A lot can happen over coffee, they say, and those words indeed ring true when Bollywood fandom thinks of Koffee with Karan and the infamous Koffee couch that comes with it.
The world woke up to the emotional news of Karan Johar bidding a final farewell to his iconic talk show after 22 years. In an emotional video shared by the makers, Karan Johar said he’s coming one last time to raise the coffee mug, with Season 9 streaming on JioHotstar from October 14. And as “all good things must come to an end”, rightly quoted by Johar himself in the reveal video, Koffee with Karan will have its final curtain call after this season.
Interestingly, the last eight seasons and 161 episodes of the hit show have been imbued with a horde of controversies, unsavoury remarks, and questionable discussions, but what it has always managed to do is grab eyeballs. Keep the conversation going, always, on or off the couch.
As Karan Johar himself states in the newly released video, “A lot happened. I called lovers. I called friends. I called families. I called lovers who went on to become ex-lovers. Some of them even got married. I put an end to the careers of national icons. I am living with the term ‘nepo’ even today. Conjecture became a national word. So much happened.”
And indeed, a lot has happened. But you can hate it or love it, you can’t ignore it.
As fans wait for the final countdown to the iconic Koffee with Karan world, here’s a look back at some of the stirring, scandalous moments that were trending long before social media became the news headquarters.
1. Season 3, Episode 3: Deepika Padukone Said Ranbir Kapoor Should Endorse Condoms
Deepika Padukone and Ranbir Kapoor fell in love on the sets of Bachna Ae Haseeno, but officially split in 2009 after dating for a while. This viral comment by Deepika Padukone was made in 2010 when she graced the show with Sonam Kapoor. Karan Johar had questioned what brand or product Ranbir Kapoor should endorse, to which Deepika Padukone had taken a jibe at him, saying he should endorse a condom brand. Over the years, Deepika Padukone has remarked that the comment was passed as a joke, and Ranbir Kapoor has also taken it in his stride. However, it had cooked up a massive media storm back then, with Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Kapoor reportedly being displeased with it.
2. Season 5, Episode 16: Kangana Ranaut On Nepotism
While the nepotism debate has almost become stale now, back when Kangana Ranaut first initiated the conversation on Karan Johar’s talk show, alongside her Rangoon co-star Saif Ali Khan, it was quite the scandal. Kangana Ranaut had accused Karan Johar of being the “flagbearer of nepotism” and part of the “movie mafia”, having launched a slew of star kids, from Alia Bhatt to Varun Dhawan and Ananya Panday, while openly calling out his intolerance and “snooty” behaviour towards outsiders. It left Karan Johar shocked and marked the beginning of a rivalry that has only intensified over the years.
3. Season 6, Episode 12: Hardik Pandya And KL Rahul’s Sexist Remarks
There’s a statement that Karan Johar makes in the recently released promotional video for Koffee with Karan Season 9, that the show marked the end of careers for national icons. One might retrace their steps and believe he’s talking about the online ruckus that was unleashed after his episode with cricketers Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul. The makers had to take the episode off-air, and the BCCI had to drop the players for a few matches.
When KJo asked Hardik, “Why don’t you ask women’s names at nightclubs?”, Pandya responded, “I like to watch and observe how they move. I’m a little from the Black side so I need to see how they move.” The cricketer’s sexist and misogynistic reply left the internet furious.
4. Season 3, Episode 16: Ranveer Singh Commented On Anushka Sharma’s A**
Following the massive success of Band Baaja Baaraat, which marked Ranveer Singh’s debut alongside Anushka Sharma, the two appeared on Koffee with Karan together. But it was Ranveer Singh’s distasteful comment directed at Anushka Sharma that did not go down well with the audience. Ranveer was sitting next to Anushka when he asked her: “Hey, you want your a** pinched? I’m right here.” Anushka, who looked shocked, replied, “Don’t talk to me like that.” The actor was later criticised by netizens, who called his remark derogatory. Interestingly, the same clip went viral around 2019, years after it was originally made, around the same time Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul’s crass remarks drew flak.
5. Season 3, Episode 5: Kareena Kapoor Made Fun Of Priyanka Chopra’s Accent
Kareena Kapoor Khan and Priyanka Chopra are said to have been great friends early on. Today too, they share a great camaraderie and have even appeared together in later seasons of Koffee with Karan. However, back in Season 3, when Kareena Kapoor Khan, a Koffee with Karan regular, came on the show with her then-boyfriend Saif Ali Khan, she made fun of Priyanka Chopra’s accent and asked KJo, “Where did PC get that accent from?”
In the same season, PC appeared on the show with a sassy reply to Kareena’s remark. She said, “I get my accent from the same place her boyfriend (Saif Ali Khan) does.”
6. Season 4, Episode 1: Salman Khan’s Comment About Being A “Virgin”
Salman Khan alone is enough to make news, and he did just that in his debut appearance on the Koffee couch. Salman Khan not marrying has been a topic of great fascination for years, and in this episode he opened up about his past relationships. His deadpan confession about all his relationships being platonic in the past, followed by the statement, “I am a virgin and I sleep alone”, was a major moment back then. When Karan Johar pressed him further about intimacy, Salman Khan added, “I’m going to save myself for the one that I get married to.”
Over the years, Salman Khan’s remark has become one of the most iconic television moments ever. It made headlines, became fodder for satirical memes and endless gossip, but it did exactly what it was meant to do.
7. Season 4, Episode 9: Emraan Hashmi’s One-Word Description for Aishwarya Rai Bachchan – “Plastic”
The rapid-fire round on Koffee with Karan is one of the most loved and exciting segments. It was during that segment that Karan Johar asked Emraan Hashmi about the first thing that comes to mind when he hears Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s name. “Plastic,” the actor replied. His response was not taken well by the audience. He had also made a controversial remark about Shraddha Kapoor’s physique, saying she should eat something. Years later, Emraan Hashmi apologised for the remark, saying it happened in the heat of the moment.
8. Season 4, Episode 5: Alia Bhatt Didn’t Know The Then President of India
Controversial or not, this episode, which was also Alia Bhatt’s debut on Koffee with Karan, has been a viral meme for eons now. It is a joke that followed Alia Bhatt everywhere she went in her initial years and still does whenever this moment is discussed. Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan and Sidharth Malhotra made their debut with Karan Johar’s Student of the Year in 2012. When the trio appeared on KJo’s show, a quick round of rapid-fire landed Alia in a pool of trolling and criticism. When asked to name the then President of India, Alia instantly said Prithviraj Chauhan instead of Pranab Mukherjee.
The show, which first aired in 2004, has now reached the end of the road with its final season. Streaming on Jio Hotstar from October 14.
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