I was effeminate as a child, was called a 'pansy': Karan Johar

Jaipur: With his candid confessions on how he was effeminate as a child and how he used to have sleepless nights over the issue, Bollywood filmmaker Karan Johar stole the show on the first day of the Jaipur Literature Festival.

Talking about his book ‘An unsuitable Boy’ at a session with Shobhaa De and his biographer Poonam Saxena, Karan said: "I hated the word 'Pansy' and I was called that as a child. I was effeminate as a child and I used to have sleepless nights over the fact that I am different from other children."

Karan also said that his parents were a big support system. "Even when I weighed 150 kgs, my mother said that I was the best looking child in the world and my father told me that once I lost a little puppy fat, I can be a hero in Hindi films," he added.

Karan also spoke about bringing homosexuality in his films. He said, "Whether it's Kal Ho Na Ho or Dostana, I discussed the issue in the mainstream. I received so many letters from youngsters saying that my movies helped their parents identify their sexuality. Now there are so many films on LGBT and I am proud that I started it."

The conversation then moved on to section 377 of the Indian penal code, which criminalises same sex relationships. Karan said that "it's a hurdle we need to combat." He also said he appreciated endeavours made by politicians like Shashi Tharoor who had brought up the bill in the last Parliament session.

 "You can change the way the governance works, but how do you change the sensibility of the average man in the house, it doesn't matter what bill you pass and what dharna you do until the DNA or the mental fabric (of society) changes," he said.