Even if host Karan Johar didn’t remind us at the beginning of every episode, Koffee With Karan is a national guilty pleasure and there’s really no denying it now that we’re three episodes into the seventh season of the chat show.
After Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt, and Janhvi Kapoor and Sara Ali Khan, it was two of the country’s biggest stars of the moments, Akshay Kumar and Samantha Prabhu, who graced the Kouch this time around.
While Kumar has been on the show multiple times in the past, this was Prabhu’s debut on the chat show. With her impressive track record on-screen, complete with controversial item numbers and solid performances, and a tumultuous personal life (that has been very public for the past few months), the Family Man actress’ first appearance on the show was packed with surprisingly candid confessions, profound life advice from unexpected sources, and so much more. Kumar, by his own admission, was just there for the ride.
READ: 9 Iconic ‘Koffee With Karan’ Moments
So without further ado, here are the top highlights from the third episode of Koffee With Karan…
No time for love
Prabhu pointedly corrected Johar when he mentioned her husband Naga Chaitanya, reminding him to add ‘ex’ before ‘husband’. The actress was refreshingly candid about how she was not doing well, post her divorce, and how she still hasn’t found herself in a place where she could amicably be in the same room with her ex. She also stated that she is not looking for love anymore and that anyone who is trying to make their way to her heart can take a firm U-turn.
Divine intervention
Both Kumar and Prabhu revealed that they believed they are where they are because of some form of divine intervention. The Sooryavanshi actor even went on to say that 70 percent of an actor’s success is because of luck, and 30 percent could be because of hardwork. Prabhu agreed wholeheartedly with the sentiment, adding that without any sort of divine intervention, she wouldn’t have found herself this far from her home and in the company of one of the country’s biggest actors and top filmmaker.
Konfrontation on the Kouch
Johar is not unfamiliar with his guests using the airtime to roast him, the show, and his movies. But he looked lost for words and soon found himself in splits when Prabhu told him that he was responsible for most of the failed marriages of the country. The actress called him out on presenting a flowery picture of love and marriage that is completely opposite to what happens in reality.
The other ‘N’ word
The director and host has made it his personal mission to bring up nepotism more times than any troll can even try. Prabhu dealt with the subject diplomatically, presenting the oft-used argument that nepotism can only give you the first chance and comes with its fair share of “demons” (as she puts it”). Kumar had a more pragmatic outlook. The actor revealed that when he began working in the industry, all he wanted to do was put his head down and work as much as possible. He even admitted that he didn’t even know the word existed until the whole debate started in the industry and had to ask his wife Twinkle Khanna what it really meant.
Why Bollywood is not measuring up
With borders between regional cinema and Hindi cinema slowly, but surely, dissolving, it’s clear for everyone to see that the Hindi film industry is lagging a little behind its regional counterparts, when it comes to big box office numbers or the ever elusive star power. Kumar revealed that he thought this is because the stars in Southern films aren’t afraid of being part of multi-starrer films. He recalled how difficult it was for him and Johar, who are apparently producing a movie together, to cast another actor opposite Kumar in the movie as nobody wanted to be a part of a movie that already had a big actor in the lead. Prabhu noted that this was a problem that was largely prevalent with male actors, taking the example of the upcoming Katrina Kaif, Alia Bhatt, and Priyanka Chopra-starrer Jee Le Zaraa and her own project with actress Nayanthara.
