Kangana Ranaut says Karan Johar ‘dumped’ Drive, declared Sushant Singh Rajput ‘flop star’ whose films could not get buyers

Kangana Ranaut claimed that Karan Johar worked hand-in-glove with Aditya Chopra to sabotage Sushant Singh Rajput’s career and discredit him as a ‘flop star’.

Kangana Ranaut has alleged that Karan Johar declared Sushant Singh Rajput to be a ‘flop star’ and ensured that Drive was never released in theatres. She claimed that Karan was fulfilling the agenda of his ‘childhood friend’, Aditya Chopra, to destroy Sushant’s career.

According to Kangana, Aditya signed Sushant under the Yash Raj Films talent agency and made him sign an ‘evil’ contract that did not allow him to take up any projects without their consent. She claimed that Aditya did not allow Sushant to be a part of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela and Bajirao Mastani and made sure that Ranveer Singh got the films instead.

“Why? Because Sushant doesn’t know how to do chaploosi? Is this why they sabotaged his career?,” Kangana asked, in an interview with Republic TV. She said that when Yash Raj Films pulled out of Shekhar Kapur’s Paani, Sushant broke all ties with the production house. “Then they had a big showdown and Aditya Chopra told him, ‘We will never work with you.’”

Kangana said that after struggling for two years, Sushant gave a huge hit in MS Dhoni: The Untold Story. She went on to claim that Karan, Aditya’s childhood friend, stepped in to sabotage Sushant’s career by signing him for Drive but ensuring that the film doesn’t release in theatres and instead comes out on Netflix.

“Now, Aditya doesn’t work with him but his best friend, his childhood friend, Karan Johar comes into the picture. Very strategically, he hires him and shoots for this film for three years, and then he declares to the world that he is such a flop star, I can’t sell the film to exhibitors,” Kangana said, questioning why Karan could not find buyers for Drive, even after Sushant delivered a blockbuster like MS Dhoni: The Untold Story. “Let’s have a conversation with exhibitors and producers. I want to know the business and financial mathematics,” she added.

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Kangana claimed that Karan ‘dumped’ Drive. “He said, ‘I can’t sell this film with this flop star.’ This was the whole business racket that he has created which declared his films as hits and big films like Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi, Chhichhore and MS Dhoni: The Untold Story as semi-hits. His whole circle started to print and spread these rumours that Sushant is finished. Now, this is in the public domain. You can see that Drive was not released and only media reports that Sushant is a flop actor and Karan Johar is unable to find a buyer for his film,” she said. She added that Yash Raj Films and Dharma Productions “systematically work with each other and in sync with each other – whom to promote, whom to demote, whom to destroy”.

Drive was Sushant’s last release before he died by suicide on June 14. The Mumbai Police has obtained a copy of the late actor’s signed contract with Yash Raj Films for investigation. Aditya’s statement was recorded in connection with the case on Saturday.