Bollywood filmmaker Karan Johar clarified his decision to unfollow several celebrities on Instagram as part of a personal “digital detox” aimed at reducing social media time.
The move sparked speculation after users noticed Johar had reduced the number of accounts he follows, despite having over 17 million followers. In an Instagram Story, Johar said he was trying to cut down time and energy spent on the platform.
Several of Johar’s closest friends and industry colleagues, including Shah Rukh Khan, Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Manish Malhotra, Varun Dhawan, Sidharth Malhotra, Malaika Arora and Ananya Panday, were no longer on his following list. Actor Kartik Aaryan was also unfollowed despite starring in Johar’s upcoming production “Naagzilla.”
Social media observers noted that Johar is no longer following any major Bollywood actor but still follows figures like Dharma Productions CEO Apoorva Mehta and business associate Adar Poonawalla, as well as actress Priyanka Chopra.
Johar has been one of Bollywood’s most active social media personalities, frequently sharing updates about his projects and personal life. He previously spoke about the impact of online criticism on mental health, leading to his departure from Twitter in 2022. His latest production “Chaand Mera Dil,” starring Lakshya and Ananya Panday, has received mixed reviews and struggled at the box office, earning around Rs200 million in India so far.