When Karan Johar incorrectly assumed Indian tourists wanted a picture with him, but they had no idea who he was

Karan Johar is one of the most well-known Bollywood celebrities in the world, and sometimes that can play into one’s own perception. The filmmaker once recalled a ‘sad’ story about how some Indian tourists approached him in the UK, and he incorrectly assumed that they wanted pictures with him. Actually, they didn’t even know who he was.

In a Facebook live with actor Alia Bhatt, posted ahead of his 45th birthday in 2017, Alia asked him to narrate the story about how he was asked for a picture ‘outside Selfridges’.

Karan Johar sighed and said, “Oh my God, it was so sad. I feel so stupid at this story, but I want to tell you. I was rushing to my hotel to catch a flight… I was rushing with my shopping bags, because mothers always ask you to buy things last minute, so I bought everything. And I could see this couple, looking at me from a distance, very excited, jumping on their feet. And I was like, ‘Oh no, now they’re going to bother me, and I’ll have to be nice, because they’re elderly people, and I have to put my bags down and click a photo,’ all this is running through my head.”

He continued, “So by the time I reach them, I’m like, ‘yes, ma’am, very quickly’. So they very quickly gave me their camera and posed. And I realised they had no idea who I was. They wanted a familiar Indian face to click their photograph. It was, what you call, KLPD.”

Karan said that he clicked their photograph ‘in shock’, and wondered if they’d recognised him at all. But they just thanked him and walked off.

Also read: Alia Bhatt gets a kiss from Ranbir Kapoor in this unseen picture, eagle-eyed fans are to thank

Alia debuted as an actor with Karan Johar’s Student of the Year. They’ve since worked together several times, and on Friday, kick-started their latest collaboration — Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani, co-starring Ranveer Singh.