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Karan Johar Says He Trained to 'Sound Like a Man,' Ties Childhood Bullying to Paranoid Parenting

In a new talk with Sania Mirza, he says those scars still shape how he protects his twins.

Overview

  • Johar said a public-speaking trainer pushed him into three years of voice lessons to “sound like a man,” plus classes to change his walk and run, which he hid from his father by claiming they were computer lessons.
  • He recounted heavy school bullying and being labeled “feminine,” describing comfort eating that became a toxic relationship with food and an adulthood marked by body dysmorphia and low self-esteem.
  • The filmmaker called himself a paranoid parent who limits screen time and worries about online bullying, noting that children now fixate on looks and follower counts.
  • He said he warns his twins about sugar and expects them to keep up with sports because he felt excluded from teams as a child and was told football was not for him.
  • Johar recalled telling his parents about name-calling only to be brushed off, with his father calling it “puppy fat” and his mother staying silent, which he says deepened the hurt.