After three long years, Koffee With Karan is back and, if the first episode is anything to go by, it’s going to be a blast. Karan Johar’s iconic celebrity talk show has soothed our not-so-secret voyeuristic tendencies when it comes to the secret and guarded lives of the celebrities we love and admire (and sometimes even those we don’t). Over the years, the show has had some extremely memorable moments, like the time Deepika Padukone and Sonam Kapoor quipped that Ranbir Kapoor should be endorsing condoms or all the times Kareena Kapoor Khan appeared on the couch and showed us that her Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham character could have been a biographical one after all.
The seventh season of the show kicked off with Gully Boy co-stars Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt as the first guests and what followed was, predictably, a riot.
While there were many incredible moments from the episode, including the famous Rapid Fire round and a Bingo game with all their embarassing secrets, we’d leave those unspoiled for you to watch on your own time. However, if you need any motivation to tune into the episode, here are a few highlights from the show that we loved…
Alia and Ranbir’s grand proposal story
Bhatt has kept most of the details of her relationship with Ranbir Kapoor pretty private, despite their much-publicised wedding and recent pregnancy announcement. On the Koffee with Karan couch, however, Bhatt spilled on the first time she properly spent time with Kapoor (on a flight to Israel, no less) and the story of how Kapoor surprised her with a marriage proposal. The Rockstar actor decided to pop the big question on their trip to Kenya’s Masai Mara National Park, a place which holds special meaning to them as a couple. Bhatt was apparently taken by complete surprise (and not just because Kapoor proposed her while wearing a ball cap backward like a 13-year-old boy who doesn’t know any better) as her now-husband had arranged their tour guide to immortalise the moment in photographs without her knowledge.
Ranveer and Alia’s deep friendship
The duo, who first starred together in Zoya Akhtar’s 2019 film Gully Boy, revealed that they have built a special relationship over the course of them knowing each other. Bhatt admitted that, while they weren’t close to each other during the filming process, they got to know each other better during the film’s promotions. They also talked about how Singh became a pillar of support to the actress when she was undergoing the intense process of starring in a Sanjay Leela Bhansali film. Johar also let out that Singh’s friendhsip with Bhatt has revealed a side of him that not many people are aware of—a side that loves knowing all the little gossip, like Bhatt’s arguments with her housekeepers, and the wedding prep details like what bangles she had selected for the ceremony!
Their equations with their in-laws
The celebrity guests also opened up about their relationship with the parents of their significant ones. Singh who has been with Padukone for a decade, and married since 2018, revealed that, while it’s wonderful to be around her parents, he still feels intimidated by them.
“We have been together for 10 years. Initially, they were completely thrown away, like, ‘Who is this, what is this?’ Especially Deepika’s mum. She didn’t know what to make of me. We took time to warm [up] to each other, but now, she’s like my mum,” said the actor.
Bhatt, on the other hand, became an honorary Kapoor much before they officially got hitched. According to the actress, the Kapoors like to do everything together and she has now fully adapted to the lifestyle, even going as far as to hold the big family Diwali pooja at her house, on Kapoor’s request. She also admitted that she is very close to Neetu Kapoor now.
The Big Bollywood Nepotism controversy
Before the show dissolved into a discussion about Singh’s sex playlist (he has several, depending on his mood) and Bhatt’s truth bombs about what really happens on the suhaag raat (wedding night), Johar addressed the reason why he, and the rest of the world, believed the show would never be back on air again.
In case you were mysteriously abducted by curious aliens and somehow missed the depraved depths the discourse around nepotism in Bollywood had fallen around the time of the investigation into Sushant Singh Rajput’s death by suicide, you should know that all the major Bollywood stars were demonised in the media for their supposed role in the tragic incident. Johar, unsurprisingly, was at the forefront of the controversy and his show was cited as one of the biggest evils about the industry. Without going into much details, or naming any fame-hungry Internet trolls, the director and the actors talked about the tumultuous time and how they got over it.
Ranveer’s hidden talent
It’s no secret that Singh is a talented individual. Aside from being one of the most versatile actors in Bollywood at the moment, Singh is also great at doing impressions of his fellow actors. On the show, the actor showed off his mimicry skills by imitating celebrities like Ranbir Kapoor, Varun Dhawan, Hrithik Roshan and more. Is there anything he can’t do?
You can stream this episode, and the upcoming episodes of Koffee With Karan, on Disney+ Hotstar.
