The word nepotism has been following Karan Johar around like a shadow, the director said today, Nepotism is now like Karan Johar shadow,said by a director today instead of his hard work,he has not able to get free from it.The 45-year-old filmmaker was described as the “flagbearer of nepotism” by actor Kangana Ranaut on his popular chat show earlier this year, triggering a row in Bollywood between those with a family background in cinema and those without.

Karan Father Yash Johar was a well-known producer.“Can we just put a hold on this word ‘nepotism’?It has become like ‘mera say'. I told somebody that I have developed ‘nepospasm’,” he said, tongue firmly in cheek. The word, he rued, had become a trending topic.

“It has been following me everywhere. Suddenly, it has become trend Can we just get free from it and start focusing on better content,” he asked. Kangana’s comment snowballed into a huge controversy, with Karan and actors Saif Ali Khan and Varun Dhawan taking potshots at her at this year’s IIFA Award function. The trio later apologised for their remarks.Karan Johar, who was in discussion with film critic Anupama Chopra on a panel discussing ‘How to make your own film’ at the ongoing International Film Festival of India (IFFI), also aired a grouse against live tweet reviews. Asked by Anupama what changes he sought to see in the film industry in the future, Karan replied that he wanted the trend of live-tweeting reviews to be done away with.