Renowned director and talk show host Karan Johar has finally addressed one of the most frequently asked questions surrounding his popular celebrity chat show, ‘Koffee with Karan’ – why Virat KohliOne of India’s biggest sports icons has never been seen on a show.
Why didn’t Virat Kohli appear on Koffee with Karan?
Speaking on Sania Mirza’s Podcast, Johar said his decision not to invite Virat was influenced by the controversies that erupted in 2019, Cricketers watched Hardik Pandya’s appearance and Kl rahul in the same show.
The director of Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Prem Kahaani admitted that his exit from that episode completely changed his approach to inviting athletes.
The 2019 episode of Koffee with Karan made headlines for all the wrong reasons, featuring Hardik and Kl Rahul. Cricketers have come under severe backlash for their inappropriate and sexist remarks in which scores of viewers have been offended. The controversy quickly escalated into social media outrage, public criticism and disciplinary action from the Board of Control for Cricket in India.
As a result, both Pandya and Rahul were suspended from the Indian Cricket team and forced to issue public apologies. The episode was eventually picked up by Disney + Hotstar, and Johar later admitted that the scandal had affected him personally and professionally.
Reflecting on this incident, Johar said: “I never asked virat. Now, after what happened with Hardik and Rahul, I don’t ask any cricketer. I only asked myself first.”
This revelation explains why, despite Anushka Sharma making multiple appearances on the show, Virat is missing from the guest list.
Read: Controversial statements made by Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul on ‘Koffee with Karan’
“I feel really bad about what happened”: Karan Johar
In a conversation with Sania, Johar admitted that the controversy has left a lasting impression on him going into 2019. He felt responsible for the incident and the repercussions it had on the players’ careers.
“I feel really bad about what happened” Johar said. “I didn’t expect their comments to cause such a storm. It was a learning moment for me about the responsibility that comes with a show like this.”
The event also forced a re-evaluation of the neighbor selection process and the guest selection process to avoid inviting the spontaneous and often uninvited areas of the show’s intimate and often unaccustomed entertainment into non-commercial areas.
Read: Hardik Pandya’s phone wallpaper girlfriend Mahieka Sharma is going viral
