KOFFEE WITH KARAN

shashichief · 1st Moderator

RE: KOFFEE WITH KARAN

shashichief · 1st Moderator

EPISODE 8
GAURI KHAN AND SUZANNE ROSHAN

Karan: She is the most envied woman in India today - Mrs Shah Rukh Khan, Gauri Khan. She's cool, confident and extremely glamorous. A proud mother of two children, Aryan and Suhana, she likes to maintain a low profile. At heart, she's still a simple Delhi girl who has her roots and values intact. And she is THE most stabilizing factor in Shah Rukh Khan's life.

Karan: The one thing you're fed up of talking about is your big love story with Shah Rukh. And the thing that's very shocking is you've known him all your life, Gauri! You met him when you were 12?
Gauri: (laughs) 14 or 14 and a half.
Karan: So you've known him for 20 years now. And you've had no other relationship. Tell me, you nearly didn't marry him. There was a time when you ran off, broke off from him. Playing hard to get, from I hear.
Gauri: (smiles) It was just that I was too young. I thought it's too early for us to decide anything about marriage so I took a short break for a year or so. I wanted to do my own thing, be with my friends, go out with people… He was too possessive. I couldn't handle that. That was the only reason I wanted my own space.
Karan: He came running after to you to Bombay. He found you in a beach, after he had looked at all the other beaches. You were very rude. (smiles)
Gauri: (laughs) How I avoided him! It was unbelievable. He was totally possessive. He was curbing my style, whatever I was… Now he's more relaxed about it. Initially, he was hysterical.

Karan: There is another thing common with the two of you. Cultural-religious differences. Gauri, you're a Punjabi girl married to a Khan and Suzanne, you are a Khan married to a Punjabi boy. Tell me how does that play a role in you marriage today?
Gauri: Shah Rukh doesn't have any parents, unfortunately. So, it's me who takes charge of festivals, Diwali or Holi. So the influence of my kids would be a lot with the Hindu part. But the thing is Aryan is so into Shah Rukh, that he would follow his religion, I think. He'll always say, "I'm a Muslim". There is a balance - I respect Shah Rukh's religion, but that doesn't mean that I would convert. I don't believe in that. Everybody is an individual and they should follow their religion. But there should obviously be no disrespect.
Susanne: Honestly, what she's saying is absolutely right. You marry into another religion but what you have been born into and brought up with remains. Let your kids have the best of both worlds. It's a good combination as both religions are very beautiful and very strong. Hrithik too is totally like that. He's not too staunch. He does believe in certain rituals, which we have to carry out which I believe in as well.

Karan: But do these rumors get to you, Susanne? Have you ever felt like, "Oh God! I married an actor, why am I dealing with this?"
Susanne: If there is anyone who gives him the slightest clue that she's attracted to him, he comes home, sits and discuses it with me. (smiles) We talk about it. It's like a friendship thing. I don't think that at any point I've been insecure because of this reason. Insecurity comes when you don't know the truth. But I know the truth.

Karan: What's interesting is that you have different personalities, different temperaments. Lets begin with you, Gauri. You're quite forthright and critical with you're opinion when you see Shah Rukh's films and as opposed to that, Susanne, I think that you like not to hurt him and say what you truly feel. (Susanne smiles)
Gauri: I don't think I'm over critical. If he's bad in a film, it's ok. I don't need to praise him even if he's bad. He has to accept the fact that he was not good. I am audience. If I feel that he's over-acted or if he isn't great, I should tell him. I haven't seen many of his bad films.

Karan: And you know that he gets quite upset when you say things like that…
Gauri: He does. I respect him for his profession, that he's a great actor. Everybody says he's 'King Khan'. But my point is that he knows that. He should know something which he doesn't hear from other people. I should tell him because nobody else is going to tell him.
Karan: And Susanne, I think honey coat it. You're so sweet. That's your personality. Have you told Hrithik ever about a performance? Or are you always hoping that, "No, it's going to be good, it'll be great"?
Susanne: You're right. I always like to see the better side of the performance. I first tell him the good, then tell him the bad. But now, as I'm growing older, I feel that it's right to be what she is - very brutally honest, because it's your spouse and you have to be honest. It's important to give the right feedback. If you can't tell who will.

Karan: Susanne, do you want to tell Gauri about this conversation that Hrithik had with Shah Rukh that got Hrithik so wound up, so touched?
Susanne: It was the day when we found out that he hadn't won the National Award, which took all of us by surprise. He wasn't showing that he was disappointed, but I knew he was. That day, Shah Rukh called up and spoke to Hrithik and told him, "Don't feel bad because in my book, you would've gotten the award. I don't think any other deserved it more than this." And that compliment took him to cloud nine.
Karan: He told me, "It was like I won the National Award. Shah Rukh Khan called me and told me that I deserved the award. I feel I won it."

shashichief · 1st Moderator

EPISODE 9
SUNNY DEOL AND BOBBY DEOL

Karan: He's a super star and still extremely introverted. He likes to maintain a low profile. Many women say that in an industry full of boys, he's the only man. You are media shy and feel awkward giving an interview...
Sunny: Yes, it's true. Right now, I've come over here, but I don't know what I'll be doing. I get so nervous.

Karan: You were wild in your younger days and there were many girlfriends. And so you were packed off to London.
Sunny: Wild? Yes, when you're young, you do a lot of silly and stupid things. Now one looks back and thinks, "Why the #### did I do that?" But it was fun and one misses all that. Actually as everyone says, I'm a shy guy. And I wanted to join films. Being in India, being my dad's son, it was difficult being treated normal. All the time you're either treated over nicely or treated like ****. I just wanted to go somewhere where no one knew me. And that's why I went to London, I wasn't packed off.
Karan: And you did a course in acting in London.
Sunny: Yes, it was in Birmingham. I was in a theater called the Old Web Theater. I was there for a year and a half.
Karan: Do you think that helped at all when you came back, to face the camera in India?
Sunny: Yes, it did. I had rarely been to a studio or shooting with my dad. (laughs) So when I was over there, working on the stage… I slowly broke the ice, started getting more comfortable. And when I came back to Bombay, I was very confident. I look back and see that as the period of time I got educated with my work.

Karan: Very interestingly, your wife today, Pooja, gave you lessons in Shakespeare when you were in London. Is that true? You can't imagine - Sunny, this big action hero, taking lessons in Shakespeare with his wife! (laughs)
Sunny: (smiles) Yes, she used to help me on that because I was not aware of him at that time. I wasn't too sure about the language spoken and she being there was a great help.
Karan: So do you think your wife helped you in your vocation of acting?
Sunny: Yes, she did.

Karan: He's cool, he's sophisticated, he's hip. The youngest Deol is also a Deol who can dance. So do you make your brother and your father dance to your tunes?
Bobby: I did try. Now I'm a father so I know how it feels. (smiles)

Karan: You're the only one who can share Sunny's clothes. Apparently, he's so possessive about them.
Bobby: I remember when I was in my 10th standard I sneaked into his cupboard. At that point, faded jeans in different colours were in. So I got a pair of green jeans, a green shirt and leather tie of his.
Karan: He's also your father figure, someone older that you also have respect for.
Bobby: Definitely. No brother would stop his work and give up what he's doing to launch his brother. I love him so much that I'd do anything for him and he'd do anything for me.
Karan: That is true. Sunny, you put your career on hold when Barsaat got delayed.
Sunny: Yes, I know. But the film was being made the way it had to be made. One doesn't think of all that. That was my goal then, nothing else.
Karan: There was an upswing-downswing with the film. A change in the director and script...
Sunny: Yes, it went through all that. You know, when you try too hard things do get a little difficult.

Karan: It does come across that you're very close but there are differences characteristically. Bobby is more media friendly than you. Is there some kind of an inner war against the media?
Sunny: No, it's not a war or anything. It's just that one doesn't know how to tackle it or go about it. I'd love to be like everybody else - be written about or spoken about. I get more uptight because they're putting you down all the time. I'm the kind of person who'll say, "Forget it" and run away from things.
Karan: And you, Bobby, do you think the media has behaved unfairly with you and your family?
Bobby: I think so too. But that's the way media is. They do it to everybody. I hardly speak to the media myself.

Karan: What's your take on these family dramas as you said. Films that are coming year after year like Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge or Kuch Kuch Hota Hai?
Sunny: I don't know much about what they say. But when media picks it up and says just another that kind of a film, it's not right. It's irrelevant whether it is or not. At the end of the day, you go and watch it. Don't review it and make up the minds of people who are going to watch that film.
Karan: You, Bobby, haven't had any spat with filmmakers but had one with the two Kapoor sisters, Karisma and Kareena.
Bobby: (laughs) If anything happened, I'm sure it was quite immature. We were in Singapore and witnessed a lot of things there.
Karan: But does it make it awkward? You belong to a small world really.
Bobby: That's the sad part. I don't like to be not friendly with people.

Karan: There was also the movie London, which eventually became Dillagi. It would've been the first crossover film. Now that Gurinder Chadda is so acclaimed, are there any regrets for not having made that movie.
Sunny: No regrets as such. If I had been a sensible businessman then, I wouldn't have let go of anything. I would've gone ahead and made the film. Even financially, most actors get into production and get out soon. I'm the only one who gets the beating of the financial sector again and again. (laughs) I've got so much vision. I just want to keep making films.

shashichief · 1st Moderator

EPISODE 10
SHABANA AZMI AND SHOBHAA DE

Karan: She truly is an institution in acting. She's one actor who's looked beyond celluloid and the trappings of a glamorous world. She's taken on social, political and human causes, and devoted herself to them. Shabana Azmi, first thoughts on my show?
Shabana: I've never taken so long to get ready… typical of you. (laughs)

Karan: There's something on my mind, which I've been meaning to ask you. There's this hype and hoopla about the stars from our fraternity making it in Hollywood. You were one of the first to make your foray into that world. What are your thoughts when you read about this?
Shabana: You know, I'm very excited about it, because I think finally Hindi film is being noticed. I've just finished doing a film in Hollywood, it's called Water Born and people don't know about Hindi films in Hollywood. It's a pity, but I think it's on its way. In UK, people do know, but not so much in the US.

Shabana: I think the media hype helps (smiles) because we've had a lot of Indians in the jury in Cannes. When I was in Cannes, I gave away an award. Meera Nair was on the jury, Mrinal Sen was on the jury, but it never created that much hype as when Aishwarya was on the jury because she's from the mainstream cinema, the glamorous world.

Karan: There is also the media prejudice that exists. People in the fraternity believe that the media is nice to you only if you are good to them. Do you agree?
Shabana: Yes, I'm sure that happens. After all, the media are human beings. And human beings have their favorites and prejudices. (smiles)

Karan: Shobhaa De is a successful author, columnist and opinion maker. You can love her opinion, you can hate her opinion, but you certainly can't ignore her opinion. Does it bother you that you are sometimes termed as a socialite and a page 3 figure?
Shobhaa: It goes with the turf. I don't really care much about definitions. I do what I'm good at, what I'm known for, what's taken me 25 years to perfect. (smiles)
Shabana: Is that really true, Shobhaa? I think we are all conscious of the image that we have.
Shobhaa: It's important to know who we are. I see myself as a social commentator, who's chronicled the changing India.
Shabana: (smiling) Nicely put.
Karan: When I'm called a 'candy floss filmmaker', it does bother me.
Shobhaa: Well, Narayan Murthy is on page 3, so is Sachin Tendulkar. I think page 3 is for achievers. It's an occupational hazard; it's a part of what you do. All my life, I've done things I've believed in, dressed the way I wanted to and looked the way god made me.
Karan: What's your take on film journalism?
Shabana: She's the guru, she started it all.
Karan: Yes, you were the editor of Stardust, something that very few people knew about.
Shabana: Oh, are you the one who started calling me 'Bahana'? See, what you did to me!
Shobhaa: (laughs) But that was a different life in a different 'janam' as I say. But anyway, it was magazine whose time had come. It was the first "fanzine" of India. I enjoyed my 10 years very much. Even newspapers now are using Stardust lingo and topics. Politics, sports everything has been 'Stardustized'. (smiles)
Karan: What do you have to say really about the state of commercial cinema?
Shabana: I was talking to Rishi Kapoor this morning and he was saying that this is a fabulous time to be in as every kind of cinema is being made. As an actor of my age, I think there's a lot of scope. Ten years ago, a girl at 28 was old. Now I've got the best roles since the time I turned 40.
Karan: But you're talking about a few movies, not an industry that churns out 400 or 500 films a year.
Shobhaa: Shabana is an exceptional actor, that's why she's getting all these roles. But there are alarmingly young girls getting into the industry. The industry in cruel to age and very cruel to women.
Karan: But the portrayal of films has to come of age now.
Shobhaa: Karan, girls in their late 30s or early 40s are being offered mothers' roles. I find that insulting and frankly ridiculous.
Karan: What do you do when you're offered those mother roles in mainstream films, Shabana? Shabana: I don't do them. (laughs) And I get offered big bucks, Karan. It doesn't interest me.

Karan: What are your thoughts when you read a column where she's criticized a film or an individual?
Shabana: She's a clever and interesting writer. You may not agree with what she says but she's a real masala writer. She can hook you from her first line. As long as it's not turned on me. (laughs)

Karan: Shobhaa, I represent the film fraternity and I've never been at the receiving end of your criticism. If you don't like my film promise me now that you'll never write about it. (laughs)
Shobhaa: Even being a friend is not protection enough, I'm sorry. (laughs) I'm true to what I do and I've built up a track record for 25-30years. My bonding is with my readers. If you make a lousy film and I think it's a dud, I'll call it a dud. (smiles)

shashichief · 1st Moderator

EPISODE 11
EKTA KAPOOR AND SUNITA MENON

Karan: She's truly the first lady of Indian television. Ekta Kapoor and I share a lot in common - we both swear by the letter K, we are extremely superstitious, both of us are fellow Geminis, we're both scared of flying… How does it feel to be a millionaire at 29, Ekta?
Ekta: Money is secondary, honestly. You have a company, which has started a new trend in a completely new industry. I always wanted to make a company but I didn't know if it would be big or small.

Karan: A common thing we have is Sunita Menon.
Ekta: I had a family, I didn't have a Guru. When a lot of things happened in my life, I lost control. Sunita helped me through a very bad phase in my life.

Karan: She's the spiritual advisor, the psychic advisor and the emotional advisor to practically the entire film fraternity. She's Mumbai's favorite clairvoyant. What is your take on the common perception of Sunita Menon?
Sunita: People normally expect an older woman, with gray hair, really fat, peering at something and saying, "Your Saturn is sitting in the 7th house and now this is what'll happen". And there I am in my jeans and t-shirt saying, "Hi, how're you doing?"
Karan: But earlier you were like that, weren't you? You wore a lot of white and pastel shades.
Sunita: I'm glad you brought it up. Two films used my character - odd characters in white, with long hair and candles burning in the background.
Karan: Yes, one of them was Ekta Kapoor's film - Krishna Cottage. (laughs)
Sunita: Certain people also perceived me differently, like I'm not supposed to have a sense of humor, I'm not supposed to know about fashion or art or music. It's thanks to Manish Malhotra who asked me to stop hiding behind those clothes.

Karan: Ekta comes to you often, Sunita. does she do everything you ask her to? Is there something which went wrong?
Sunita: Several! (laughs) She's very naughty and she doesn't listen to me. She'll argue with me and then finally come and say, "Yeah, I should've listened to you." (laughs) I told her to make films only after she's 31, but no, the spoilt kid will not listen and make crappy films. (smiles)
Karan: Yeah, I once heard someone say, "Ekta's making these films to avoid paying taxes." (laughs) But the two of you are so close, so are you and I. Do you think that you lose objectivity with someone because you're so close?
Sunita: Not blinded, but I can't bring myself to say bad things. It hurts me, but that's wrong on my part. I wish for those things to go away. Many times, I just haven't told you people.
Karan: Does she come to you for really small stuff too like I do? (laughs)
Sunita: She comes to me for smaller things too. But it's better than people who come to me and ask me if they'll be invited to a party. I feel sorry for people like that, because if that's your priority, if that's what makes you happy in life, then you have a problem.
Karan: Tell me another really silly question you are asked.
Sunita: When will I lose weight? (laughs)

Karan: There is also the letter K which I was told about after Kuch Kuch Hota Hai - that stick to K. Ekta, your first TV serial Hum Paanch did very well. Do you think it would've been better if it were called Kum Panch? (laughs)
Sunita: (laughs) Well, you see, numbers and alphabets accentuate your success. If you don't work hard, but have a K in your film name that's not going to make it a success.

Karan: Ekta, will you ever leave the alphabet K for anything in the world?
Ekta: No, it's stuck with me. It's my belief now, not my superstition.

Karan: I also hear you are a tyrant at work. (smiles) The whole of Balaji shudders at the mention of you name and presence. Is that true?
Ekta: Yeah! Ten people come together to make one thing. It's teamwork there. When one person messes it up, not as a mistake but because of a casual approach to work, then the show goes off air and I'm answerable to so many people who eat out of the show. We get money from that work, you can't take your work lightly.

Karan: What do you have to say, Ekta, when there are a whole lot of people who call your work regressive - to those critics or those opinions?
Ekta: Anything popular gets run down. (smiles) It's pure cliché. Seeing someone in a saree or a mangalsutra does not mean they are regressive. If people think so, it's their problem. If 80 per cent of the country's watching, they have a mind of their own. We are not teaching them what to watch.

shashichief · 1st Moderator

EPISODE 12
HRITHIK ROSHAN AND FARHAN AKHTAR

Karan: He came, he saw and boy! He conquered! A lot of people have asked me this - your pet name is Duggu. The origin of the name is?
Hrithik: From, Guddu, that's my dad's name. (Smiles)

Karan: I personally thought you were outstanding in Lakshya. I told you that. But after Lakshya, you haven't signed on a single film! Why is that?
Hrithik: I took my first break after five years. There were the award functions, my world tour for 3 and 1/2 months, and I'm helping my dad with his film.
Karan: Is there a particular reason why you haven't signed on any films. Is the writing or talent not worthy of Hrithik Roshan?
Hrithik: Yes, I've stretched my break too far. I need a break from my break! On a more serious note, no, there is nothing wrong with the industry or the talent. (Smiles) I think I'm at a place where I can have a choice - the film should raise my excitement to a certain level.

Karan: Till I saw Dil Chata Hai, I thought I was the coolest director. Not just me, but every filmmaker thought the traditional way is the only way. But Farhan Akhtar's cinema breaks every conventional norm. Farhan, Hrithik and me were talking about his creative sabbatical and being selective, do you endorse his view? Farhan: Yes, I do. I remember chatting with him, both before and during Lakshya, about focusing one film at a time. Maybe not taking a year and 1/2 as a break.
Karan: The two of you are childhood friends. Did you always know Hrithik would be a great star?
Farhan: It's funny. We all used to hang out at Uday Chopra's house, who had this big home camera. We kept filming each other and Uday would do screen tests. (laughs) We thought Uday would end up being a director, Hrithik, we were convinced would be an actor and they all thought I would be in jail. (laughs)
Karan: Yes, you were this super brat. I didn't, in my wildest dreams, think you would be a director. Did you, Hrithik?
Hrithik: No, I didn't, I thought maybe he'd take up bodybuilding. (laughs)

Hrithik: He's basically a great guy. He's also a #### good dancer. He used to get all the first prizes I used to get the second.
Karan: I remember seeing you people dancing in all these parties, you and Aditya Chopra - dancing and winning.
Hrithik: I just sat and watched. Now I imbibe them.
Farhan: Yes, when I took up dancing is when Hrithik became my disciple. (laughs)

Karan: Farhan, you come from a different world from your dad's. He's been a screenplay writer and a lyricist. Professionally, is it easy having a father like that?
Farhan: Having somebody like that can only be an advantage. He has tremendous talent and is a source of inspiration. He's committed to doing good quality work. He's completely rational and logical. That completes everything that I would want from a peer.
Karan: Has the generation gap never bothered you?
Farhan: I give him a lot more credit. He understands my lot a lot better than I understand his lot. He's evolved over the years to accept the new sensibilities. He's adamant about his view when he knows he's right. (laughs)
Karan: How was it being directed by your father, Hrithik?
Hrithik: It was fun. I was assisting him for six years before I started acting. So, we share the most amazing understanding between an actor and a director.

Karan: Do you think you're a perfectionist, Hrithik? You're very self-critical. You underestimate your own brilliance. You actually don't think you are a good dancer.
Hrithik: I hope you're right. (laughs) But I don't see it like that. It takes a lot out of me. I was really embarrassed on my first day of shooting the dance sequence in Kaho Na… Pyar Hai, so I just keep working hard.