Like most of its loyal audience, producer-director Karan Johar had also felt that he needed to press the ‘redo’ button for his popular celebrity chat show, Koffee With Karan, after a not-so-impressive last season earlier this year. Emphasising that the new edition of the show was “evolved”, Karan returned with Season 8 on Disney+ Hotstar this week.

However, the first episode of the season, featuring ‘Bollywood royalty’ Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh, mostly offered a recap of what we already know or have heard about the celebrity couple, barring a few revelations regarding their relationship. Some fun facts shared by the couple on the show included what Ranveer says (it would be funnier only if the audience could sample a few) in Deepika’s ear to make her flash ‘that angelic smile’ and that the couple dance till 4am to their favourite tracks on weekends.

Here’s a look at the hits and misses from the first episode of this season’s Koffee With Karan and things we learnt for the first time about Ranveer and Deepika.

Karan Johar risks making it about himself

Karan spoke at length, almost at the risk of making the show more about his personal experiences. It was also difficult to fathom from his surprised reaction that he didn’t have a clue about Ranveer-Deepika's secret engagement in Maldives in 2015. Later on the show, Karan got emotional after watching the unseen footage from the couple’s wedding in Italy’s Lake Como in 2018. He lamented about being single and having nobody to share ‘the nothings of the day’. The filmmaker wished that he gets to share his special story someday, just like Ranveer-Deepika. Later, when Deepika spoke about her mental health situation, Karan also spoke about a similar ‘legit attack’ on the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre inaugural night held recently. Later, when Ranveer spoke about his change in mindset about overdoing it with colourful clothes, Karan also brought up how he regretted his sartorial choices and termed it a major ‘mid-life crisis’ phase.

Shuttle legend Prakash Padukone wins hearts in the wedding video

Badminton champion Prakash Padukone opened up about son-in-law Ranveer’s fondness for his daughter Deepika and how he was initially a misfit in the Padukone family. “We are very quiet. We are a very boring family - us four. But I think it’s a good change. He will bring some life,” were his words, flashing the same smile, inherited by his gorgeous daughter. Again, when Ranveer had placed his hand on Deepika’s shoulder to take an oath that he would stay with her forever, the beaming faces of Deepika’s family members —Prakash, mother Ujjala, and sister Anisha — in the background mirrored an honest emotion.

At the end of the wedding video, Deepika, with no makeup on, looked radiant and expressed feelings about her husband Ranveer and how he ‘completes’ her. The actress, who gave a miss to the Koffee couch last season, confessed that most people aren’t aware of the fact that Ranveer is a quiet, intelligent, and sensitive man, who can cry a lot and is all heart by nature.

Ranveer-Deepika's 'origin story'

Following Kareena Kapoor Khan’s sudden exit from Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela, Ranveer recommended Deepika’s name to director Sanjay Leela Bhansali after watching her performance in Cocktail. In awe of Deepika, clad in a white chikankari suit, walking in at Bhansali’s Versova house near the sea for a script reading session, Ranveer tried to put her in the spot by pointing at a morsel of crab meat in her teeth. When Deepika retorted smartly to make him remove it, that was the moment when Ranveer’s heart fluttered. It was Deepika’s unlikely nonchalant self that swept him over. Thereafter, throughout the Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela shoot, the duo confessed to be in such an ‘inseparable’ state that they had prolonged the passionate lip-lock scene in Ang Laga De song.

Nonetheless, Deepika, who wasn’t looking for commitment after a couple of difficult relationships, admitted that they were ‘technically allowed to meet other people’ till Ranveer’s proposal in the Maldives. It was extremely amusing how Ranveer clearly remembered Deepika’s ‘two to three suitors’ during their initial period of dating.

Ranveer got an engagement ring beyond his means

In 2015, Ranveer, only a few films old in Bollywood, was aware of the fact that Deepika was a much bigger star than him. Therefore, to impress her, Ranveer, went a little beyond his resources to get the ring for the ladylove. After Deepika accepted the proposal and made him feel like ‘the king of the world', her family in Bangalore, especially her mother, took time to get used to Ranveer’s ways. Eventually, Ranveer won over the family and is now one of Ujjala Padukone’s favourite people.

The constant gaze on the star couple

Marriage becomes a lot of work when you’re under the social scanner everyday and have tight work schedules, Deepika said on the show. It gets harder when the partners come from different backgrounds. She disclosed that they do have their share of bad days, like any other couple, but they choose to power through them together and learn and grow from the arguments. And that’s what has kept their marriage beautiful. Ranveer couldn’t agree more to her and lets her have the final word.

Ranveer’s helplessness as a caregiver and his turnaround moment

Time and again, Deepika has openly acknowledged and addressed the importance of mental health, but this was the first time we got to know about how Ranveer navigated through his state of helplessness as a ‘caregiver’, especially when Deepika, with no urge to live, shed tears, unable to validate a reason.

After his three consecutive flops – 83, Jayeshbhai Jordaar and Cirkus — Ranveer, who had shared the Koffee With Karan couch with his Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahanii co-star and friend Alia Bhatt last season, admitted that the phase was new to him as he hadn’t experienced such a low in his career before and that he wasn’t okay, yet he came to terms with what happened around him within a few months and gradually came out of it. During one of those low moments, Deepika advised him not to distract people with flashy clothes as it seemed like he was trying to hide his lack of confidence.

The rapid-fire round lacked the fire, and the imposter game was a bit blah

In the rapid-fire round, there were a few flickers when Ranveer urged the audience to give him a chance to reprise Shah Rukh Khan’s role in Don 3. ‘Ek mauka toh banta hai,’ he insisted. Asked about who would Ranveer want to star alongside him and Deepika in a love triangle, he didn’t bat an eyelid to take Ranbir Kapoor’s name and chose him as the male contemporary actor to do a Dola re version. It also made him follow up with Karan Johar’s long-term plan to remake Sangam with Deepika, Ranveer and Ranbir. Thereafter, Ranveer said that Deepika had the best onscreen chemistry with none other than Shah Rukh Khan. When it came to Deepika’s turn, she couldn’t agree more with Karan’s question about being the best actress in Bollywood. What makes her a cut above the rest, Deepika owed to her upbringing and her previous athlete avatar as a differentiator. And Ranveer’s imitation of Hrithik Roshan was a lot of fun when Deepika took her Fighter co-star’s name while talking about onscreen chemistry.

However, the imposter game added no amount of fun and was boring with a capital B.