Koffee, KBC & Karan

Koffee, KBC & Karan

Roshmila Bhattacharya
Posted online: Friday, February 02, 2007 at 0000 hours IST

Even without a steaming cuppa in hand, Karan Johar makes great coffee... Oops!.. copy.

This time too he came up tops as he fielded queries on friend Shah Rukh Khan's KBC wardrobe that has been designed by him, his talk show that is set for a second season, his partnership with NDTV and other ventures

What was the look you had in mind for Shah Rukh Khan's KBC wardrobe?

I've been coordinating with Siddharth Basu's wife Anita and her brief to me was very clear. Clean lines and the simple, classic look. The endeavour all along has been to not over-emphasise the clothes because the prime focus of KBC is the show and the host's interaction with the people. The only concession to fashion that I've made is to go in for skinny ties as opposed to the broad ties that everyone favours today. These ties were very "in" in the '60s and '70s and I felt that Shah Rukh with his compact frame could carry them off. In some episodes I have also given him a neck scarf that's very European and dashing. There's also some subtle detailing in the stitches on the jacket or the way the handkerchief peeks out of the top pocket of his suit. But for the most part, Shah Rukh's clothes are all very elegant and tailored, in subtle effective tones that blend with the backdrop. Black, grays, blues...

No reds given the magenta backdrop?

Red is a very vibrant colour. It would jump out of the screen and scream out loud. I've been very careful not to use over-bright colours because I wanted Shah Rukh's face in focus...His clothes are secondary. They only help to highlight his intrinsic warmth and make him more "connected" to his audience.

His "Hot-Seat" look is in sharp contrast to his hip-hop wardrobe in the video that works as a prelude to every new episode.

I could go wild in the video because Ganesh Hegde's brief to me was for Shah Rukh to be cool and chilled-out. In the video he is the quintessential superstar that everyone aspires to be. So the look I went for was slightly bling, plenty pop, very Justin Timberlakish. And going by the response both seem to have worked equally well.

Did KBC necessitate plenty of shopping sprees abroad?

Not really, because Mumbai today is a very savvy city. When everything that is fashionable is accessible here, why would I feel the need to travel abroad?

For Armani and Louis Vuitton?

Shah Rukh is our biggest brand today, so why would we need other brands? Honestly, KBC is very Indian. Its guests are Indian. Its host is Indian...

So will Shah Rukh be donning ethnic ensembles too?

May be, in some special episodes.

But no leather jackets and jeans?

No way!

You've been designing Shah Rukh's clothes for a long time...

For over a decade.

So how different is designing for KBC from designing for one of his films?

Films are always character-based but in KBC I'm dressing up Shah Rukh the man and not the actor.

What's Shah Rukh's biggest USP as a style icon?

He can carry off anything, from jeans to a three-piece suit. He's your dream clothes- horse. Everything looks good on him because he is neither too broad nor too slim, not too tall nor too short...

Did you watched the first episode of KBC with Shah Rukh and his kids at Mumbai's Hotel Taj Land's End?

No, I was in Dubai at the time with his wife Gauri. But it was a proud moment for us when we got calls from all over the world giving him the thumbs -p. My voice-mail was choked, so I wonder what happened to his!

How did his kids, Aryan and Suhana, like the show?

His kids adore him and so too do all the boys and girls he blows kisses to every night. That little endearment has helped him instantly bond with the below 10 age group.

What was your first impression of KBC's new host?

Warm...Endearing...Instantly connecting with his audience. I loved it when he got up and so casually began to give his tense guest a massage.

Is he in the habit of doing that?

No, but he truly cares for people. And I think that's why he's able to bring a smile to so many faces.

Will you ever face him on the Hot Seat?

I'll be coming on the Valentine Day Special.

You like quizzing?

I'm awful! My strength is GQ not GK.

And yet you fielded queries during the practise sessions at Mannat?

Shah Rukh was pretty nervous and apprehensive at that point. He did not think he was qualified for the job. I was at those sessions, as a friend to lend moral support rather than a contestant.

You too are returning with the second season of Koffee With Karan. Will it be easier the second time around?

It is never easy. I'm as scared as I would be if I were making my first film. But there's a lot of excitement too because today Koffee... is a large part of my entity and has helped tremendously in brand-building.

So what's new with Koffee... this season?

The decor. We have a new set designed like a loft in Soho or Greenwich Village. Some of the guests are the same but they are paired with someone different.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali now comes in with Mallika Sherawat instead of Aishwarya Rai. They certainly are an odd couple.

From the outside it would seem that Sanjay and Mallika have nothing in common. They come from different spheres...different cinemas. But put then on the couch and they are explosive.

Was it easy to pin down the elusive Ms Sherawat?

I only had to ask. She's actually very warm and friendly.

Saif was to come with Rosa but walked in with Soha instead. Did you miss the former?

It was always the brother and sister together. And the warmth and affection they share comes across.

Who was your most difficult guest on the first season?

They were all fantastic but I had to research Sunny Deol some because though I have great regard for him as an actor I'm not very close to him. I did not mind the effort. In fact, now that I'm a member of the media ,I plan to take on a dozen people who I don't know all that well. It's great fun to watch a closeness develop between a twosome like Sanjay and Mallika who you thought were poles apart. I put in a lot of effort for the one-on-one with actor-AIDS activist Richard Gere and had to do a lot of research before the Mira Nair-Tabu interface too.

We're told that you were so wowed by The Namesake that you had to have "Koffee" with Mira and even had a special preview arranged for your friends at Yash Raj Studios recently?

I loved The Namesake. It's so moving. Watching the film is like a catharsis because it deals with the sense of loss of self specially in a foreign land where you can feel your identity being submerged in the clash of cultures. Jhumpa Lahiri has written a very beautiful book and only Mira could have adapted it so beautifully. I recommend it to everyone.

Why is it that the majority of your celeb guests come from the film fraternity?

From the feedback we got, people want to see me with my film friends. So 70 per cent of my guests will be from my world but for every Shah Rukh and Kajol there will be a Shobhaa De and a Vijay Mallya who will talk about the general aspects of life.

No politicians on your show?

The vibe of Koffee... is fun, casual and irreverent. So I don't think we should bring politics on board.

No, its far more sensible to stay with your Kuch Kuch Hota Hai trio, Shah Rukh, Kajol and Rani to get your show off to a rocking start. What was the highpoint of that episode?

It was a mad show...throbbing with energy, chemistry and history which wasn't surprising given the fact that KKHH, the film that brought the four of us together, will be completing a decade next year.

NDTV now has a new partner in Karan Johar and Dharma Productions and everyone's waiting for the promised No. 1 entertainment channel that you have been promoting.

It's too early to talk about the entertainment channel. You'll know all once it kicks off. It's very exciting being a part of the creative development. I have a great deal of respect for Pronoy Roy who is tremendously futuristic when it comes to television.

The speculations are that Koffee... will move to NDTV now that Sameer Nair is also going on board.

We know that Sameer has put in his papers but it's still not official where he will be moving so I don't want to comment on that. However, Koffee... will always be Star property. I have a great association with the channel. It gave me a star platform and there's no way I'm going to pull Koffee... out from Star.

Hey, by now you should have been endorsing a brand of coffee.

I've been dying to and am really upset that no one has appraoched me yet given the fact that today coffee has become synonymous with Karan. May be they will now that it's on paper (Laughs).

Actor, director, designer, talk-show host and now animation maker. Karan Johar sure has come a long way.

That he has.

Why an animation feature?

You'll know why when you know what the subject is. But since I'm in the process of putting it on paper, I can't reveal too many details at this juncture.

Does this mean that direction will take a backseat now?

Not at all. In fact, I'm leaving in February to research my next film.

Why? Is it a historical?

(After a moment of stunned silence) No, it is not a historical. And before you ask let me say that I won't tell you what it is. Not at the moment.

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