Karan Johar issues statement amid drugs probe: 'Neither I consume narcotics nor promote'

Amid the NCB probe, the whole film industry has been under the radar. The investigation agency has issued summons to various Bollywood celebs including Deepika Padukone, Sara Ali Khan, Shraddha Kapoor.

Amid all the conmtroversy, filmmaker Karan Johar issued his first statement in months. There were reports that NCB was planning to probe an old video that Johar had posted of his house party which had several Bollywood celebrities in attendance. Many alleged that that stars had consumed drugs at this party as most of them appeared to be 'stoned'.

In the statement, Karan denied reports and said that neither he consumes narcotics nor promotes or encourages consumption of any such substance.

''Certain news channels, print/ electronic media and social media platform(s) are wrongly and misleadingly reporting that narcotics were consumed at a party that I, Karan Johar hosted on July 28, 2019, at my residence. I had already clarified my position way back in 2019 that the allegations were false. Given the current malicious campaign, I am reiterating that the allegations are completely baseless and false. No narcotics substance was consumed in the party. I WOULD LIKE TO UNEQUIVOCALLY ONCE AGAIN STATE THAT I DO NOT CONSUME NARCOTICS AND I DO NOT PROMOTE OR ENCOURAGE CONSUMPTION OF ANY SUCH SUBSTANCE,” the statement reads.

''All these slanderous and malicious statements, news articles and news clippings have unnecessarily subjected me, my family, and my colleagues, and Dharma Productions to hatred, contempt and ridicule. I would like to further state that several media news channels have been airing news reports that Kshitij Prasad and Anubhav Chopra are my "aides"/"close aides". I would like to place on record that I do not know these individual personally and neither of these two individuals are "aides" or "close aides". NEITHER I, NOR DHARMA PRODUCTIONS CAN BE MADE RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT PEOPLE DO IN THEIR PERSONAL LIVES. THESE ALLEGATIONS DO NOT PERTAIN TO DHARMA PRODUCTIONS,'' he added.

In the statement, Johar also addresses rumours about Anubhav Chopra, a former worker at Dharma Productions and Kshitij Ravi Prasad who have been summoned in connection with the drugs case.

''I would like to further state that several media/news channels have been airing news reports that Kshitij Prasad and Anubhav Chopra are my ‘aides’/’close aides’. I would like to place on record that I don’t know these individuals personally and neither of these two individuals is ‘aides’ or ‘close aides’.''

''Neither I nor Dharma Productions can be made responsible for what people do in their personal lives. These allegations do not pertain to Dharma Productions. I wish to further state that Mr Anubhav Chopra is not an employee at Dharma Productions. He was briefly associated with us for only two months in the capacity of 2nd assistant director for a film, between November 2011 and January 2012 and as assistant director for the short film in January 2013. He has thereafter never been associated with Dharma Productions for any other project.''

He added, ''Mr Kshitij Ravi Prasad joined Dharmatic Entertainment sister concern of Dharma Productions in November 2019 as one of the executive producers on contract basis for a project which eventually did not materialise.''

The video that was, first posted by the Karan on Instagram in 2019, showed actors Shahid Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Ranbir Kapoor, Varun Dhawan, Arjun Kapoor, Malaika Arora, Vicky Kaushal partying together at the filmmaker's residence.

Since Sushant Singh Rajput's death, Karan has been in the middle of a raging nepotism debate that sparked off after the actor died. Netizens have targetted the director for not giving equal chance to the outsiders like Rajput in Bollywood. 

Rajput was found dead in his Mumbai apartment on June 14.