Karan Johar Instagram video: Are celebrities fair game for moral shaming over online posts?

Illustration by Soham Sen | ThePrint Team

Filmmaker Karan Johar posted an Instagram video, which had the who’s who of Bollywood like Deepika Padukone and Zoya Akhtar partying at his house. Akali Dal MLA Manjinder Sirsa accused the celebrities of flaunting “their drugged state”. Congress leader Milind Deora, whose wife was also at the party, demanded an unconditional apology from Sirsa for “spreading lies”.  

ThePrint asks: Karan Johar Instagram video: Are celebrities fair game for moral shaming over online posts?

Social media mob can’t digest Bollywood celebs enjoying themselves, looking happy & celebrating life

Shivam Vij
Contributing editor, ThePrint

If Bollywood stars in Karan Johar’s video were actually doing drugs, would Karan Johar be stupid enough to post the video on social media?

In the fact-free world of social media trolling, perception is all that matters. You are declared guilty because the mob thinks so. The onus on proving yourself innocent is on you. The social media mob culture brings out the worst in us. We have the unkindest criticism for people doing the most harmless things, like sharing a party video.

What’s so wrong about people having fun at a party, posting a video on Instagram? Isn’t that what everyone does these days? Just because they are Bollywood celebs, the social media mob can’t digest that they are enjoying themselves, looking happy and celebrating life. There must be something wrong. There must always be a story behind the story. Every film-star must be a druggie, especially if he or she is not a sanskari Right-winger.

Social media mobs only reveal their own insecurities, their own sense of shame, and their own frustration about not being the lords of the universe when they go around trolling everybody.

Bollywood parties aren’t so much about hanging out. They’re about displaying positions in power hierarchy

Kaveree Bamzai
Senior journalist

Karan Johar has always seemed conflicted over whether he wants to be a New Age Yash Chopra, Bollywood’s king of relationships, or a catty columnist like Devyani Chaubal.

When he is hosting Koffee with Karan, he is at his charming best, trading insider secrets and airing slightly soiled laundry (too much is an Anurag Kashyap movie). When he is on a film set, he is a master of the perfect visual, sparing no cost to make his stars and story look good.

But his true talent lies in being ‘Everyone’s Best Friend’, which is less about altruism and more about commerce. Bollywood parties are not so much about hanging out as they are about displaying your position in the power hierarchy. And what Karan Johar was showcasing in his Instagram video before it went horribly wrong was his easy access to Bollywood’s brightest – from ace director Zoya Akhtar to superstar Deepika Padukone, from the star of this year’s biggest blockbuster Kabir Singh (Shahid Kapoor) to the industry’s current favourite Vicky Kaushal.

If Akali Dal MLA Manjinder Sirsa has chosen this moment to be offended by the alleged drug use by these stars, he is clearly aiming for 15 minutes of second-hand fame. Otherwise, asking for evidence of food and drinks at a Bollywood party where everyone is famously on an eternal diet makes no sense. Dear sirs, can Mr Sirsa please be sentenced to watching a rerun of every episode of Koffee with Karan to know how Bollywood functions?

It’s not the first time Bollywood actors have been associated with drugs

Madhavi

Madhavi Pothukuchi
Senior web editor, ThePrint

The video from Karan Johar’s party went viral in a very strange fashion. It’s not the first time that Bollywood actors have been associated with drugs. For decades now, there have been many stories about people in the industry taking drugs.

In fact, Bollywood has made several movies like Sanju that claim to show the ‘real’ industry where people do drugs.

So why, then, is this video – where no drugs are even visible, mind you – so shocking?

Of course, Bollywood personalities must be held to high standards of conduct because they wield an unbelievable amount of influence over their audience.

So when we criticise them for the kind of clothes they wear, the kind of statements they make, and the kind of roles they choose, why not criticise them for the kind of alleged illegal activities they partake in?

But then, we must also outrage equally against sexual harassment, physical abuse, murder, and other criminal activities that are seemingly seen as ‘okay’ or where a person is believed to be ‘innocent until proven guilty’.

While making celebs accessible to fans, social media has also led to a culture of naming & shaming

Ekta Handa
Web editor, ThePrint

While social media has drastically changed inter-personal communication, it has also changed the way celebrities interact with their fans. Celebrities are now posting their personal life on social media platforms and while that opens them up to criticism, it is definitely not an invitation to moral shaming.

Social media has made celebrities accessible to their fans, but it has also led to a culture of naming and shaming.  The video posted by Karan Johar on Instagram, which shows celebrities partying at his house, doesn’t offer clear evidence that they were doing drugs.

Social media these days has a huge impact on a celebrity’s career and, therefore, brand gurus would suggest celebrities to be careful about what they share on their social media accounts. Morally shaming celebrities on assumptions is not right. And while celebrities, like any other public figure, should be subjected to public scrutiny, we need to draw a line somewhere.