How Does Karan Johar Get Away With It?

Why is Karan  Johar allowed to ask things that other  television anchors wouldn’t even dare?  His three-way gupshup with  “two of  the hottest men”(Johar’s description) on Sunday evening had me going back to what a  young actor  once confided in me  about this  host with the most.

“Karan  Johar came make any actor do anything. Since  he behaves in a particular way…you know,  a bit camp,a  bit ditsy and coquettish ,  straight heterosexual  men tend to get campy around him, Just to please  him. He has power  like  no one else in the  film industry. To his  credit he never  misuses  that power. But others around him are  so overpowered by his power that they are constantly trying to  seduce him in a non-physical way.  There is always that  feeling of we-are-willing-to-crawl-that-extra-mile-for-you feeling  for Karan,”  said the actor.

 I knew exactly what he  meant when I watched  the latest episode of  Koffee With Karanwhere  Siddharth Malhotra, a  Karan Johar  protégé  shared the sofa and  confidences  withAditya Roy Kapoor. Significantly both the young actors are struggling to keep their heads above water. Neither has had a success in a long time.Malhotra last  four   films were  thundering flops. As for  Roy Kapoor I  don’t think he has  ever had a  success after Aashiqui 2.

So what were they  doing on  Johar’s infamous coach? Is that  throne meant  only for the  hot and happening(and not  only for  the  hot)?Malhotra and Roy Kapoor were  invited there to remind the world that they  still counted , that the  show was  far from over  for  Sid and Adi(as they are known in their circle  where KJO presides). How could they  not be ‘happening’ when Karan Johar had them over on his show? I mean, have  you ever seen  a loser on that couch?!

Once there Malhotra and  Roy Kapoor had been instructed to just let go and not hold back. Dating, girlfriends, crushes and  crushed crushes…everything was  out in the open.  Particularly distasteful  was Malhotra , known to be sober discreet  no  kiss-and-tell type acted   put of character(as most guests  do on Karan’s show) letting us know he hadn’t met  Alia Bhatt since they stopped dating.

One  moment. When had he ever  confessed to dating Alia in the  first place?  So why was he  talking  about not dating Alia?? The answer  to that  lies in  the notorious Hardik Pandyaepisode.  Guests are expected to be flirty and audacious,  to cross the line  and gone into the  forbidden  zone on  Karan  Johar’s show.

Karan  in real life, knows everybody’s affairs. It is  no different  on  the show. He  keeps tabs on all the affairs and never mind if it affects the private  lives of those  whose names are  tossed around. Have you  ever seen Deepika Padukone behaving gracelessly  any time  except on  Karan’s show when she wanted to gift  Ranbir Kapoor condoms(for those  still  in the dark , the young Kapoor is reputed  for not  enjoying protection) .

Was Alia’s  permission taken before bringing  up her name in Malhotra’s roster  of  wrecked romances?  When  you are  invited  on Koffee With Karan you are expected to spill the  beans .

And  never mind the right to privacy.It is  left at the  door when  you enter the  ritzy adventurous  daring  and  psychedelic world  of the master entertainer Karan  Johar.

Let’s  bow to that.