Karan Johar says he feels lonely despite being surrounded by his kids, mother, and strong friendships: 'I'm a lonely person but not unhappy'

Karan Johar, one of Bollywood’s most celebrated filmmakers, recently got candid about his emotional world during a heartfelt appearance on Raj Shamani’s podcast. In a rare moment of vulnerability, the director and producer opened up about feeling lonely despite being surrounded by love, family, and fame."I'm missing all the time, all the time, many a time. I'm a lonely person,” Johar admitted. “I believe most people are lonely. You’ll find a lot of lonely people in a crowd. Because people can't replace your sense of loneliness. Even a relationship might not fill that void. I might be lonely in a relationship.”Karan shared that even though he is blessed with two beautiful children, a loving mother, and solid friendships, there is still a sense of emptiness that lingers. “And still you’re lonely. Why is that? I don’t understand. I’m not someone who can express their daily thoughts or emotions. I don’t want to burden anyone with my thoughts. I don’t want to drown them. So, I keep it inside. And when you have a lot of thoughts that you don’t share, you invariably become lonely. Because then your thoughts become your friends.”The filmmaker went on to reflect on his relationship with solitude. “Do I like being lonely? Yes. To answer your question, I’m a lonely person but I’m not an unhappy person. I like it. I like my loneliness,” he said.Karan also spoke about his experience with therapy and mental health, stating, “I’ve done therapy sessions. I’ve gone through anxiety. I’ve taken anxiety medication because that needed to be addressed at one juncture in my life. But I don’t do therapy sessions anymore because I talk to myself. I go to the root of the problem and ask, why did this happen to me? I did this and now I need to repair it. So I solve the issue myself.”