Filmmaker Karan Johar has finally addressed the buzz around his recent Instagram activity after fans noticed he had unfollowed several Bollywood celebrities, including his closest friend Shah Rukh Khan, Ananya Panday, Kartik Aaryan and designer Manish Malhotra .
Breaking his silence on the speculation, Johar shared a note on his Instagram Story clarifying that the move was part of a “digital detox” and not linked to any fallout with industry colleagues .
“It’s a DIGITAL DETOX!!!! Am unfollowing everyone to reduce my time and energy spent on the gram!!! This can’t be national news for god’s sake…please clickbait something else! This is irrelevant!” he wrote .
Who Did Karan Johar Unfollow?
Social media users closely tracked changes in his following list, especially because several of the removed names were considered close friends and collaborators .
Apart from Shah Rukh Khan, Johar also unfollowed actor Ananya Panday, Kartik Aaryan, and celebrity designer Manish Malhotra. Several other Bollywood names, including Kareena Kapoor Khan, Malaika Arora, Varun Dhawan, Sidharth Malhotra and Alia Bhatt, also did not feature on his following list .
Priyanka Chopra Remains on the List
What caught fans’ attention was that despite the widespread unfollowing spree, actor Priyanka Chopra continues to remain on Johar’s following list .
As of Thursday evening, the filmmaker was following only 78 accounts on Instagram despite having 17.5 million followers on the platform .
From Speculation to Clarification
Johar’s social media activity became a talking point because of his long-standing personal and professional ties within the film industry . The director-producer is known for being highly active on Instagram, often sharing updates about films, fashion, and friendships with his followers .
The development was first noticed by a Reddit user, after which screenshots and discussions around Karan Johar’s following list quickly began circulating online . Fans began speculating about possible reasons behind the move after noticing the sudden change .
Not the First Time
This is not the first time Johar has stepped back from social media. The filmmaker had previously quit Twitter due to derogatory comments about his children and mother, finding it distressing to read abuse directed at his family . Despite recognizing the importance of maintaining a company presence on social media, he prioritized his family’s well-being over engagement with trolls .
A Strategic Pause
While some reports suggested that the move might be a social media strategy, Johar has clarified that the decision was purely aimed at reducing the time and energy he spends online . With his clarification, the filmmaker has effectively shut down rumours of any personal or professional fallout with his industry colleagues, leaving fans to accept that his absence from their feeds is simply a temporary digital detox .
