Karan Johar Reveals Emraan Hashmi's Character In Showtime Is A Version Of Him: 'A Lot Of It Is True'

Karan Johar-backed series, Showtime, features Emraan Hashmi as Raghu Khanna, a top producer in Bollywood who resorts to corruption and malpractices to get his films to work. In a recent interview, Karan Johar said that Emraan Hashmi’s character is based on him. While Karan said that a lot of it is an exaggeration, there is also some truth to the show.

Speaking to Sucharita Tyagi, about why he backed a show portraying Bollywood in a negative light, Karan Johar said, “We all take ourselves too seriously. We should stop. You’ve got to have a sense of humour. If you’re talking about the industry, you’ve got to have a little fun with things as well.”

He added, “I think Emraan Hashmi is playing some version of me only. I really think that. When they came to me, they were all nervously like working around that and asking ‘Are you okay?’ I said I was absolutely okay. I’m actually okay that you’re taking potshots at me in a certain way. Let us only do it, why should someone else do it?”

“We really wanted to have fun with it without being outwardly offensive, but also talking about what happens in the underbelly of our industry. A lot of it is exaggeration, cinematic license is taken. But a lot of it is true as well.”

Streaming service Disney+ Hotstar on Friday announced that the final three episodes of Showtime will premiere on July 12. According to a press release, the final three episodes will give a sneak peek into the “vulnerabilities of Raghu Khanna, his attempt at mending broken relationships and reclaiming what’s his”. Besides Emraan Hashmi, the show also features Mahima Makwana, Mouni Roy and Rahul Khandelwal among others.

Meanwhile, Karan is gearing up for the release of Kill in India. After premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) last year, Karan Johar’s production venture, Kill, has finally got a release date in India. The gory, action-entertainer will be released in Indian theatres on July 5 this year. The film marks the Bollywood debut of Lakshya and features television’s charmer Raghav Juyal as the antagonist.