Karan Johar, his family members and staff have tested negative for COVID-19, the filmmaker announced in a statement on Wednesday morning. In fact, KJo said, he tested himself twice to be safe. Four guests - among them actress Kareena Kapoor - at a dinner the filmmaker held at his Mumbai home on December 8 have tested positive and there has been criticism of the gathering being held amid the Omicron scare. In his statement, Karan Johar said that his dinner for eight guests could not be called a "party" and denied that his home was a COVID "hotspot." Kareena Kapoor and her friend Amrita Arora announced this week that they were COVID-positive; The Fabulous Lives Of Bollywood Wives co-stars Seema Khan and Maheep Kapoor are also infected, reported news agencies ANI and PTI this week. All four women were guests at Karan Johar's dinner and are believed to be fully vaccinated.
Karan Johar's statement read: "My family and I and everyone at home have done their RTPCR tests and with the grace of God we are all NEGATIVE! In fact I tested twice just to be safe and am negative. I truly appreciate the grandest efforts of the BMC to ensure the safety of our city...Salute to them. To some members of the media, I would like to clarify that a 8 people intimate gathering is not a "party"...And my home which we maintain strict protocols is certainly no "hotspot" of COVID. All of us are responsible and masked at all times and NO one would treat that pandemic lightly... My request to certain members of the media is to exercise some restraint in their extreme reportage without the assessment of facts. Lots of love and safety to all."
Read Karan Johar's statement here:
Screenshot of Karan Johar's Instagram story.
On Tuesday, sanitation workers were photographed spraying disinfectant at Karan Johar as well as Kareena Kapoor's houses. After Kareena Kapoor was criticized by a section of the media for allegedly defying the protocols, a statement was issued on behalf of the actress that clarified that she had caught the virus at an "intimate" gathering.
Read Kareena Kapoor's statement here: "Kareena has been extremely responsible throughout the lockdown period. She has been careful every time she's stepped out. Unfortunately, this time she and Amrita Arora contracted covid at an intimate dinner where a few friends had gathered to catchup. It wasn't a big party as being reported. Among that group, there was one person who seemed unwell and was coughing, and who eventually passed it on. This person should have been responsible enough to not attend the dinner and put others at risk. As soon as she tested positive she has quarantined herself and is following the necessary precautions and protocols to deal with the condition. It is not fair to put the blame on her and say that she has been irresponsible and let her guard down. Kareena is a responsible citizen and also has the concern and care for safeguarding her family."
Unconfirmed reports suggest that Seema Khan, wife of actor Sohail Khan, was the person coughing at the dinner; the Brihanmumbai Corporation or BMC said that Seema han was the first of the dinner guests to test positive for COVID, ANI reported on Tuesday.
Other guests at Karan Johar's dinner included actor Alia Bhatt, Kareena's sister Karisma Kapoor, Amrita's sister Malaika Arora and Malaika's boyfriend Arjun Kapoor.
Karan Johar recently wrapped the Delhi schedule of his next film Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahaani. The film stars Alia Bhatt and Ranveer Singh.