Filmmaker Karan Johar stunned everyone last year with his weight loss transformation. However, his transformation sparked rumours about him using Ozempic for weight loss. In a recent conversation with Aadar Jain and Alekha on The Manyavar Shaadi Show, Karan spoke about how he actually lost weight and also recalled how he once fainted due to dieting.
Karan Johar recalls his mom calling him fat
Karan recalled that while his father thought he just had puppy fat growing up, his mother used to call him out for being overweight. Karan said, “My dad was in delusion land about me. He thought that I had puppy fat, it will go away, he is so handsome. But my mother used to disagree and say, ‘What are you saying, Yash? He is so fat, so large.’ He wanted me to become a hero, and my mother used to roll her eyes saying no way he is capable or should be a hero. She always used to call me out. Punjabi moms are not always deluded.”
Karan revealed that it was in college that he first decided to lose weight. He recalled how, when he reached college, he realised that “everyone is way thinner” than him, which shook him. The filmmaker also shared that he had repeatedly followed the General Motors diet in the past and once even fainted because of the Atkins diet (a high-protein diet).
He said, “I was doing that Atkins diet. Once I did it for a month, and I fell sick. I still remember that I was in my Accounts class during college. I fainted in that class because I was on this diet. That was the end of the diet; my mother banned it, and she had no idea I was doing it. It is high protein, only protein. You could have a nine-egg cheese omelette, only protein, no bread and nothing. You could have fried chicken, but it was harsher.”
Karan Johar on how he lost weight
Karan denied taking Ozempic for weight loss and explained how he actually lost weight. He said, “Contrary to what people think, that I took Ozempic or whatever, I am not. What happened is, there were a few intolerances that I discovered when I went to Vivamayr (a medical health resort). When I went back again, I did my kinesiology test, and I realised that I am acutely gluten and lactose-intolerant. I actually didn’t realise… I was eating roti and not rice. But in reality, rice and potatoes are my friends.”
The filmmaker revealed that he did not know he had a thyroid condition and was later put on medication for it. He also shared that he removed gluten from his diet, switched to almond milk, and cut out sugar. With these changes and thyroid medication, his weight went down.
Karan Johar’s upcoming projects
Karan’s recent production, Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri, starring Ananya Panday and Kartik Aaryan, failed to impress audiences. The film has collected only ₹49.5 crore so far since its release on December 25, 2025.
The filmmaker now has Nagzilla, starring Kartik Aaryan, and Chand Mera Dil, featuring Lakshya and Ananya Panday, in the pipeline. Nagzilla is a supernatural high-fantasy comedy-drama backed by Dharma Productions and directed by Mrighdeep Singh Lamba. The film is scheduled for release in August this year. Chand Mera Dil, on the other hand, is a romantic drama slated to release on April 10, 2026.
