Forum connects British Asian filmmakers with Chinese studios Instagram/ukchinafilm

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