Karan Johar recalls unintentionally 'fat-shaming' his 7-year-old son Yash: 'I am so paranoid'

Karan Johar with Yash and Roohi Pic/Instagram

Filmmaker and Dharma honcho Karan Johar welcomed son Yash and daughter Roohi via surrogacy in February 2017. He named Yash after his deceased father Yash Johar, while Roohi is an anagram of his mother's name Hiroo. In a recent interaction with Faye D'Souza, Karan opened up on unintentionally ‘fat-shaming' his 7-year-old son while on a holiday and how sorry he felt for the same.

Karan said, "It breaks my heart when I see my son consuming sugar and putting on weight... I am so paranoid about it. I don't want to say it to him because this is the age I want him to enjoy life. I want him to be happy and carefree because he is a happy child. But I can see the genetic... I can't call it a flaw, I get it from my mom and I know he's getting it from me."

He added, "I encourage him to play sports, play football, play cricket, do all the things that I didn't do, and then I think to myself, 'I shouldn't be this kind of parent. This is not who I wanted to be. I want my child to be his own person of his own choice. I find myself really struggling not to say insensitive things to my own children."

While on a holiday, Karan recalled telling his son, "Yash, you've put on weight," following which he felt sorry about the same and shared, "I went into my room and said, ‘Why did you do this?' Then I went outside, hugged him, and said, ‘I'm really sorry, please eat what you want'."

On his 52nd birthday in May, Karan announced his next directorial venture. Karan Johar's return to directing has been highly anticipated, especially after the success of his 2023 film, 'Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani'. Starring Alia Bhatt and Ranveer Singh, the film was a major box office hit and featured veteran actors Dharmendra, Shabana Azmi, and Jaya Bachchan.

Meanwhile, Karan is basking in the success of ‘Kill' which has him as one of the producers. Led by Lakshya and supported by Raghav Juyal and Tanya Maniktala, ‘Kill' has garnered praise for its performances, especially in the film's adrenaline-pumping action sequences set against the backdrop of a tense train journey. Directed by Nikhil Nagesh Bhat, the film was released in India on July 5, 2024.