Karan Johar and Alia Bhatt
| Photo Credit: Getty Images, special arrangement

Filmmaker Karan Johar is hitting back hard at those who continue to brand Alia Bhatt a “nepo kid.” In an interview with Baradwaj Rangan for Galatta Plus, Johar defended the actress he launched in Student of the Year (2012), making it clear he’s had enough of the nepotism narrative.

“Have you seen Highway? Have you seen Udta Punjab? Have you seen Raazi? Have you seen Gangubai?” Johar asked pointedly. “Just see her movies. If you are still calling her a nepo kid, then you’ve got to be the most idiotic person on this planet. And no one can help you.”

Johar and Bhatt’s bond goes beyond the professional. He often refers to her as his “first daughter,” and has publicly expressed his deep emotional connection with her. In a previous conversation with ETimes, he said, “She’s the first person I felt parental about… I love her and the country knows she’s one of our finest actors.”

The nepotism debate flared up again during the latest season of Koffee With Karan, where social media users criticised Johar for frequently praising Alia and calling her “the best actress in the country.”

But the director is doubling down on what he calls authentic emotion: “Why should I be pretending for optics? I genuinely love her and I want to say it all the time.”