Bollywood filmmaker Karan Johar has clarified that his decision to unfollow several celebrities, including Shah Rukh Khan, Alia Bhatt and Kareena Kapoor Khan, is part of a personal “digital detox” aimed at reducing his time on social media.

The move sparked widespread speculation after social media users noticed that Johar had dramatically reduced the number of accounts he follows on Instagram despite having more than 17 million followers.

Addressing the issue through an Instagram Story, Johar said he was trying to cut down the time and energy he spends on the platform.

“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 gods sake… please clickbait something else! This is irrelevant!,” he wrote.

Fans had observed that several of Johar’s closest friends and industry colleagues, including Shah Rukh Khan, Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Manish Malhotra, Varun Dhawan, Sidharth Malhotra, Malaika Arora and Ananya Panday, were no longer on his following list.

Users also noted that actor Kartik Aaryan had been unfollowed despite starring in Johar’s upcoming production “Naagzilla.”

According to social media observers, Johar is no longer following any major Bollywood actor on Instagram. Among the prominent names still appearing on his list are Dharma Productions CEO Apoorva Mehta, business associate Adar Poonawalla and actor Priyanka Chopra.

Johar has long been one of Bollywood’s most active social media personalities, frequently sharing updates about his professional projects and personal life, including posts about his children, Yash and Roohi.

The filmmaker has previously spoken about the impact of online criticism and trolling on mental well-being. In 2022, he left X, formerly Twitter, saying he wanted to create space for positive energy.

On the professional front, Johar’s latest production, “Chaand Mera Dil,” starring Lakshya and Ananya Panday, recently hit cinemas. The film has received mixed reviews and has reportedly struggled at the box office, earning around Rs200 million in India so far.