Film director Karan Johar and actor Kangana Ranaut’s names were taken together only to discuss scathing open letters or cold comments through the entirety of 2017 but on Saturday the two put all of their many differences aside to appear together on Star Plus’ new reality show, India’s Next Superstar.
It indeed was an iconic moment.
Even with no film scheduled for release anytime soon, Kangana was invited as a guest judge on Karan and director Rohit Shetty’s acting talent hunt show. Karan and Rohit welcomed Kangana on the show and praised her success in the industry. “I am a fan. But unfortunately she isn’t a fan of my work,” Karan said about Kangana as she took her seat next to him. Even Kangana praised Karan in a comment. “Karan sir ke aane se glamour nai aaega toh kaise aaega (If Karan will not bring the glamour, who will?),” she said. Karan replied, “Chalo Kangana ne itna toh kehdia ki glamour aata hai mere sath. Talent aae na aae. (At least Kangana agrees that I bring glamour, if not talent.)”
Later in the episode, the trio took part in short skits in which Karan asked Kangana to pretend that Rohit was the ex lover whom she wants back in her life. Then Rohit asked Karan and Kangana to play a couple and recreate a scene from Kabhie Khushi Kabhie Gham.
To refresh the viewers’ memories, the episode kicked off with a prelude to the long-raging fight between the actor and the director that was sparked off in February 2017 when he invited her on his talk show, Koffee With Karan. On the show, Kangana accused Karan of being the ‘flag bearer of nepotism’ and a ‘movie mafia’.
Karan Johar later reacted to her accusations in an interview by saying that she was playing the ‘victim card’ and ‘woman card.’ “I am done with Kangana playing the woman card and the victim card. I am done,” he had said during a session at London School of Economics. He even praised himself for ‘giving her a platform to speak’. “I was gracious enough to not cut anything and let it be that way. I could have edited it as it was my show. I cut none of it. I said, ‘No, let the world listen to her opinion and she must voice it’ I gave her the platform,” he had said.
Kangana’s comments against nepotism and Karan’s defence of it sparked a nationwide debate on the issue. Several actors and directors were grilled about it in interviews and at media events while most star kids defended the phenomenon with examples of how even they had to struggle for opportunities.