Karan Johar on body dysmorphia; the need to put out lights during intimacy: ‘I don't want you to see…’

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Director Karan Johar opened up in a recent interview about his struggles with body dysmorphia. Talking to Faye D’Souza, Karan claimed that nothing has changed through the years and that he sought the help of a mental health professional to overcome his issues.

‘I feel very awkward’

Talking about feeling uncomfortable in his skin, Karan said, “I have body dysmorphia, I am very awkward getting into a pool. I don’t know how to do it without feeling pathetic. I’ve tried very hard to overcome it. No matter what the success you achieve, no matter who you think you are in your own head, I’m always in oversized clothes. Even if I lose the weight, and I try very hard, I’m always battling with it, but I’m always feeling I’m fat. So I don’t want you to see any part of my body.”

He added that even while entering the pool with his closest friends, he stays in his robe until the last minute. “Nothing has changed since I was eight. I self-body shame myself all the time. The day you feel you’re looking good…doesn’t matter what you’ve achieved. Even in situations of intimacy, I need to put the lights out. I’ve been to therapy for it. All these issues…all fester and create mental health issues. I even took medication after suffering from a panic attack.”

Karan Johar on mental health

This is not the first time Karan has opened up about his mental health. While promoting season 8 of Koffee with Karan, he told PTI, “What happens to me or anybody else, it can happen to anybody. It doesn't mean you need a trigger, sometimes it is a result of many things, sometimes there's a trigger. When I spoke about my anxiety, it was to share a part of life that exists. That exists today as well, while I speak. I've no fear in saying that I'm on medication.” He also spoke on the topic with Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh in one of the episodes.

Kill, produced by Dharma Productions, released in theatres this Friday. He has also produced Bad Newz, which will be released on July 19.