Filmmaker Karan Johar has spoken candidly about raising his twins and the emotional toll of social media trolling. In a recent conversation, Johar reflected on parenting his children, Yash Johar and Roohi Johar, and how certain online comments deeply affected him.
‘That comment broke my heart’
Karan revealed that while he has learned to deal with criticism over the years, one particular remark about his parenting left him shaken.“There was a comment that said, ‘Do you realise you’ve denied your children a mother?’ That broke my heart. It made me question my decision of being a single parent,” he said on Mojo Story with Barkha Dutt.The filmmaker recalled that the remark made him emotional. “That morning I read that comment and I cried,” he admitted.However, a simple moment with his children soon reassured him about his decision.“I went into my children’s room. They were about five years old. I asked them, ‘Are you happy?’ They said, ‘Yes, because you’re our Dada.’ That answered my question,” Karan shared.
‘Your instinct is your superhero’
Karan, who welcomed his twins through surrogacy in 2017, said he always had strong paternal instincts but initially waited for love to happen in his life before becoming a parent.“I always had strong paternal and maternal instincts. For a long time I kept waiting for love to happen. But I realised you cannot keep waiting forever,” he said.Eventually, he decided to follow his instinct. “With medical and legal help, Yash and Roohi came into my life when I was 44,” the filmmaker added.Karan also shared that he consciously chose not to rely on parenting manuals. “The first thing I did was not read parenting books or listen to podcasts. Your instinct is your superhero. Nobody can tell you how to parent your child,” he explained.
‘Don’t raise children with stereotypes’
The filmmaker also spoke about the importance of raising children without rigid gender stereotypes.“It begins with simple things. Don’t say ‘don’t cry like a girl’. Everyone has the right to cry,” he said.Karan added that he makes a conscious effort not to assign activities or colours based on gender. “Don’t buy pink for girls and blue for boys. My daughter plays football, my son does dance. They both do taekwondo, jazz ballet and sports together,” he shared.
Learning to deal with trolling
Reflecting on social media criticism, Karan said he has gone through different phases while dealing with trolls.“I went from anger to indifference and now to amusement,” he said, adding that sometimes the comments are so creative that he wishes the same energy was used for something more productive.Despite the criticism, the filmmaker said he continues to focus on his family and work, adding that being a parent to his twins remains one of the most fulfilling roles in his life.
