The bitterness of Koffee With Karan

“Have you ever gone skinny dipping?”
“Have you ever taken a shower with someone?”
“Are you a part of the mile-high club?”
“Have you ever made out in a car or khet?”

These are some of the frequently asked questions on popular Indian talk show Koffee With Karan, where some of Bollywood’s biggest celebrity are guests. Recently, one of the episodes of the Karan Johar-starrer talk show featured Indian cricketers Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul. Sexist comments made during this episode sparked a controversy, bringing the show’s content under much-needed scrutiny.

Finally breaking his silence on the Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul episode, Karan Johar recently apologised for what happened, admitting that the conversation may have crossed boundaries. He also revealed that he feels responsible for the remarks made on his show and has spent sleepless nights trying to figure out how to undo the damage.

He said that the cricketers have “paid the price” for what happened, adding that he feels responsible because it was his show and his platform where the comments were made. Johar added that his show is entirely run by women and he is the only man there and none of them had any issues.

Unfortunately, sexist comments and probing questions have always been a trademark of Johar’s show. He often pushes his guests to reveal details about their mistakes. This usually results in scoops about people’s dating lives—something Johar is unapologetic about. After a few minutes of “praise” and talking about “work” or “films”, he dives into his real interest: the love and sex lives of his guests. He often says quite clearly: “Now, let’s come to the point”.

Discussing sex isn’t a big deal, but when it comes to being racist, misogynistic or sexist, a line needs to be drawn. Many would also opine that, in such cases, when guests reveal their true attitudes towards women, Johar is as responsible—because his questioning is such.

Here’s a sample of some of the instances where Johar went overboard:

• This season, Team Baahubali—filmmaker SS Rajamouli, actors Prabhas and Rana Daggubati—featured as guests on Episode 10.  For Johar, it was his “proudest cup of coffee” till date. During the show, Johar continuously pushes the panel to reveal details about their personal lives. His interaction with Prabhas is one such example. “What happens in your farmhouse?” Johar asked. When Prabhas said, “It is a gym, okay? A workout place,” Johar’s response was: “Not a makeout place?” Even a visibly uncomfortable guest did not deter Johar from carrying on with his probing.
• Season 5’s Episode 6 features Shah Rukh Khan and Alia Bhatt. At multiple instances, Khan seemed visibly uncomfortable with Johar’s questions about Bhatt’s personal life. Johar’s response to this: “I’m asking about her personal life, not her sex life!” Johar also went on to insinuate that Bhatt may have been sexually attracted to Khan while shooting Dear Zindagi.
• With Jacqueline Fernandez and Siddharth Malhotra on Season 5’s Episode 10, Johar seemed determined to prove that Malhotra and Fernandez were in a romantic relationship from the very start. The two actors got candid about their friendship and spoke expansively, but carefully, about their relationship. Insisting that they were not romantically involved, they narrated instances of how they spent time together, did readings together, sometimes had meals together, among other things. In response, Johar asked Fernandez if she did this with all the boys.
  
• On an episode featuring Anushka Sharma and Ranveer Singh, Johar insisted that he had heard from “reliable sources” that Sharma and Singh were in a relationship. During the show, the fact that Singh had once been mobbed by a group of women in Singapore—who had allegedly tried to tear his clothes, bite his ears, and pinch his ass, among other things—was laughed at and ridiculed. Worse still was Singh’s response to Sharma stating that she did not receive as much attention after her first release—“You want your ass pinched? I’m right here.” Sharma could only manage: “Don’t talk to me like that!”
• In Episode 3 of Season 2, Johar told Mallika Sherawat that by labelling her as the sexiest actress from the sex-appeal list, Johar could avoid offending other actresses. Johar then dubbed his other guest, director Sanjay Leela Bhansali, as “the genius” and Sherawat as “very controversial”—a rather impolite contrast.
  
• In Episode 12 of Season 3, Johar blatantly asked Rakhi Sawant about silicone implants. He even said: “Wahi silicone use kara ya kahi aur bhi (Have you used silicone there only, or somewhere else also)?”
• In one of the most controversial episodes, which saw Sonam Kapoor and Deepika Padukone ripping Ranbir Kapoor apart, plastic surgery was discussed again. Johar was eager to get the names of a few celebrities who have gone under the knife. Johar added that surgery was okay and that it was an individual’s choice. But the very next moment, he also said, “These ‘poor plastic women’ can’t even rest in peace.”

At the end of the day, guests presumably know what they’re signing up for when they agree to participate in Koffee With Karan. Yet there have been instances where Johar’s show received much-needed criticism from actors like Kangana Ranaut, Twinkle Khanna, Akshay Kumar and Ranveer Singh, among others. But that seems to do little to deter Johar. In one of the episodes, Johar asks his guests: “I want to be taken seriously, what do I do?” Cut out the crass gossip, perhaps.

With inputs from Sreya Deb and Shubham Bhatia.