Karan Johar defends Bollywood amid box office struggles
05 Sep 2025

Filmmaker Karan Johar recently defended Bollywood's performance amid the box office struggles of big-budget Hindi films this year.

At the press meet for Teja Sajja's Mirai, he refuted claims that soaring production budgets and inflated star remunerations were responsible for these setbacks.

Hindustan Times reported Johar as saying: "It has also happened many times that there are very big stars in a film, and it has worked."

'Not all films will work...': Johar
Box office trends

Johar further added, "There are different eras, films, and experiences."

"We have watched so many films that actually keep changing our narratives."

"Now, many musical films will be released with newcomers, but that doesn't mean all of them will become a Saiyaara."

"Animation films will also come but they also won't necessarily become Narsimha Mahavatar."

He emphasized that storytelling continues to be the foundation of cinema and that, in the end, it is the audience who decides a film's success.

'Saiyaara,' 'Narsimha Mahavatar' are examples of success
Box office success

Despite the overall underperformance of big-budget Hindi films, a few have managed to shine.

Saiyaara, starring debutants Aneet Padda and Ahaan Panday, was a massive hit, raking in ₹569.96 crore (according to Sacnilk) at the box office against a reported budget of ₹30-50 crore.

Similarly, Mahavatar Narsimha, an animated movie, earned ₹319 crore worldwide.

Meanwhile, know more about Johar's upcoming productions
Upcoming films

Johar is currently producing Mirai, directed by Karthik Gattamneni and Anil Anand.

The film stars Sajja, Jayaram, Jagapathi Babu, and Shriya Saran in lead roles. It will come out on September 12.

Apart from this, he is also funding Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari.

Directed by Shashank Khaitan, the movie is led by Varun Dhawan, Janhvi Kapoor, Sanya Malhotra, and Rohit Saraf, and is slated to hit theaters on October 2.