Although Karan Johar has often faced immense scrutiny and backlash for allegedly promoting nepotism by launching star kids while overlooking talented outsiders and fostering cliques in the industry, the director-producer recently dismissed the idea of forming a caucus in Bollywood. He also indirectly stated that many so-called friendships in the industry are purely business-oriented, with neither side willing to compromise on monetary matters. In an interview with film trade analyst Komal Nahta on his YouTube channel Game Changers, Karan pointed out that actors are unwilling to share losses with producers and are only interested in charging their fees. He also mentioned that friendships are limited to parties. "No actor says, 'My last two films did not work, so here, I am returning your money.' No one is interested in returning money; they only take from you. Dosti (friendship) has never benefited me in my (professional) life. Actors are good and lovely people at parties, but they all mean business. Even I am in the industry for business and not for charity." Karan Johar further maintained that his relationship with even those stars whom he launched is more or less the same, with the only exception being his bond with Shah Rukh Khan. "Be it an actor I launched or a friend with whom I share a close bond. Except for Shah Rukh Khan. I feel strongly about him as a friend, a human being, collaborator and a brother. He is the only person who has never spoken about money with me or my father (producer Yash Johar). He would say, 'Whatever you want, send the paper, I will sign it.' When I approach him as a director, he won't even listen to the script. I just have to go to him and say, 'I am directing a movie and these are the dates I want.' Money has never been a topic of discussion between us. My relationship with every other actor, other than him, has been purely professional, and I am fine with that." Mentioning that the maximum anyone might do is reduce their remuneration by a crore or two, Karan stated that actors won't go below a certain point from their market price, regardless of whether approached by the person who launched them or not. Dismissing the existence of "Bollywood camps," Karan stated, "We collaborate with everyone. Take any studio, for instance. Whether it's Yash Raj Films (YRF), Maddock Films, Excel Entertainment, Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment, or T-Series, we all collaborate with each other. So, where are these 'camps'? My closest friend and the person with whom I share the strongest bond is Shah Rukh Khan. Yet, he and I have not collaborated in 15 years. Does that mean we are no longer friends or brothers? So, where are these camps?" Taking actors Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan, and Sidharth Malhotra — whom Karan introduced through his directorial venture Student of the Year (2012) — as examples, the filmmaker pointed out that all three of them have worked with various production companies over the years. "I am tired of talking about camps and nepotism. I don't even justify anything now."
