Filmmaker Karan Johar recently opened up about parenting challenges and public scrutiny during a candid conversation with tennis star Sania Mirza on Serving It Up With Sania. The director spoke about consciously toning down his flamboyant dressing style to ensure his twins, Yash and Roohi, do not face bullying or negativity at school.
‘I hope they won’t be embarrassed by me’
Karan revealed that, despite regulating his kids’ screen time, they will eventually come across old videos and appearances of his online.“Their iPad and screen time are limited, and yet things are popping up,” he said. “What’s really scary about me is that I might have done things as a form of expression. I know I’ve danced on Jaya Pradha’s steps to a song on Dafli Wale, not on Rishi Kapoor’s steps.”He admitted he worries about how his children might perceive such content. “I am worried they’ll go online and they’ll find footage that may embarrass them, and I hope they aren’t,” Karan shared.
‘I literally changed the clothes I wear’
The filmmaker also said that comments made at his children’s school prompted him to rethink his fashion choices.“Now, because of things that are being said at school, I literally changed the clothes I wear. I am adapting so they don’t have to be afraid of what people at school might say if I’m wearing a sequin jacket,” he said.Calling himself a “maximalist,” Karan explained that while many believe in unapologetically being oneself, parenthood brings a different kind of responsibility. “There are many people who say, be who you are. But you’re always worried as a parent.”
Wants his children to grow up inclusive
Despite the concerns, Karan told Sania he has no intention of changing who he is as a person because of societal pressures. Instead, he hopes his children grow up to accept differences—his and others’.Karan shares a close bond with his mother, Hiroo Johar, and lives with her along with his twins, born via surrogacy in 2017. He last directed the 2023 romantic drama Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, starring Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt.
