After all the hype around Vijay Deverakonda being the most desirable man in India, fans finally got to see the talk to the town in the latest episode of Koffee With Karan season 7. Accompanying with was Liger costar, Ananya Pandey. Finally, we saw an episode with mischief, humour and a genuine heart as the masks come off and we saw the real people.
The show began with Karan Johar criticising how people nowadays are easily offended and how he has now chosen to adopt a politically acceptable stance. So if he starts to get boring, sorry, 'differently intriguing,' don't go after him.
The elephant in the room had to be addressed. The footage of Sara and Jhanvi calling Vijay, the newest member of the Dharma banner, 'cheese' was displayed. Karan interrogates Vijay about it, which causes him to flush. However, Vijay plays it safe and only refers to Jhanvi as a sweet girl, and Sara as funny prompting Karan to compare him to a kind uncle.
Ananya Panday joins the banter to say, 'Can I be on the same platter' leaving KJo in splits. Then the question was directed to Ananya asking her about what was brewing between her and Aditya Roy Kapur when Karan spotted them catching up at his birthday party. To this, Ananya tells everyone how good friends they are, but as we know Karan and his pickiness in everyone's business, he asks Ananya are good friends with everyone. He also talked about his ex-boyfriend Ishan and being good friends with Kartik Aryan.
After the zany energy of Ranveer and Akshay, it was lovely to see Vijay on the couch as poised, calm and sincere. It was good to see Vijay's personal life a little closer as he has become the most desirable man in India. He confessed his affection for his contemporaries such as Samantha and Rashmika. Despite so much pressure from Karan about his relationship status, Vijay did not answer as he did not want to 'break the hearts of his fans'. He will when the time is right and he is ready for marriage.
As Karan forced them to practise what they preached about heart, career, and working together, their disparate yet enigmatically tantalising personalities came through. He hinted toward several intriguing celeb scoops, including information about Ananya's actual love life and Vijay's relationship status. We cherished Vijay and Ananya's honesty on the programme.
In the best parts of the episode, the stars talked about a concept such as Arjun Reddy and Kabir Singh. When asked whether the movie was sexist and misogynistic, Vijay responded that as an actor, his role is to empathise with the character and that is what he did. He mentioned how he would personally never imagine raising his arm on a woman. If he feels that degree of anger, he would simply walk off. Even Ananya unabashedly answered that she would never be comfortable with any of her friends being in an abusive or toxic relationship.
Vijay who has no connection to the film industry and has risen to such great heights shared what rows his boat. He passionately shared that he wants to be the vice for every boy from humble roots who had to give up on a movie night or an outing for lack of funds, and lay the way for them. He shared how much he appreciates acting for the lifestyle, luxury and credibility it gives him. In a world where stars seem too far-fetched from reality, it was nice to see an actor talk about the monetary aspect of being an actor.
Meanwhile, another topic of discussion on the couch was nepotism. Ananya was endearingly honest throughout the episode, whether it was the rapid-fire round or the Koffee Bingo. Ananya is one of the most trolled celebrities on the internet, whether it's about her appearance or being a star kid. Sharing the worst rumour she heard was that Chunkey Pandey paid money to get her films in Bollywood. In contrast, she says everyone knows that her father does not like spending money.
The actress spoke about the cruel trolling she has been fronting for being Chunky Panday's daughter since she set foot in the industry. Ananya Pandey also confesses how trolling takes a toll on her mental health, especially when her family is attacked.
Karan, who has turned 50 this year, wears his glasses and it is time for the rapid fire. This time too it was rapid and full of fire. Sorry Ananya, you did not win this time. You can try your luck next time.
During the end of the episode, the buzzer round was won by Ananya, but Vijay was no less; he had answers ready on his sleeves. Another exciting thing during the round was that Ananya made Kartik say hi to Karan, as the entire nation knew how they both have parted ways. With two extra points, Ananya won the game.
I must admit that the entire programme was quite entertaining and fresh, but I feel compelled to point out that it appeared that Vijay Deverakonda was the main focus of this Koffee With Karan episode. The actor was named in each of the previous three episodes. Given that Liger is a Dharma production, is KJo endorsing Vijay Deverakonda? Overall it was good to see a new fresh face on the couch. The pan-India film marks her first partnership with Vijay and will be released on August 25 in Hindi Cinemas.