Filmmaker Karan Johar has lashed out at Caroline Dyer, the granddaughter of General Reginald Dyer, for her controversial remarks about the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. In a now-viral video, Caroline appeared alongside a relative of a massacre victim and shockingly referred to one of the victims as a “looter”—a statement that has triggered widespread outrage.
Reacting to the remarks during a press event for his upcoming film Kesari Chapter 2, Johar called her comments “ridiculous” and said, “Not just as an Indian or as a humanitarian, but anyone with an iota of empathy would be angered.”
Holding nothing back, the filmmaker added, “How dare she? How ridiculous she is to call those thousands of innocent people looters. They had gathered on the auspicious occasion of Baisakhi—completely unaware of the horror that would unfold. And to think she justifies her grandfather’s actions is infuriating.”
He also pointed out the sheer brutality of the incident, reminding everyone that General Dyer had confessed to stopping the firing only after running out of bullets. “What love for India is she talking about? His actions spoke only of hate. She’s clearly in some delusional la-la land. I haven’t met her, and I don’t want to.”
Clearly moved by the clip, Johar said he was furious on a deeply personal level. “Khoon khaulta hai when you see such blatant disdain for what was one of the darkest genocides in our history. She owes an apology—not just to the victims, but to every Indian.”
Caroline Dyer’s comments spark fury
In the original video that sparked the backlash, Caroline Dyer attempted to portray her grandfather as “an honourable man admired by many Indians” and highlighted his fluency in Indian languages. When confronted by a victim’s family member, she dismissively asked, “Was he a looter?” and said that “history is history” and should be accepted.
Akshay Kumar joins the conversation
Actor Akshay Kumar, who plays lawyer C. Sankaran Nair in Kesari Chapter 2, also responded, sharing that his own grandfather had witnessed the massacre. “What’s a nation’s sorrow is often another’s history lesson,” he said, adding that portraying Nair—who took legal action against the British Crown’s silence—felt like a tribute to his own family history.