Karan Johar triggers fan speculation after unfollowing half of Bollywood overnight

In the hyper-analytical world of Bollywood, an Instagram unfollow is the ultimate digital fire alarm. It’s the modern-day equivalent of a public fight, usually triggering immediate speculation of a high-profile fallout. So, when Karan Johar quietly hit the unfollow button on Alia Bhatt, Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, and virtually his entire inner circle, the internet couldn't stop conjuring up theories of what went wrong.

But before the rumor mill went high and started drafting theories about a Dharma-universe collapse, Karan clarified to everyone to take a deep breath and relax.

Screegrab from Karan Johar's story /Instagram

The filmmaker took to his Instagram Stories on Thursday night to clear the air, sounding an equal mix of exasperated and amused. “It’s a DIGITAL DETOX!!!! Am unfollowing everyone to reduce my time and energy spent on the gram!!! This can’t be national news for God's sake… please clickbait something else! This is irrelevant!” He wrote.

Despite his plea for privacy, eagle-eyed fans had already done the math. While Karan boasts an audience of over 17 million followers, his 'following' list suddenly shrivelled down to a mere 52 accounts. Missing from this list are his inner circle friends, Shah Rukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor Khan, and Kajol. Then the Dharma protegés Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan, and Sidharth Malhotra. Also missing from the list are Malaika Arora and Ananya Panday.

The fans quickly realised that Karan isn't following a single Bollywood actor right now. The only accounts to survive the detox mission are Dharma CEO Apoorva Mehta, business tycoon Adar Poonawalla, and Priyanka Chopra.

For a man whose brand is built on being the ultimate Bollywood insider, the gatekeeper of industry secrets, and the host of Koffee with Karan, cutting the digital cord is a massive statement. However, it seems the director is simply fighting the same battle everyone in this time. The Bollywood sensation recently celebrated his 52nd birthday bash, which was a star-studded event.

Included on the list were Kareena Kapoor Khan, Karisma Kapoor, Rani Mukerji, Manish Malhotra, and Kiara Advani, gathering to celebrate him.