The third episode of celebrity talk show Koffee with Karan Season 8 — featuring Sara Ali Khan and Ananya Panday — offered a peek into the self-discovery path the actresses were on.

While Ananya made thinly-veiled references to her relationship with actor Aditya Roy Kapur and Sara confirmed that she had never dated cricketer Shubman Gill, host Karan Johar said he stood by Vijay Deverakonda-starrer Liger, which was his colossal flop as a co-producer.

Karan kicked off the show by describing Sara and Ananya as ‘baes’ and ‘certified besties’ but by the end of the episode, daggers were drawn for a fun showdown. Eventually, Sara was being Sara and Ananya was being Ananya in the rapid-fire round.

Not the Sara that Shubman Gill dated

Ananya indirectly admitted to being in an ‘Aashiqui’ space of mind with Aditya Roy Kapur, whom she called her ‘best friend’ right after Karan bandied the popular ‘love is friendship’ line from his film Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. Without denying or acknowledging the alleged relationship, she said, ‘Some things should be private and special’ and blushed at the idea of marriage with Aditya.

On the other hand, Sara denied dating cricketer Shubman Gill ever and said that the whole world was after the wrong Sara, hinting that it is Sara Tendulkar (Sachin Tendulkar’s daughter). Currently single, Sara confessed to feeling lonely at times and that beneath her chirpy exterior was someone who craved the basic things in life. But she also isn’t willing to get into a relationship just for the sake of it. She wished for a ‘fuller life’ and wanted to project herself as an ‘honest, smart and sensitive girl’.

‘Who’s Orry?’

Paparazzi favourite Orhan Awatramani aka Orry, whose photos with Bollywood celebrities, especially the star kids, keep flooding Instagram, came up in the conversation. When Karan asked Sara and Ananya about their friend Orry’s job profile, Ananya recollected what he had told her: ‘Loved but misunderstood’. To which, Karan pointed out that it was a phenomenon, not a profession. Sara and Ananya tried hard to explain Orry’s profession as someone who is ‘funny’, gave good energy, came up with good Instagram captions and worked on himself by going to the gym and spa.

Ex-boyfriends, seeking validation and other life lessons

On maintaining a cordial equation with ex-boyfriend Kartik Aaryan, Sara admitted it wasn’t easy for her as she had invested herself in the relationship and, in turn, got affected too. Her learning was: ‘There are no permanent predicaments in this business’ and ‘unrealistic expectations are a recipe for disaster.’ Karan shared his own story of how he drifted away from his two close friends — Kajol and Kareena Kapoor Khan — only to come back stronger.

Looking back at her performances in films like Love Aaj Kal 2 and Coolie No. 1, Sara wished to shed her louder-than-necessary and gregarious self which she uses to overcompensate for something she lacks.

Ananya admitted to having worked for ‘validation’ and not managing to earn respect. While earlier she wanted to be a heroine, now she wishes to be a good actor. Ananya also mentioned that she couldn’t relate to what she had said on the show’s last season and that she had evolved with time.

Dressing up and looking beyond the mirror

Once again Sara came across as someone with a distinct personality who’s comfortable in her own skin. She’s aware of being perceived by her social media followers in a certain way for the fact that she doesn’t always dress up in designer outfits and accessories like other star kids. And while she owns a few designer bags and shoes, Sara made it clear that she doesn’t believe in collecting designer clothes.

Ananya chipped in that she got swept away by the need to look good in front of the camera and got lost in the way.

Game zone

Both Sara and Ananya nailed the quick alphabet challenge round. Their best replies from the rapid fire round were already revealed in the promo. So, Ananya feeling like an ‘Ananya Coy Kapur’ when quizzed about her relationship with Aditya Roy Kapur and Sara quipping about the presence of a certain night manager (hinting at Aditya’s web show The Night Manager) in Ananya’s life didn’t ring as novel. But when Ananya mentioned celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor as someone who meets her idea of a date — because he smells good, cooks butter chicken and has veins on his hands — and Sara rambled a few all-over-the-place shayari, you knew that some things hadn’t changed since their last Koffee With Karan outing.