Kamal Ghorui
Filmmaker Karan Johar took legal action against popular YouTuber Ajey Nagar, better known as CarryMinati, over videos he claims are defamatory. A Mumbai court has now ruled in Johar’s favour. Nagar, along with his manager Deepak Char, One Hand Clap Media Pvt Ltd, Google, and Meta, was named as a defendant in the suit. Civil Judge P G Bhosale passed an interim order directing Nagar to remove any existing content that targets Johar in any way. Although Nagar’s counsel informed the court that the videos in question had already been deleted — arguing that no further legal proceedings were necessary, the court granted Johar a temporary injunction. It said that it lacked jurisdiction to fully adjudicate the matter. Why did Karan Johar sue Carry Minati?The ruling came on Monday, February 9, after Johar moved the court against a roast video posted on Ajey Nagar’s YouTube channel titled Coffee With Jalan. Allegedly drawing inspiration from Johar’s popular chat show Koffee With Karan, the video is said to have featured abusive language and disparaging remarks about Bollywood nepotism, including pointed references to the filmmaker himself.The controversy stems from a roast video titled Coffee with Jalan, which Johar’s legal team argued was clearly inspired by his talk show Koffee with Karan. The video allegedly mocked the filmmaker while also addressing issues like Bollywood and nepotism. While Nagar’s lawyer maintained that the video had been taken down, Johar’s side contended that clips from it continue to circulate online, asserting that the reputational harm has already occurred.Represented by DSK Legal, Johar sought an injunction to prevent Nagar from publishing any future content that could potentially harm his image. According to PTI, his legal team argued that Johar has built his name and goodwill “painstakingly over the decades” and that certain content on the internet, posted by Ajey, seems to ridicule him. The court observed that it “appears that the defendants no. 1 and 2 (Nagar and Char) have made defamatory statements and used vulgar language against the plaintiff.”For those unfamiliar, CarryMinati is among India’s most prominent YouTube creators and one of the platform’s earliest breakout stars. What began as a gaming-focused channel gradually evolved into a commentary-driven format, where he would discuss trending topics over gameplay footage. The formula proved hugely successful, helping him amass over 45.3 million subscribers. He has also collaborated with several high-profile names, most recently teaming up with global YouTube personality KSI.
