Mumbai: Karan Johar thinks people have gone too far in discussing Vijay Deverakonda and Rashmika Mandanna’s marriage after their appearance on season nine of Koffee with Karan. Speaking to Anupama Chopra for The Hollywood Reporter India, the filmmaker said people could have opinions about celebrities, but shouldn’t tell couples how to run their relationships.
Deverakonda and Mandanna appeared together on the show’s ninth and final season last month. During the episode, Deverakonda revealed that he had asked Mandanna to propose to him a hundred times before he agreed to marry her. Several viewers criticised him and called him a “red flag”. Some even questioned the Telugu actor’s marriage.
Johar said he didn’t mind people discussing the episode. But he questioned why strangers were giving the couple unsolicited relationship advice.
“Who are you? Are you a counsellor? Are you a lawyer? Are you a member of their family?” he asked.
The celebrity host also objected to people bringing the actors’ families into the discussion.
“You are commenting on their families. You can have an opinion on any celebrity. Don’t demean their families. Their families weren’t on that couch,” Johar said.
The 54-year-old said this wasn’t limited to Deverakonda and Mandanna. Other guests, including himself, had faced similar criticism. Almost everything said on Koffee with Karan is analysed and dissected online, a sentiment previously echoed by actor Katrina Kaif on the show.
Johar added that he understood why people made such content. Social media had become a source of income for many creators, and controversial posts brought in views.
“If your job means click-baiting something, rage-baiting something, and that is going to result in you earning from it, then it’s fine,” he said.
Johar compared it to film criticism. He said he didn’t mind a critic calling a film bad, but had a problem when they told people not to watch it.
This isn’t the first time a couple’s appearance on Koffee with Karan has caused a debate. In 2023, Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone appeared together on the opening episode of season eight. Padukone spoke about the early days of their relationship, when they weren’t exclusively dating. Her comments led to considerable criticism online.
Johar called the reaction “downright regressive” and defended the couple for being open about their relationship.
“They were just being honest about their lives. Since when should honesty be judged? You should be appreciative of someone’s honesty,” he said.
Deverakonda and Mandanna had already responded to the backlash on 26 October. Mandanna explained that her husband’s request was about giving them time to be certain about marriage. She said she would happily ask him a thousand times.
Deverakonda also defended their relationship, saying the two were happy together. Their team later approached Hyderabad’s cybercrime police over allegedly fabricated posts, manipulated screenshots and online.