Karan Johar had previously issued a public statement regarding the video (Archive)
Mumbai:
Bollywood filmmaker Karan Johar was asked to explain a video shot at his home in July last year during a party involving alleged drug use, sources at NCB said Thursday night. The video, which also features several major stars, is being investigated as part of the anti-drug agency’s investigation into the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput in June.
In September, Mr. Johar issued a public statement in connection with that video, saying that the reports of drug use at his party were “defamatory” and “malicious”.
“These defamatory and malicious statements, news articles and news clippings have unnecessarily subjected me, my family, my colleagues and Dharma Productions to hatred, contempt and ridicule,” he said.
“I want to state again unequivocally that I do not use narcotics and I do not promote or encourage the consumption of any of these substances,” added the director-producer.
Mr. Johar also said he did not personally know two people – Anubhav Chopra and Kshitij Prasad – who were investigating, and dismissed as “unsubstantiated” media reports describing them as his “helpers”.
Johar said Anubhav Chopra was not an employee of his company, Dharma Productions, although he had been associated with projects in an independent capacity from 2011 to 2013. He said Kshitij Prasad joined Dharmatic Entertainment, a company linked to Dharma Productions, in November 2019. as Executive Producer hired for a project that did not materialize.
Various individuals associated with the entertainment industry have been or are being investigated by the Bureau of Narcotics, which claims a nexus between drug traffickers and Bollywood.
Last week, sources at the agency said they had detained one of Mumbai ‘s “largest” drug suppliers and recovered a list of its clients, many of whom are Bollywood celebrities.
Since the investigation began, the NCB has questioned several prominent individuals, including Bollywood stars Deepika Padukone, Sara Ali Khan, Rakulpreet Singh, Shraddha Kapoor, and Arjun Rampal.
They also arrested comedian Bharti Singh and her husband Haarsh Limbachiyaa for alleged possession and use of marijuana. Singh and Limbachiyaa were released on bail last week.
In September, the agency also arrested actress Rhea Chakraborty (Sushant Singh Rajput’s girlfriend) and her brother, Showik Chakraborty, who was released on bail earlier this month.
His sister had been released on bail in October.
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