Actor Divya Khossla on KJo’s ‘derogatory’ remark: Right to call a woman fool?

After lashing out at the makers of the Alia Bhatt-led film Jigra for faking their box office collection, actor-producer Divya Khossla Kumar has responded to Karan Johar’s reaction to her claims. Karan, who produced Jigra along with Alia, wrote on social media, without naming Divya, “Silence is the best speech you will ever give to fools.”
Speaking to Hindustan Times regarding her public fiasco with Karan over Jigra, Divya said, “Today, when I speak up, Mr Karan Johar uses derogatory language to shut me down. Is it right to call a woman a fool for pointing out unethical practices? If this happens to me, what about those new to the industry? No one is a king here, and I won’t be treated like a subject.”
In her Instagram post, shared on October 13, Divya wrote, “Went to Citi Mall PVR for Jigra show. Theatre was totally empty… all theaters going empty everywhere. #Aliabhatt me sach mein Bahut #Jigra hai.. khud hi tickets karide aur fake collections announce kar diye. Wonder why paid media is silent. #weshdnotfooltheaudience #truthoverlies #HappyDussehra (sic).”
Reacting to “PR articles” that claimed Divya’s accusations about Jigra were PR stunts, the Yaariyan 2 actor said, “There are many more derogatory words which were used in their PR articles, and called my taking a stand a PR stunt. I’m sorry, I don’t need one. I’m already well-known.”
Divya also stated that Alia Bhatt, who is “already well-established,” should not resort to “such tactics” to promote her film.
Explaining the drawbacks of projecting false box office collections, Divya, wife of T-series’s head honcho Bhushan Kumar, added, “We are creative people; we are not in a share market, and by giving fake box office numbers, certain media persons also highlight bad films. These people decide which film will be declared a hit as tickets are bought and fake collections are announced.”
Besides being accused of projecting false earnings for their film, the makers of Jigra also drew criticism from Mary Kom actor Bijou Thaangjam, who accused them of discrimination against actors from Northeast India.
Directed by Vasan Bala and co-produced by Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions, Jigra was released in theatres on October 11. The film benefitted from the Dusshera holiday on October 12 but failed to draw audiences after that.