Director Neeraj Ghaywan has come out in support of producer Karan Johar after the latter faced backlash online for his recent remarks on Homebound. Karan, during a podcast, had stated that now since Adar Poonawalla has 50 per cent stake in Dharma Productions he is answerable to him for profits and he also expressed uncertainty about whether he would be able to make a film like Homebound again. Many, on social media, had criticised Karan for his statements and said that he didn’t consider profits while backing films like Nadaaniyan (2025) and Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari, as the latter wasn’t able to perform at the box office.
In an interview with The Lallantop, Neeraj expressed disappointment over the reaction to Karan’s comments and said that they have been misconstrued. “See, he has such a big production banner, he’s such a big producer, he doesn’t need to back a film like this. He was fully aware that the film wouldn’t be a blockbuster or make profits for him. But the emotional ethos of the story touched him, and that’s why he chose to support it. He used to say that he just wanted to be part of it in some way. Now, to see people questioning his honesty and casting aspersions on him really breaks my heart,” he said.
He continued, “Presenting what he said somewhere by completely misquoting and misconstruing it can totally break his morale. It undervalues the contribution he’s made to the film. I’m very disturbed by all this. This is such a big moment, a leading banner like his, deciding to produce a sensitive film like this with an independent filmmaker. We should actually pat their backs for doing this and encourage more such collaborations. But if we continue to react this way, it will only break their spirit, and such films won’t be made in the future. I request everyone to think about this and understand that what he said has been completely flipped around.”
Neeraj also went on to credit Karan for granting him complete creative freedom during the making of the film.
Earlier this month, in a conversation with Komal Nahta, Karan had discussed his partnership with Adar Poonawalla and said, “Now, you have to take every decision with profitability. It is very important to be profitable. We are a commercial enterprise. I made Homebound, which was critically acclaimed worldwide, but I can’t say if I’ll take such decisions in the future or not. I will feel upset, but I chose this deal for a reason, growth. Growth comes from profit, and profit comes from profitability. I will always be artistic, but it is important to be commercial as well.”
His comments were met with backlash on social media. Following this, on October 10, Karan shared a note on Instagram requesting people not to “misconstrue or misquote” his comments on Homebound. He wrote, “It was an academic chat on the business of our movies… I am and will always be exceptionally proud of Homebound. It will always shine in our repertoire of films as one of our finest and most sensitively performed and directed works.”
As per Sacnilk estimates, Homebound has earned Rs 2.23 crore in six days of its release.