It was a Kapur and Kapoor special on Episode 8 of Koffee With Karan Season 8. Host Karan Johar introduced the actor duo — Aditya Roy Kapur and Arjun Kapoor — as “two unmarried men who want to have fun”. Here are the highlights of the episode streaming on Disney+Hotstar.
On dating and relationships
It was obvious that Aditya Roy Kapur was going to be asked if he was dating Ananya Panday — after she dropped hints in a previous episode — and he neither denied it nor accepted it. He acknowledged their friendship and said Ananya was a source of “joy and bliss”, though he couldn’t remember her pet dog’s name or references to her father Chunky Pandey’s films.
Aditya admitted he hadn’t been in a committed relationship after dating his Aashiqui 2 co-star Shraddha Kapoor. Questioned about his various “outings and spottings” with others thereafter, Aditya said, “I was chilling.” In between, he was on Raya (a private membership-based dating app) to find a partner, which he called an “unsuccessful” phase. On being objectified for his ‘thirst trap’ persona, a flattered Aditya said, “I am more than my looks.”
Arjun Kapoor, who had talked about his relationship with girlfriend Malaika Arora at length in the show’s last season, appeared guarded about his private life. He said his current state of mind was “to take it as it comes”.
On success and failure
2023 has been hard on Arjun, who admitted that Ek Villain Returns and Kuttey’s box-office failure did take a toll on his mental health. Arjun wondered if he was choosing the wrong films or the audience didn’t feel about him the way they used to. But he believes all wrongs can be undone with one successful Friday opening at the box office and until that time, he’s ready to be patient. He cited how Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan had revived their careers after a slew of flops.
Aditya, who’s riding high on his successful OTT debut The Night Manager, said that he too had “down days” and there are times when negative thoughts creep in but he brushes them aside.
Unlike Arjun, Aditya’s first three films didn’t do well and so he feels “nothing is permanent”. On Kartik Aaryan being cast in Aashiqui 3, Aditya said that his character had died at the end of Aashiqui 2 and there was no point in bringing him back.
On trolling
Social media isn’t a big part of Aditya’s life, unlike Arjun and Karan Johar who are very active on it. But both the guests admitted to being affected by trolling and being age-shamed for their age difference with the people they were dating. Karan Johar added he had been shamed for his sexuality, for being a single parent and for his sartorial choices.
Aditya Roy Kapur, the ‘punching bag’
Aditya’s lack of knowledge of Bollywood trivia cracked up Arjun and Karan several times. They recalled how Aditya becomes the “punching bag” whenever the three of them and Ranbir Kapoor hang out together. Unlike Ranbir, “who knows a lot about films, especially his own films”, Aditya failed to name the characters played by Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge as part of a random Bollywood quiz. Aditya’s core interests are sports and music, and he is working on his album.
Playtime
In the game where one had to down a shot (of black coffee) if one agreed with the question asked, Aditya admitted to failing to cover up a hickey. Both Aditya and Arjun have ditched romantic date nights with their significant other only to hang out with the boys.
Aditya considered Ananya’s sense of humour to be the most attractive thing about her. Quizzed about Janhvi Kapoor’s wish to have Aditya as a stripper at her bachelorette, he was undecided about whether he was “flattered or offended”. Questioned about what he would do in an elevator together with Shraddha Kapoor and Ananya Panday, Aditya decided to act like the liftman.
Arjun said a good conversation turns him on, and he does believe in the institution of marriage. He also writes ‘I am taken’ when someone slides into his DMs, and admitted to having a man crush on Aditya and Diljit Dosanjh, mainly for his fashion choices.
