I’ve had life-changing conversations over coffee: Karan Johar

He made the idea of conversations over coffee cool, glam and irresistible. What brewed on his chat show Koffee With Karan (KWK), was hotter than the hamper and more addictive than the cuppa coffee. Over the last two decades, some of the flavours have changed, some of the goss has been tossed, but the stars still spill enough beans to give you that stimulating blend.

On International Koffee Day (blame KJo for the K), Karan Johar talks about the coffee drinking culture and the vibe around it – on and off the show.
You made conversations over coffee as glam and glossy as some of your movies, and of course, even changed the way ‘koffee’ was spelt for the entire nation.
I remember once being reprimanded by an English teacher who bumped into me, and she said, “Thanks to you, all my students write coffee with a K!” And this was in that phase of my life when I thought K was my lucky alphabet. I remember the point when I was thinking what I should call my talk show. I wanted the show to be about friends coming together, chatting candidly and just off the cuff. Nothing loaded, nothing heavy. And I thought, that’s what you do when you have coffee with friends. So, that’s where it all began. Back then, at one point, people would see me and start screaming coffee, coffee… and I had to tell them, my name is not coffee, I am not a beverage!

It’s been two decades since the first season of KWK. The coffee on your show has also changed flavours, and you have found different ways to brew a conversation with your guests. How do you feel about that?
I’ll tell you what happened – in the first couple of seasons, the stars had no filters, because there was no social media going crazy online and everything was not like a click bait headline. And then, I could tell that slowly with every season, the stars became more guarded. So, then I made my show more gamey and fun, where you could see them at least dropping their guard as cool people, even if they weren’t disclosing their personal opinions. I don’t blame them for not opening up, because they were afraid of a PR nightmare, and I understand that because today, we have to watch our P’s and Q’s when we talk, and our thoughts are racing ahead of our words.

Growing up, you were a shy and introverted boy. Then you turned into a filmmaker, which required you to be behind the camera. What prompted you to face the camera as a chat show host, as that’s quite a mindset shift for a filmmaker?
In 2000, I hosted two segments of an award show for the first time, and back then, it was an unusual choice for a filmmaker to be a host. Then, I did it the next year, and the year after that for other awards shows. And in the interim, just on a whim I got this idea about doing a chat show. I was always a huge fan of Phool Khile Hain Gulshan Gulshan hosted by Tabassum and Rendezvous with Simi Garewal. I believe that both these illustrious ladies are the real OGs, and they are responsible for the talk show culture in our country. I came in much later, but I’d like to believe that I did it my way.

In your observation, do you think the new generation of actors are far more guarded and wary of opening up in conversations?
The younger generation, while they may be more energetic, are more careful. They’re far more guided by their publicists and strategy management teams. I don’t blame anyone. Everyone’s guided to say the right thing and to come across in the right way. But there is a generation before them that is so pure and organic, and there is a generation even before them who don’t have any filters because they don’t fear consequences. They’ve achieved enough in life. It’s the new generation that are building their careers, and they fear consequences. They are living in a social media generation, where nothing they say can go unheard or unnoticed. At times, it gets blown out of proportion and you become a headline.
The show has evolved, and naturally, you have too. Over the years, people have seen a side of your personality that they wouldn’t get a glimpse of if you were only making movies. Would you say it is a good thing to have happened?
You know, it can be good and bad. People who are really close to me, know me for the person I am. But there are many who form an opinion of me after seeing the show. They think you are this bi***y, gossipy person. But what you are doing is playing a part of the drama, and it’s for fun. And that’s not all that I am doing. I am simultaneously contributing to the arts and cinema. Somehow, I am stuck with a lot of perception problems. I feel that people perceive me in a certain way because of the part I have played as a talk show host. Not all of me is what’s on the show. The perceptive people can see through the surface glamour, but there are many who can’t do that.
Have there been any life-changing moments or conversations that happened over a cup of coffee in reality?
Well, during most of my sessions with my therapist I have had coffee, and some of those have been life-changing in many ways and there is no shame in saying that. Many of us seek help, I call it urban angst where we are living in cities, surrounded by noise of all kinds, virtual and literal. Many of us feel the need to express our emotions in the confines of a space, where you feel safe. In many such sessions, I have had coffee, so I guess I have had about 20 such life changing conversations over coffee.
Did You Know?
Karan gave up coffee for a few years. He reveals, “At one point in my life, I just gave up drinking coffee. When I would shoot for KWK, I would drink nimbu paani or just water. Eventually, I went back to coffee. I had a mannat, and I wanted to give up something I really liked. So, every time I have to give up something I really like, it’s always coffee.”