Karan Johar opens up on Bollywood's box office struggles: 'Not every film can be 'Saiyaara' or 'Mahavatar Narsimha’

Karan Johar recently attended the press meet of Teja Sajja's upcoming film 'Mirai' in Mumbai. At the event, he was asked to comment about the Hindi film industry's struggle at the box office. He dismissed the idea that there's a problem with the industry as a whole.

Here's what happened.

Karan Johar defends Bollywood and its movies

At the promotional event of the film, Karan Johar was asked what has been wrong with the Hindi film industry. To which, according to the India Today report, KJo quickly replied, "Aisa kuch nahi hai, sir (There is nothing like that, Sir).”


Johar insisted that every film has its own destiny and that a film's success isn't determined by a single factor, such as a big star. The ultimate fate of a movie, he believes, lies with the audience.

'Not every film will be 'Saiyaara' and 'Mahavatar Narsimha,' says Karan Johar

Johar acknowledged that a film's success is unpredictable. He pointed out that while some films with major stars have performed well, others have failed. According to him, this proves that there’s no surefire recipe for a box office hit. The filmmaker shared that trends keep on changing with time, and one cannot just follow a set formula for achieving success.

Karan expressed that people have watched so many movies that change everyone's narratives. He stated that after the success of 'Saiyaara', a lot of musical movies will be made with newcomers. He added, "But that doesn’t mean all of them will become a 'Saiyaara'. Animation films will also come, but they also won’t necessarily become 'Mahavatar Narsimha'.

Meanwhile, more about 'Mirai'

Directed by Karthik Gattamneni, the film stars Teja Sajja as the lead star. Apart from him, it also features Jagapathi Babu, Manoj Kumar Manchu, Ritika Nayak, Shriya Saran, and Jayaram. The superhero fantasy movie will hit theaters on September 12, 2025.

Karan Johar's production house will be presenting the Hindi version of the movie.