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Birthday Special: Three times Karan Johar took on controversies in style

Allegations of nepotism

After Kangana Ranaut accused him of only casting star kids, he was tagged with the nepotism label. But he wasn’t taking it lying down… “We have screen tested people from all walks of life, and if some of them happen to be from the film fraternity, I am not going to be apologetic. What is the harm if a friend’s daughter or sibling or child is talented and cast for a part? I had nothing to do with Mr. Mahesh Bhatt before I chose to launch Alia. David Dhawan and his wife Laali are family friends but Varun went through the grind of being an assistant director for five years before I thought that he was good enough. Sidharth Malhotra was not from the industry and I never get credit for that.”

Sniggers about sexuality

Gossip-mongers have long been whispering about Karan’s sexuality – is he gay or isn't he? The man himself cleared the air in his biography, 'The Unsuitable Boy'. Speaking candidly on matters of sex and sexual orientation, he stopped just short of a complete admission. “Everybody knows what my sexual orientation is. I don't need to scream it out. If I need to spell it out, I won't only because I live in a country where I could possibly be jailed for saying this. Which is why I, Karan Johar will not say the three words that possibly everybody knows about me,” he declared.

Target of hate

Karan makes no secret of the fact that he faces tremendous abuse online. “Twitter has the most abuse,” he revealed. “I wake up to at least 200 hate posts saying, 'Get out, you're polluting our nation, you're dirtying society' or 'Shove [IPC Section] 377 up your arse.' I get this on a daily basis and I've learnt to laugh it off...One man came up to me once very cockily at Heathrow airport and said, 'Is it true that you are a homo?' He was with his wife and child, and he asked me this. I looked at him and said, 'Why, are you interested?' And he said, 'Hey, what-what-what!' And I said, 'Don't what-what me.' And I walked out...” Attaboy, KJo!   https://youtu.be/9vRxFUzE0Tk  

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