Amid Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri’s lukewarm box office run, Karan Johar pens an emotional New Year note questioning social media cruelty, cancel culture and the joy people take in failure.
When a Karan Johar film hits theatres, the noise is never subtle. Love it, hate it, troll it, overanalyse it — Dharma Productions releases are cultural events as much as they are cinematic ones. But this time, the conversation has taken a different turn. As Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri (TMMTMTTM) struggles to find momentum at the box office, Karan Johar has chosen reflection over rebuttal — and grace over gossip.
The filmmaker, whose latest production stars Kartik Aaryan and Ananya Panday and is directed by Sameer Sanjay Vidwans, took to Instagram with a long, emotionally charged note that has since sparked intense discussion across Bollywood and social media circles. Without naming the film or its performance directly, Karan made one thing crystal clear: he is disturbed by how failure is now treated as public entertainment.
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“Is Grace Now an Alien Phenomenon?”
Karan Johar began his New Year message with a deceptively simple greeting — “Happy 2026!!” — before launching into a sharp, introspective commentary on modern behaviour, particularly online.
“Grace… Is this now an alien phenomenon?” he wrote, questioning whether society has lost its ability to respond with kindness, nuance and dignity. From curt replies to emails to aggressive commentary on social media, Karan suggested that empathy is becoming increasingly rare.
But the line that truly struck a chord — and one many saw as a direct reaction to the discourse around TMMTMTTM — was this:
“Are we not able to celebrate other people’s successes and can we stop celebrating their failures?”
In an industry where box office numbers are tracked hour-by-hour and “verdicts” are declared before a film even finishes its opening weekend, Karan’s words felt both timely and pointed.
A Film Under Pressure
Released on December 25, Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri arrived with decent buzz, a festive window, and a popular young pairing. However, the film received lukewarm reviews and has struggled to convert curiosity into sustained footfalls.
According to trade estimates, the film has collected ₹37 crore worldwide in five days — a number that, while not disastrous, falls short of expectations for a Dharma-backed romantic drama released during Christmas.
The story, which explores a couple torn apart by family pressures and emotional baggage, was praised in pockets for its sincerity but criticised for its predictable beats and muted emotional payoff. As box office discussions turned increasingly brutal online, memes, celebratory “flop” tweets and mocking headlines followed — a pattern Karan Johar appears deeply uncomfortable with.
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“Social Media Is Not a Dumping Ground”
Without mincing words, Karan called out the culture of using social platforms as spaces to unload negativity.
“Can social media stop being a dumping ground for failings, shortcomings or inner darkness?” he asked, urging people to reflect on whether their criticism comes from analysis or from unresolved personal frustration.
In one of the most talked-about parts of his note, he addressed performative morality and armchair judgment:
“Gyaan givers need to also be gyaan executors… You are not the moral police… look within and you will have to deal with your own questionable morality.”
For many in the industry, this felt like a rare, unfiltered moment from a filmmaker who has long been both celebrated and vilified — sometimes simultaneously.
A History With Success and Scrutiny
Karan Johar is no stranger to criticism. From accusations of nepotism to debates around his brand of cinema, the filmmaker has been at the centre of Bollywood’s loudest conversations for over two decades. Yet, he has also delivered massive successes — Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, My Name Is Khan, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, and more.
What makes this moment different is its vulnerability. Instead of defending numbers or blaming audiences, Karan chose to question the collective behaviour of how cinema — and failure — is consumed today.
His note subtly acknowledges that not every film works, but asks why that has to turn into a public spectacle of schadenfreude.
Kartik Aaryan and Ananya Panday: Collateral Damage?
While Karan did not mention the cast, the conversation inevitably circles back to Kartik Aaryan and Ananya Panday, both of whom have faced intense scrutiny since the film’s release.
Kartik, coming off a string of commercial successes, was being watched closely to see if he could anchor another romantic drama. Ananya, meanwhile, continues to navigate the tricky terrain of proving her acting credibility in an industry that rarely forgives young actresses.
For both actors, TMMTMTTM was meant to be a soft, emotional love story — not a battleground of box office verdicts and online mockery.
A Call for Kinder Cinema Conversations
Karan Johar ended his note on a deeply personal, almost philosophical note:
“Do you have the grace to be YOU… with your flaws, rough edges and indecisions? Let’s not bury grace… let’s revive her from the ventilator she’s been on for decades.”
In an era where films are declared hits or flops within hours, and creators are reduced to trending hashtags, Karan’s message feels less like damage control and more like a plea — for nuance, empathy and maturity in how cinema is discussed.
What’s Next?
As Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri continues its theatrical run, its final box office fate remains uncertain. But what is clear is that Karan Johar’s note has reignited an important conversation — one that goes beyond a single film.
In Bollywood, where success is worshipped and failure is mocked, perhaps the real question isn’t whether a film worked — but why we enjoy it so much when it doesn’t.
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