It’s back! Bigger? Yes, if the first episode, featuring “Bollywood royalty” as host Karan Johar puts it, is any indication. Better? Well, the jury is still warming to that one. The premiere episode of Season 8 of the highly controversial and much-talked-about celebrity chat show Koffee with Karan commenced with red-hot (or bewitching-in-black) couple Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone talking about how they fell in love, the dreamy proposal, how they continue to support each other through five years of marriage and much more.

Starting off the episode, KJo, straight off the bat, said that he was looking at Season 8 as a “redo” and an attempt to “clean the crumbs”, possibly after the numerous controversies that the Disney+Hotstar show has got into in previous seasons. Here’s what we liked and what we didn’t of the Season 8 kick-off.

WE LOVED

The easy PDA

We know that they are lookers, but Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone (who in a smart twist of words “RSDP-ed” to grace the show in what is their first appearance together), looked like a million bucks apiece. Complementing each other in black, the two sat very close to each other through most of the show (except when told to get “competitive” and sit on opposite sides of the famous KWK couch for the Rapid Fire Round). We loved the organic and easygoing public display of affection between the two, especially the many times when Ranveer leaned over to kiss his wife on her bare shoulder. Awww!

The courtship and proposal

Revealing the details of their courtship and engagement to the world for the first time, the couple said that they had started seeing each other during the shoot of their first film together, Ram-Leela, in 2012. Sparks flew immediately, in fact on the dinner table when Deepika asked Ranveer to remove a piece of crab stuck between her teeth (relatable much?)

Ranveer revealed that they got engaged as far back as 2015, without the world (and even Deepika’s parents!) knowing. The proposal, that Ranveer planned “on a sliver of sand” in the Maldives with only the two of them present instantly gave us #Goals. “I knew she was the one. Isse aagey ki koi aur aaye, main chappal rakh deta hoon,” said Ranveer in his trademark inimitable style about how he hooked and booked Deepika.

Unseen footage of the wedding

In 2018, Deepika and Ranveer, along with close friends and family, took off to Lake Como in Italy for their dream wedding. The best moment of the hourlong episode was, hands down, the world’s first peek at some unseen footage of the wedding, with the couple looking so happy that it got Karan emotional (yes, he cried).

The footage not only had Deepika and Ranveer solemnising both a South Indian wedding and an Anand Karaj ceremony it also featured their respective dads talking on camera. “He’s (Ranveer) exactly the opposite of my family. We are all very quiet. We are a boring family, but he will bring in some life,” is what DP’s dad, former badminton champ Prakash Padukone, had to say in the video.

Strong support system

While admitting that “marriage is a lot of hard work” on a daily basis, Deepika said that what attracted her to Ranveer was that part of him as a person that the world hadn’t seen. “I love the fact that he cries,” she said. She also spoke about how Ranveer was sensitive and highly supportive during her battle with depression. “Ranveer created a safe space to be vulnerable and to communicate,” she said.

The two also revealed that what keeps their marriage kicking is the fact that they allow the child in each of them to remain alive. What’s their magical formula? To spend time together and dance the night away quietly at home.

Rapid-Fire round

Though it lacked the fire and bite of previous seasons, there was, as expected, much to love in this popular round. When asked, what keywords he would use in AI to craft a Deepika lookalike, Ranveer sweetly said: “Sunshine, Tweety bird and Pebbles Flintstone.” He also revealed that his wife shares the best onscreen chemistry with her ex Ranbir Kapoor and put in some talk about how KJo had plans to remake Sangam with the three.

Deepika’s answers, in contrast, were less fiery, but she did say that she believes that she is the “best actress in Bollywood now” and that she shares the best screen chemistry with Ranbir, Irrfan and Hrithik Roshan. For the record, DP won the hamper, much to Ranveer’s horror!

WHAT WE DID NOT LIKE

KJo’s predilection to thrust himself into every conversation is nothing new, but in this episode, it popped up more. As usual, he was the one talking more than his guests. While his idea may have been to make himself more relatable to the conversation, one wasn’t sure if we really wanted to know the deets of his mental health struggles and his changing his sartorial choices. Especially in an episode where we could have had so much more of his good-looking guests.

The ‘Imposter Game’, introduced this season, is one damp squib. Suitable perhaps for a drunken night-in with friends, this round does Koffee with Karan no favours.

What did you like/ not like about S08E01 of Koffee with Karan?
Tell t2@abp.in