For months, filmmaker Karan Johar's massive physical transformation has been attributed to Ozempic, a diabetes drug whose side effects include drastic weight loss.

Several Bollywood celebrities have experienced transformations in recent months, but none of them has ever admitted to having used Ozempic. In an interview, Karan Johar denied taking the drug, and said that he'd have found a way to monetise it if he were actually using it. Karan opened up about the diet that he has been on, and said that he has always suffered from a condition known as body dysmorphia.

Appearing on Raj Shamani's podcast, Karan was asked about the Ozempic rumours, and he said, "I've always been battling the bulge. I've been on about a thousands diets, I've done 500 kinds of workouts. For some reason, I was never able to lose weight. The needle simply wouldn't move. I discovered that I had an underlying thyroid condition, and this was affecting my weight. People keep saying I'm on Ozempic, and I'm tired of it. You don't know my truth, and I'm not interested in telling you my truth."

Karan said that he doesn't want to get into the details of his long and unhealthy relationship with his body, but revealed that he has never felt better physically. "I've never felt more confident in my skin. It gives me nothing but joy. After 52 years, I feel confident." Karan said that even though he has lost a lot of weight, he still struggles to look at his body without despising it. He said that his body dysmorphia caused a lot of emotional stress, in addition to physical discomfort.

Asked why people deny having used the drug, Karan said, "If you do the emotional mathematics of my life, I'm a single parent with two kids. I haven't hidden anything. I've written a book called An Unsuitable Boy, in which I revealed details about my life that I never had before. I don't hide the biggest truths about my life, will I hide this? Will I hide having taken Ozempic or Mounjaro? Do the emotional mathematics yourself. Why would I hide this? If I'd used it, I would've openly said so, and I'd have advised others as well." Karan joked that he might even be signed as a brand ambassador for Ozempic. "I'll find a way to monetise it. I will try and leverage it if I want to. If you feel like spreading these rumours, go ahead

Mounjaro, the Ozempic equivalent available in India, is a once-weekly injection that has already been approved by India's drug regulator.It is priced at Rs 4,375 ($50.67) for a 5 mg vial, and Rs 3,500 ($40.54) for a 2.5 mg vial. Opening up about how he actually lost weight, Karan said, "I went on something called OMAD. One Meal a Day. The first seven days were extremely difficult. For seven months, I did OMAD. I'd eat one meal at 8:30 pm every day, no lactose, no glucose, no gluten. Rigorously and relentlessly." Karan said that he is mildly lactose intolerant, but has started lactose intake again recently, because he needed to gain some weight back.