Just when I began to worry that I might soon run out of ways to express my disappointment with how Koffee with Karan Season 8 was going deeper down the dumps each Thursday, Vicky Kaushal and Kiara Advani came to my rescue, and if I may add, much joy.
Something needs to be said of the pairings that Johar is concocting this season. Ahead of the first episode, I’d done a story on the power duos that I wanted to see grace the controversial couch this season. A lot of them already have, but not with the people I hoped they would. Instead of giving in to popular demand, Johar is trying to make the most of what is available to him. The central reason behind these dull combinations is obvious—over the years, Koffee with Karan has gained notoriety for stirring scandals, which it does way better than it brews conversations. Over multiple appearances, several celebs have learned the hard way that contrary to the banal adage, not all kinds of press is good.
Most of them, therefore, are happy to decline the invitation. The ones who do agree to appear, always seem to be on the fence or are in-your-face flippant, which explains the innuendos and insinuations galore on this show. But Kaushal and Advani—the leads from Johar’s short in the 2018 Netflix anthology Lust Stories—are surprisingly, refreshingly candid. I interviewed Advani and Shahid Kapoor in 2019 ahead of the release of their film Kabir Singh. Much like the Sandeep Reddy Vanga film, Kapoor dominated the conversation and Advani was content being the pretty accessory. Not anymore though.
Ravishing and radiant in a minimalist black dress, she participates in the conversation with remarkable candour, self-assurance, and ease. She even corrects Johar when he calls her lucky for having been a part of back-to-back blockbusters, teases him about his age, and then goes on to win the famed rapid-fire. The actor has come a long way since her Kabir Singh days and I couldn’t be happier.
Kaushal, meanwhile, is his usual self—unassuming, grounded, and charming, in a way only someone who is extremely comfortable in their skin and secure in their craft can be. He is honest enough to admit that he didn’t get a chance to propose to Katrina Kaif until a day before their wedding, that he didn’t know much about art before meeting her, or that after doing two heavy films on historical figures—Sardar Udham Singh and Sam Bahadur—he is now yearning to do something diametrically different.
This new episode is also fascinating because it shows the journey Johar has had since the season’s pilot. When Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh shared their wedding video, he teared up and in a moment of rare vulnerability, confessed how he missed having a loving, fulfilling romantic relationship in his own life. Johar has since moved on from the envy and FOMO that he felt then to doing something about it—in this episode, he expresses his desire to manifest it.
What is also interesting about Koffee with Karan is that Johar is never content with being just the host or the producer, he is as much a part of the conversation as his guests and oftentimes, far more irreverent and entertaining than them. For each of their stories, he has a story to match. In fact, he has so many, that they spill all over, almost as a reflex. Whether it be faking shared interests early during dating, his experience of attending Advani’s wedding, Sidharth Malhotra’s dependence on his domestic help, his unbidden love for Shah Rukh Khan, or the shoot of Lust Stories, Karan Johar is a treasure trove of anecdotes and trivia.
Koffee with Karan is experimenting with games this season, not sticking to any format or constants. Some miss, others manage to tell you a little about the guests. Zeenat Aman made it to the discourse in this episode too. About time she be invited for some chat and coffee and revive whatever remains of Season 8.
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