I love the fact that she' so exclusively elusive
I'm an insomniac I'm a mess
they were so calm in the turbulence and I kept looking like
I wanted to hold my daughter's hand instead of the other way around
Hi everyone this is Avinash Lohana and you're watching Pinkvilla
What makes coffee more special?
A good company. And who better than the man himself
who's synonymous with coffee to be that companion over a cup of java
Please welcome,
actor, producer, director, talk-show host and so much more
Karan Johar!
Hey Avinash
How are you? Good
excited about the new season
Even I'm really excited about the new, even before we talk about the show Karan,
I'll start this interview by asking you
You're the one who popularised rapid fire round all over the world
I really want to know do you when you go into your intimate spaces
and parties, do people insist on playing rapid fire?
Yeah Yeah many times
Many times, we've been at dinners where I have played this game with friends and
of course, it's not televised so they're even more honest
So it's been, I have done it so many times it's become like now a thing
but I know I've also been told that people play this game at parties with each other
you know it's become a thing I should almost make it into a board game I think
Yeah and no really, because even when we cousins come together
we play rapid-fire all the time so it's a-
Oh really yeah all the time
But is there a history behind it how was it conceptualised
how did it start? or was it random?
You know the show has been going on for 18 years, and people say, how did you title it?
How did you think of the rapid fire? I've no memory
just these are the things that you know I think I must have gave it this term
Maybe it's not even original maybe I heard it somewhere
and it came from there now it stuck with my show but I know it became a thing
the hamper rapid fire these both these things
everything yeah, but correct me if I'm wrong Karan
when you were offered this show, actually you were first offered to host an award show
and then you went in and suggested I might as well host a chat show of my own
Is that right?is that how it happened?
Actually there were these 2 girls who came to me to actually direct a show
for Star Parivar or for like you know for them
and i liked them very much so then I had this concept of talk show
so I said why don't we do this show
I won't direct Star Parivar but why don't you come on board and produce Koffee with Karan with me
and then we pitched it to Star and they really loved the idea and that's how it all began
I really started by doing it like it would be something fun and casual
I'll do it for one season and that's it
I never realised the show would be around for 18-years
I'll be sitting on this couch talking to you
18-years since 2004.
2004-it started exactly but when you were growing up did you have
these references of a talk show host-
Yeah I used to love watching Tabassum Ji in Phool Khile Hai Gulshan Gulshan
I have to wait every week, I used to love
then I started watching Simi Garewal who was I believe iconic and
pioneered the movement of talk shows in India with rendezvous
I loved watching her show I mean I always then imagined that I used to be
always at parties I used to also ask people questions even when I was 20-21
I used to like have these fun chats and banters so I just thought
that I have a talk show host in me somewhere I just needed to tap into that part of me
which I did
18-years ago.
But when you started in 2004 did any of these hosts come to you and like Simi ji and
you share a good rapport, did she come to you and say or give any reaction
or any tips, did it happen at that time?
No I didn't ask anyone for any tips I just did what I had in mind
Sure.
Has there been any celebrity that you know even today you
really have been wanting to get on the show but it hasn't happened as yet?
Seven Seasons.
Rekha Ji
I mean I really wanted to but
I love the fact that she's so exclusively elusive
But maybe one day that dream too shall come true
That's the mystery that probably makes them the star-like you said
sure, in the last season there was the Bahubali team and
of course, they were a riot something that people didn't expect
but this year we have Vijay Deverakonda and we have Samantha Prabhu
like the films are going pan-India, has the show really gone pan-India
Rightfully, because they're now global stars right they have
an audience not only across India but also the diaspora across the world
So it's my honour to have them on the show
Have Yash and Ruhi seen any of the episodes?
They know of the existence because they've seen the images
they've seen some here and there when it comes on tv
and they're sitting in the room when they watch it they're not quite sure what it is
but they know there is something attached to me called Koffee with Karan
They know about it.
But not one episode they've seen or anything
Sure but I'm sure-
I don't think that they will have the patience to sit through it
I'm not sure what they think I do because
I don't think they know I'm a filmmaker
They know that I'm somebody known because
when we travel and people come to click selfies and all
or recognise you or they see my photograph on a poster
like they always say Dada we saw your big face on the road
I was like they've seen a banner so they know
I'm a little more different
than the other parents perhaps but they're not quite sure what I do
But you've not shown them any film also
no they haven't seen anything, I'm planning to show them
Why? [Avinash] Kuch Kuch Hota Hai [Karan]
when they're about six or seven right now they're 5, maybe in a year or 2 I'll show them
Sure. You know on the film front I really have to ask you,
Rocky aur Rani ki Prem kahani is a casting coup, how excited are you for it?
Because I really am
I'm really excited because it's like going back to basics with that film
for me it's like that dance, songs fun, happiness, joyousness
celebration of love and family and
I'm so excited to be working with Dharam Ji and Shabana Ji and Jaya Aunty
Like I'm really excited because I have like literally from like
Dharam Ji to Alia Bhatt the range of talent in the film is phenomenal
also we have very exciting actors from Bengali cinema
We have Churni Ganguly, Tota Roy Chowdhury
massive stars and celebrities from they are also in the movie
so we have very exciting actors across the film so I'm really excited
about all of them bringing their A-game to the table and I hopefully can justify their presence
And after achieving so much you still challenge yourself which is why you also
announced an action film next which is admiring
I mean I think that age and experience has nothing to do with excitement
and I feel like the excitement in me is still like an 8-year-old
like I'm still as excited every time like
I do something new if I whether host a show I judge a reality show
or I direct a movie or produce a movie I'm still as anxious before the release
Like we just had Jugjug Jeeyo and I was stressed
I was abroad I was trying to monitor it from there
as excited butterflies in the stomach like how is it going to be
how is it going to be received, what are the reviews what are the collections
No matter how many times you've done it
I may have produced and directed over 50 films in the last like so many years
like nearly 3 decades but the excitement still remains the same
the nervousness still remains the same,
the challenges still seem as exciting.
I love Jugjug Jeeyo
Great, and it's done very well We are very happy
It has done really well.
Karan all the best for Koffee with Karan really excited and I'm sure everyone is
Thank you so much
Thank you I'll look forward to seeing you again soon
Same here. Thank you