TV series 1 - Koffee with Karan

It’s strange that i have never written about Koffee With Karan before. i don’t exactly remember when i started watching it. Never watched live episodes. i must have caught some old episodes later and then i watched old - and now latest- episodes online. Despite the cheeky, catty format of the show, i have no qualms in accepting that i like it. Since the only critic of the program i know is my husband, i have no idea what people at large think about it. But i don’t care!

At the outset, i do disagree with Karan’s deliberate attempts at sensationally prying into guests’ personal lives. The younger the lot the more scandalous the questions. i don’t think film stars have to accept or reveal who they are currently dating or in love with. They have enough paparazzi stalking them without a person from within the ‘fraternity’ - as Karan calls it - taking their case. i know everyone cringes, shifts uncomfortably but smiles through the grilling motion because it puts them in the news - much needed publicity for some actors’ declining careers. So the whole blatant routine of taking pot-shots at contemporaries is something i don’t like about the show.

The main thing that draws me to the show is the language of Karan. i am just drawn to people who have a thing with words. He is the only person currently in my life who uses words like “repercussions”, “animosity”, “incandescent”, “fraternity”, “phenomenal”, “fashionista”, “invariably”, “illustrious”, “magnanimity”, “misconstrue” etc. i relish each one of them, especially the adjectives and construction of sentences. One that stands out in my mind is a part of his introduction of the living legend Amitabh Bachchan - “we bow our heads down in respect, we salute and rise when we say the words Amitabh Bachchan. So apt and totally does justice to the stature of the guest! Phrases like “great chip off the legendary block” (for Shweta Bachchan) and “water down the bridge” are just cases in point.

One aspect of the show that i like is getting to know the real people behind he stars. Scandals apart, there are some candid moments too. It’s nice to see actors of the yesteryears chat up about good old times. Talking of simpler times and there seems to be no scope for shocking, lurid revelations. Even with younger actors, there are sneak peaks into how hard the current lot works to be where they are. Episodes with Javed Akhtar and Shabana Azmi, Jaya Bachchan and Hema Malini with their daughters, Mira Nair and Tabu are a breath of fresh air and a delight to watch.

So i don’t care what the show really intends to be. i just love to dance to the music of those words, irrespective of who the speaker is and what his image. i am not a Karan Johar fan and do not endorse his films. Go ahead and watch the show. Cut out the sensation and you might enjoy it too.