Koffee With Karan 7: Janhvi Kapoor, Sara Ali Khan reek of entitlement, Karan Johar's inside jokes play spoilsport

The second episode of Koffee With Karan 7 seemed less like Koffee With Karan and more like ‘Kitty Party with Karan’. The episode saw newcomers Sara Ali Khan and Janhvi Kapoor make an appearance on the chat-show which has had its fair share of controversies. Right off the back, KJo wasted no time in starting drama and introduced Khan and Kapoor as two leading Bollywood actresses who share exes. As the two sit on the couch, Karan is quick to mention that Sara and Janhvi have dated two brothers who happened to live in the same building as him - a revelation which was interesting but left many scratching their heads as to who were these two brothers that Johar was referring to? In the next hour, we see Karan, Sara and Janhvi trade inside jokes, snide and snooty remarks and refer to people in conversations who aren’t necessarily public figures and the viewers wouldn’t really be familiar with. Why did Karan, Sara and Janhvi forget that they are not having a conversation in their living room but in front of millions of viewers and that the cameras were rolling? Did it not occur to Sara, Janhvi or even Karan who is helming the show that the viewers might not be familiar with their inside jokes, the context and the people that they were referring to? While it was excusable for the first 20 minutes or so, it continued happening and after a while, it seemed that the trio had literally no regard for the viewers and weren’t really bothered if they understood half of their references. Why make a show for public viewing when you don’t care to give context?

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Well-rehearsed, orchestrated conversations

That, however, is some of the least concerning bit of the episode. If one watches all the segments, it is clear that the conversation between the trio isn’t free-flowing and candid but instead well-rehearsed and orchestrated, On many occasions, we see Karan urging Sara and Janhvi to share specific stories from their past which was a dead giveaway that it was previously decided by all three parties on what stories to share and what the major talking points of the episode will be. This left a sour taste for several die-hard, bonafide KWK fans who look up to the show for its candour, honesty and steamy conversations over a cuppa. Why did Karan choose to not have a free-flowing conversation with the starlets which is literally the USP of his show? The final nail in the coffin was when Sara told Karan upfront that Janhvi would ‘message him to edit this line out of the show’, This obviously shows that what we get to see of KWK is highly-edited and tightly-controlled in addition to being well-rehearsed. Where did the candidness go?

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Then, of course, comes the dreaded part where Janhvi and Sara share their travel adventures. The two go on and on like a broken record talking about rock-climbing, staying in hotels and unexpected encounters - again nothing wrong with it but none of it seemed relevant to the show. Viewers watch Koffee With Karan for gossip and controversy. While there cannot be scandalous conversations and juicy gossip in every episode the least one expects from their favourite celebrities is to be entertaining if not bitchy. Both Janvhi and Sara fail to deliver on that front. The conversations lack spark and seem superficial. The episode was particularly underwhelming because it seemed from the promos that it would be very similar to the infamous 2010 Deepika-Sonam KWK episode that caused major controversy. It was far from that and instead, seemed more like a snooze fest and never ending travel journal of Sara and Janhvi.

Entitlement, entitlement and more entitlement

The episode began with Karan asking the starlets about how the pandemic fared for them. Janhvi went on to say that the pandemic was ‘great for her’ and it was nice for her to not be seen. She then goes on to ask Sara, ‘does that sound horrible?’ Yes, Janhvi - many people lost their livelihoods and their homes due to the pandemic so for you to claim that it was ‘great’ without acknowledging your privilege was horrible indeed. Sara then goes on to save the day and says ‘anxiety about not being able to go out in a pandemic is a first-world and privileged problem’. Janhvi is seen nodding in agreement. One might think Sara isn’t as entitled and tone-deaf as Janhvi. That is until she proudly claims that she goes on to break lines in Disneyland as those who stood in the queue watched in disbelief. If that wasn’t enough, when Sara mentioned that she managed to bring the room rent at a hotel down to Rs 6000 from Rs 12000, Janhvi says ‘bade paise bacha liye’. While Rs 6000 might be a pittance for Janhvi, it is many people’s livelihood in India. Janhvi then goes on to complain about how the hotel they stayed at had no heaters and bad washrooms. Again, it only adds to the narrative of Janhvi being a privileged kid who lives in her own world.

All in all, the Sara-Janhvi episode of KWK was a major upset. Not only did it fail to provide gossip and entertainment that fans of the show eagerly look forward to, it brought out a side of Sara and Janhvi that reeked of entitlement and privilege. Needless to say, the rest of the episodes this season would have to be twice as entertaining and fun to watch if they wish to attract just as many viewers.

Deepansh Duggal is an entertainment, pop-culture and trends writer based in New Delhi. He specializes in op-eds based on the socio-political and gender issues in the world of entertainment and showbiz. He also writes explainers and occasionally reviews shows in the OTT space. He tweets at @Deepansh75. 

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