PremiumKoffee With Karan Season 8 Episode 13 review: The jury's verdict stays bland about Karan Johar's talk show that lost its brew
In the finale episode of KWK 8, Karan Johar discussed the season's lack of charisma and genuine moments.
Last Updated: 02.08 PM, Jan 18, 2024
In anticipation of the Koffee Awards, where the unfiltered panel expertly blends scorn and wit, the last brew is as steaming as usual, with social media mystic Orry as the special guest.
Like the previous season, this time too, Koffee With Karan ended with 13 episodes. It was all about cracking a coup on the couch for the 12 episodes, and sure shot, the show won it then and there. Starting with Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh and ending with Zeenat Aman and Neetu Kapoor, we saw several fan favourites coming back to the couch. But at what cost? The all-guards falling in the premiere episode led to the most careful approach by the other celebs for the rest of the episodes.
As Sumukhi Suresh pointed out, this season was "Poo Bani Parvati" and filled with so much filter that I agree with Tanmay Bhat's suggestion that it could have been titled Filter Koffee with Karan. The final episode, although it was the Koffee Awards, started off with the presence of an enigma called Orry. His mysterious online presence and his photos with the Star Kids provided more information than I had anticipated. But his presence on the finale episode was what people nowadays on the Internet say: All the things I know about him were against my wishes.
Although it was a brief appearance, there's already so much out there about Orry, from dating five people at once to even plotting his own digital demise along with a resurrection. We know it all, but why?! Thankfully, it too passed with difficulty, like a kidney stone, but with the better feeling that the "panellists" had the same feeling as most of the viewers about this season.
The jury included Tanmay Bhat, Danish Sait, Sumukhi Suresh, and Kusha Kapila. They were no-holds-barred, making for a good blend of burns and banter. There were many "I agree" moments, and Karan Johar, without fearing "Reddit," came clean that his previous season's approach of exploring celebrities' sexcapades came with a huge blow for him. Thus, the filmmaker-host decided to have a conversation with the celebrities, delving into their true selves, which seemed more like a therapy session for him than for the celebrities present.
But one shouldn't have forgotten the fact that this talk show is for the viewers, where you expect celebrities to let loose. Indeed, if that is the only way to elicit spice from them, no one intends to learn about their private lives. However, it appears that the translation has failed to strike the necessary balance in showcasing the celebrities' best, resulting in a snoozefest.
The Koffee Awards followed, with the jury appearing compelled to distribute awards across the six categories, including best rapid fire, best burns, best moments, and lead performances. Finding the best in the mediocrity of this season indeed looked like a difficult task. However, let's not forget, there were a few best moments, but they were just glimpses in the entirety of the talk show.
It seemed like they were discussing who should win, but they ended up giving the award to someone else. It's fine if no one is on the same page, but the unanimous decision also seemed pre-decided, with just the so-called jury and the host just taking out names randomly to see if they would answer the phone or not.
Like the whole season, the awards were also a tad disappointing. But nevertheless, we can still hope that there's scope for bringing back the OG charm of Koffee with Karan, just like we got a glimpse of it during the Kajol and Rani Mukerji episode or even the premiere episode with Deepika and Ranveer, which was the actual no-filter and brought out the reality that we expect from almost all other celebrities.
A lot of filters and a careful treatment of the celebrities made this season feel like it veered away from the show's initial allure of genuine, unscripted interactions and candid disclosures. Despite the jury's best efforts to highlight the season's highlights at the awards ceremony, the general consensus was that Koffee with Karan was missing the charisma and genuineness that viewers had grown to expect from the show.
The Koffee Awards tried to add some celebrity glamour to the season, but it was more of a decaf letdown than an espresso of thrills. If the show wants to be the talk show that makes us feel good again, maybe it needs to figure out how to mix honesty with spice, like the perfect cup of coffee.