# Karan Johar defends Rashmika, Vijay over relationship trolling 2026-11-10T13:36:34+00:00 | Entertainment | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 3 independent outlets Filmmaker Karan Johar has defended Rashmika Mandanna and Vijay Deverakonda after their appearance on 'Koffee With Karan 9' in October drew criticism online, particularly over Vijay's behaviour towards Rashmika. Speaking to THR India, Johar said people are entitled to an opinion but should not dictate how a couple behaves or demean their families. 'Who are you? Are you a counsellor? Are you a lawyer? Are you a member of their family?' he asked. Johar recalled similar backlash faced by Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh after their appearance on Season 8, calling the criticism 'downright regressive'. He said the couple were 'beautifully in love' and being honest about their lives. Rashmika and Vijay, who married in February, appeared on the show after their wedding and promotions for their Telugu film 'Ranabaali'. All three outlets, freepressjournal.in, Hindustan Times, and The Indian Express, reported Johar's comments uniformly. ## Indian Opinion Analysis All three outlets report Karan Johar's defence of Rashmika Mandanna and Vijay Deverakonda identically, using his exact quotes from the THR India interview. Freepressjournal.in, Hindustan Times and The Indian Express each lead with Johar's question 'Who are you?' and his call not to demean families. They also uniformly note his comparison to the Deepika Padukone-Ranveer Singh backlash. The coverage is uniform straight reporting with no editorial slant. The outlets confirm that the criticism followed the couple's October appearance on 'Koffee With Karan 9' after their February wedding. No further statements from Johar, the couple or any other party have been reported. ## Coverage Coverage: 3 sources, 3 neutral - freepressjournal.in (neutral report) Straight report of Johar's quotes with no added commentary - hindustantimes.com (neutral report) Presents Johar's defence and context without slant - indianexpress.com (neutral report) Focuses on Johar's remarks and online scrutiny culture This brief was synthesised by AI from the 3 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Update, 10 November 2026: this story now draws on 3 sources. Last updated 2026-11-10T13:42:55+00:00. Tags: Karan Johar, Koffee with Karan, Rashmika Mandanna, Vijay Deverakonda Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/karan-johar-defends-rashmika-vijay-couple-against-online-backlash/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/karan-johar-defends-rashmika-vijay-couple-against-online-backlash/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/