Filmmaker Karan Johar, whose latest film 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil' was caught in a controversy for featuring Pakistani actor Fawad Khan, says while he continues to be "liberal" as a person, he has become "scared" of expressing his opinion freely.

"I'm a liberal. In a headspace, that is extremely progressive about many things. But I just feel like I can't say anything. I feel like I've joined the herd mentality of the silent society," Karan said on "Bollywood Roundtable 2016 with Rajeev Masand".

"I feel scared to raise a point in my film, I feel scared to give an opinion and then I feel scared what's going to happen during the release of my film," added the filmmaker, who was under attack from right-wing Hindu outfits for casting a Pakistani actor in his movie.

Karan, known for his flamboyance and romantic dramas, says a filmmaker needs to go beyond just being behind the camera, to deal with actors.

"Actors, according to me, are the most vulnerable, insecure human beings that exist. And I think it's not possible for you to just deal with them professionally. From a very young age, I discovered you are their counsellor, their guide, their therapist, their everything," added the filmmaker, who has a lot of friends in the industry and he gets them to open up on their secrets via his chat show "Koffee With Karan".

Karan was on "Bollywood Roundtable 2016 with Rajeev Masand", with names like Ram Madhvani, Ali Abbas Zafar and Nitesh Tiwari.