Fickle friendships in filmi world

Karan Johar and late Yash Johar

On Wednesday, Karan Johar unveiled the teaser of Showtime, starring Naseeruddin Shah and Emraan Hashmi. The Disney+ Hotstar series, set in the film industry, delves into the nepotism debate with Hashmi's character even saying, "Nepotism ke mukhautey ke peeche, har outsider insider banna chahta hai." The subject has haunted Johar, who has been branded ‘the flag-bearer of nepotism' by many, for the past few years. But recently, on Koffee with Karan 8, the filmmaker-host reflected how his producer-father, the late Yash Johar, and he have seen the flipside of stardom.

Emraan Hashmi in Showtime

"My father would have had the biggest laugh if he read that they called me the flag-bearer of nepotism," he said, recalling how his father went through a lean phase when his productions bombed at the box office. "Many of his films failed, one after the other. I remember my mother [Hiroo Johar] selling her jewellery and my grandmother's apartment." The movie industry is infamous for its fickle friendships. Karan said he witnessed it first-hand. "I remember we used to get première invites. So, when the seats in the stalls used to [be allotted], my father used to say, ‘Zara phone karke check karna ki yeh seat aage wali hai ki peeche wali hai.' Most of the time, it was aage wala, and he used to say, ‘These seats are bad. You go with your friend.' He had worked with superstars. Many times, those stars would have parties or events, and they wouldn't invite [him] after his film failed."