“Did KJO Finally Get His Koffee Right?

So, the new season of ‘Koffee with Karan’ is out. According to Wikipedia, the chat show is one of the most-watched and second longest-running Indian English-language TV shows. And rightly so. The measured doses of political incorrectness have always attracted the target audience. So does the filmmaker and host Karan Johar, who delights and takes pride in his abilities to stir the pot, rake scandals and put his guests in a pickle.

The 8th season kickstarted with Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh as the first guests. I am not one of the loyal audiences, and I would have missed this season, too, like many other past seasons. But I am glad I didn’t.

Though the general verdict is that the episode is ‘too long,’ too boring,’ and ‘gimmicky’, I beg to differ. I don’t disagree with the reviews entirely, but there are moments that make the episode worth a watch.

 

Sometimes, just being there is enough

Deepika Padukone has been a fearless mental health champion; she has been quite vocal about her own struggles. But this time, she drew the public attention to another aspect of mental health—the caregivers’ support. She took it further by highlighting the ‘green flags’ in her partner, Ranveer Singh.

She elaborated how Ranveer never said, ‘It was okay, or she should forget it,’ or presumed that a ‘drive’ or ‘some music’ would snap her out of her depression.

This coming from Bollywood royalty can spark the right conversations. It can dispel myths and  change the way people interact with spouses struggling with a mental illness like no number of counselling sessions can. The ease with which Deepika specified that a ‘safe space’ can be created for a partner by just being there is praiseworthy.

“It’s okay to hate your partner sometimes.” 

Any couple married for a number of years knows that marriage isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. It requires work, patience, and tolerance. Sometimes, there are traits that one absolutely loathes, but you don’t question your choices, simply based on that one fault. Accepting the person as it is—’ flaws and all’ is hard, but that’s what it is. Marriage is a package deal with a generous amount of the good, the bad and the ugly.

It made me sit up and notice when Deepika openly expressed her dislike about Ranveer’s eccentric fashion choices and erratic sleep cycle. That’s not all. The couple talked about their dreamy romance and sizzling chemistry, but not without emphasising that their marriage requires constant work. Kudos to the celebrity couple for normalising marital struggles.

The ‘mother-in-law’ clause

At one point in the episode, Ranveer shared how it took a lot of work on his part to make a place for himself in his mother-in-law’s heart. And how fast forward to now, he has become her favourite person in the whole world.

It’s common to see mothers worrying about their daughter’s prospective partner. But it is not that common to see the prospective partner losing sleep over it or working towards winning that elusive approval. More so if the person belongs to the mainstream media, where swollen heads and inflated egos are the norm rather than the exception. To go the extra mile to please a spouse’s parent is not everyone’s cup of tea, and just for that, Ranveer Singh receives top marks from me.

Just the way he looks at her

Call me a diehard romantic, but I can’t get over the way Ranveer looked at Deepika throughout the show. Every single minute. He listened to everything she said with rapt attention as if committing the tiniest details to memory. In times when we are inundated with memes and jokes normalising husbands not listening to their wives, this was a refreshing change.

If it was just a PR exercise for grabbing eyeballs and duping gullible middle-aged women like me; the bottom line is it worked. Like a charm. At least for me.

Maybe the show was scripted. Perhaps there were fake tears, or possibly they exaggerated everything. For all we know, it was a well-thought-out publicity move. But a part of me is ready to overlook all that just for the glimpses of meaningful conversation that the episode brought out. In a world that believes in cancel culture and mass trolling, I’d rather focus on the positives. Even if it is only on the surface or far and few between.

So, at the risk of going against popular opinion, I accept I didn’t mind catching the widely believed ‘cringe,’ ‘sappy,’ and ‘scripted’ chat show.

As long as KJo is ready to serve cleaner conscience with his coffee, I am game.