Kangana Ranaut says Karan Johar is 'not a bad person', revisits Koffee With Karan controversial episode: 'Why should I pretend?'
ETimes | April 17, 2026 4:39 AM CST
Nearly a decade after her explosive appearance on Koffee With Karan , Kangana Ranaut has revisited the moment that stunned Karan Johar and went on to spark one of Bollywood’s most enduring debates.
'There was a time I wanted to fit in'In a recent conversation with ANI, Kangana was asked whether her now-iconic remarks—including calling Karan the “flagbearer of nepotism”—were scripted or spontaneous.
“I think, listen. Kya hota hai na jaise maine aapko kaha ki ek waqt hota hai jab aapko lagta hai ki you want to fit in. Aur ek waqt hai when you are standing out. You are already standing out, why do you want to fit in then? People who kept dismissing me. Aapne woh show toh dekha par lekin usse pahle show mein unhone mere muh pe, mere kapdo ka mazaak udaya, meri English ka mazaak udaya. Maine unke saath ek film bhi ki thi jisme jo kahani thi usme mujhe ekdum hi alag side mein waala role de diya,” she said.
'They would wipe me from the face of the earth'Kangana explained that her response on the show was shaped by repeated experiences of being sidelined and targeted.
“Toh ek tarah se jo jo humare experiences hote hai, hum sochte hai ki, ek hadh tak aapko lagta hai ki humein sabke saath, mil jul kar chalna chaiye. Lekin jab woh ek hi tarfa humesha hota hai, aap ki prayaas jab hota hai, toh fir usme ek time aata hai ki mera ghar ye toh chala nahi rahe. Inki wajah se main successful nahi hu. Inka bas agar chale and I can tell that, they will wipe me from the face of the earth, totally, you should not exist only. That kind of PR, that kind of maligning, those kind of cases they put on me, those kind of ganging up happened. So when that kind of situation happened toh main kyu pretend karu? Why should I pretend and make them look good?” she added.
'I don’t think Karan Johar is a bad person'While her comments back then led to a frosty equation with Karan Johar, Kangana now says she does not view him negatively.
“I don't think Karan Johar is a bad person. You know, I think he's very proudly just superficial, flaky, flashy. He likes that. He's very proud of that, and I think he has an amazing sense of humour. So I don't think I have a problem with Karan Johar as such,” she said.
A moment that sparked a larger debateThe 2017 episode saw Kangana famously call Karan Johar the “movie mafia” and a “stereotypical villain” in her journey, igniting a larger conversation around nepotism and insiders vs outsiders in Bollywood—one that continues to resonate.
Interestingly, Kangana and Karan had earlier collaborated on Ungli, directed by Rensil D'Silva and produced under Dharma Productions by Hiroo Yash Johar and Karan Johar.
The film featured an ensemble cast including Emraan Hashmi, Randeep Hooda, Neha Dhupia, Angad Bedi, Neil Bhoopalam and Sanjay Dutt, with Mahesh Manjrekar in a negative role.
'There was a time I wanted to fit in'In a recent conversation with ANI, Kangana was asked whether her now-iconic remarks—including calling Karan the “flagbearer of nepotism”—were scripted or spontaneous.
“I think, listen. Kya hota hai na jaise maine aapko kaha ki ek waqt hota hai jab aapko lagta hai ki you want to fit in. Aur ek waqt hai when you are standing out. You are already standing out, why do you want to fit in then? People who kept dismissing me. Aapne woh show toh dekha par lekin usse pahle show mein unhone mere muh pe, mere kapdo ka mazaak udaya, meri English ka mazaak udaya. Maine unke saath ek film bhi ki thi jisme jo kahani thi usme mujhe ekdum hi alag side mein waala role de diya,” she said.
'They would wipe me from the face of the earth'Kangana explained that her response on the show was shaped by repeated experiences of being sidelined and targeted.
“Toh ek tarah se jo jo humare experiences hote hai, hum sochte hai ki, ek hadh tak aapko lagta hai ki humein sabke saath, mil jul kar chalna chaiye. Lekin jab woh ek hi tarfa humesha hota hai, aap ki prayaas jab hota hai, toh fir usme ek time aata hai ki mera ghar ye toh chala nahi rahe. Inki wajah se main successful nahi hu. Inka bas agar chale and I can tell that, they will wipe me from the face of the earth, totally, you should not exist only. That kind of PR, that kind of maligning, those kind of cases they put on me, those kind of ganging up happened. So when that kind of situation happened toh main kyu pretend karu? Why should I pretend and make them look good?” she added.
'I don’t think Karan Johar is a bad person'While her comments back then led to a frosty equation with Karan Johar, Kangana now says she does not view him negatively.
“I don't think Karan Johar is a bad person. You know, I think he's very proudly just superficial, flaky, flashy. He likes that. He's very proud of that, and I think he has an amazing sense of humour. So I don't think I have a problem with Karan Johar as such,” she said.
A moment that sparked a larger debateThe 2017 episode saw Kangana famously call Karan Johar the “movie mafia” and a “stereotypical villain” in her journey, igniting a larger conversation around nepotism and insiders vs outsiders in Bollywood—one that continues to resonate.
Interestingly, Kangana and Karan had earlier collaborated on Ungli, directed by Rensil D'Silva and produced under Dharma Productions by Hiroo Yash Johar and Karan Johar.
The film featured an ensemble cast including Emraan Hashmi, Randeep Hooda, Neha Dhupia, Angad Bedi, Neil Bhoopalam and Sanjay Dutt, with Mahesh Manjrekar in a negative role.
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