They say there are no friendships in Bollywood and one often hears about rivalry about actors here. However, in a recent interview, Karan Johar has reflected on competition and spoken about how there are no ego issues between certain actors. He also opened up on the competition and how everyone is being able to find their place here. Karan spoke about Ranveer Singh and Ranbir Kapoor who he has directed. He worked with Ranveer in his last directorial, ‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani’ and worked with Ranbir on ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil’. When asked about rift between actors, and if there is a tiff between Ranbir and Ranveer when he casts one of them, he said, “Everybody is understanding of each other, there is no ego. This is all very old school of looking at it in that gaze or lens. I don’t look at it like that, I am sure they don’t either.”Further talking about his friendship with both of them, Karan revealed, “I remember when I did Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, Ranveer watching the film, coming to my house and telling me about his thoughts. It was so wonderful. I also remember Ranbir giving me feedback on Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani. We are friends more than anything else. We have hung out with each other. We have chatted with each other. We talk shop, but we also talk about our personal lives and feelings. All of us are a bunch of people who are here to tell stories, make movies, and learn and imbibe from each other.”He added that both the actors have really helped him as a director. “I have learnt so much from both Ranbir and Ranveer while directing them. I am sure I may have also contributed to their thoughts. I know that I am a better filmmaker today because I have directed them, they are both wonderful actors,” said KaranMeanwhile, Karan also spoke about getting over his feud with Kartik as they have collaborated again on an actor-producer level. They had a fall out during ‘Dostana 2’. Eventually the film was shelved. Speaking about Kartik, Karan said, “I think that we internally discussed it and worked it out. We let bygones be bygones. Kartik is immensely hardworking, very connective big star today who has a wide audience base, and has a great instinct on screenplay. He and I met, collaborated and decided to come together, it was all kosher and lovely.”He also spoke about the PR game in the industry and said, “I think everyone kind of understands it well. But can I say who I think is the best star who has managed to stay away from social media, from the arc light and still emerged as a massive superstar — Ranbir Kapoor. He doesn’t have a PR team, he therefore has the best PR team.” Interestingly, while some actors are praised for their subtlety, others—especially star kids and rising newcomers—often face criticism for using high-powered PR engines to dominate the limelight. A recent example is Veer Pahariya, whose Bollywood debut became a trending topic, particularly due to a viral dance move. Many industry watchers believe the buzz, whether flattering or not, was no accident, but rather the result of a well-orchestrated PR campaign. In an industry where every headline counts, it’s clear that managing public perception is both an art and a strategy—some rely on it heavily, while others, like Ranbir, seem to master it by doing the exact opposite.
