The twelfth episode of Koffee with Karan was a lukewarm affair, even though it was packaged to be a nostalgia trip down memory lane. Legendary actresses Zeenat Aman and Neetu Kapoor graced the Koffee couch, only to remain tight-lipped about their time in the Hindi film industry in the 1970s. The whole episode was just the actresses praising each other, with nothing new or exciting being shared about their work experience in a male-dominated industry. What a tiring way to end the season. Koffee with Karan season finale, though, had more than two guests, and all were invited to roll out the Koffee Awards of the season. They were to judge and pick a winner out of all the best episodes that had aired.
What Happens In The Final Episode?
Koffee with Karan Episode 13 began with Karan Johar talking about the culmination of the eighth season, and how he faced some brickbats for making this one very lukewarm, unlike the previous ones that were filled with sizzling hot coffee conversations. The episode began with Karan inviting Orry on as a guest on the show and talking about his origin story. Orry is the latest social media sensation and was honored to have been called a guest on Koffee with Karan and equated with the stars that appeared on the show. Karan, on the other hand, compared him to a start-up that slowly gained traction and was now the talk of the town. Karan also talks about memes being generated in Orry’s name, and how he was turned into a pop culture persona who would be remembered for years to come. Orry could not stop gushing about making money from the memes and gaining traction as well. Orry also admits to having sent gifts to the people who make those memes. Boney Kapoor was the one who introduced Orry to the world, and he could not be more grateful to him for the exposure and the life he had led so far.
Orry talks about planning his downfall so that he can exit this world of glam and photographs on his terms. There was a mention of him having doppelgangers who could represent him at events he could not make. Orry also reveals plans to start an academy to help people gather as much social media traction as he does. Orry was asked about his favorite episode, and it happened to be the one featuring his favorite people, Jahnvi Kapoor and Khushi Kapoor. He also mentioned that he could personally relate to the Deepika Padukone episode. Orry also talks about dating five people at a time and wanting to explore things before he gets married.
The show then moved on to a group of four guests—comedians and influencers—who were invited not just to talk about the best moments of the show. Tanmay Bhat, Kusha Kapila, Sumukhi Suresh, and Danish Sait graced the couch to point out what was wrong with the season to Karan Johar. Danish Sait began by calling this season a snoozefest, and the floodgates just opened. Karan tested the waters by asking the guests controversial and very personal questions in the previous seasons, which made many guests uncomfortable. That was the reason behind him making this season very family-friendly. Tanmay Bhat requested that he change the name of the show to Filter Koffee with Karan, followed by plenty of digs on Karan openly talking about his loneliness throughout every episode. There was also a mention of how Karan felt when Zoya Akhtar launched three star-kids this year, and there were none from his end.
The back-and-forth roasting went on for a while till the panel reached the Koffee Awards part of the finale. The first category was the best moment of the season, and the Kajol and Rani’s episode was deemed the winner for both actresses being unapologetically honest, funny, and on a laughter loop. The best rapid-fire award was shared by Saif Ali Khan and Ananya Pandey. Saif Ali Khan won for being cool while Ananya won for keeping her secret very ambiguous and mysterious. The best episode was also awarded to Rani and Kajol. A special jury award was given to the very first Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone episode for being deeply personal and emotional about everything the couple had been through. The best male performance was by crowd favorite Saif Ali Khan for being himself through and through. Deepika Padukone bagged the best female performance. Another addition that was made to the list of categories was the best Koffee Burns, awarded to Varun Dhawan.
Review: A Culmination Far Better Than The Whole Season
Will it be harsh to say it out loud that this finale, which also had the coveted Koffee Awards, was far more interesting than the entire season of Koffee with Karan? The whole idea of this episode was to showcase Karan Johar’s ability to make jokes aimed at him, an extended version of the infamous roast that happened many years ago. The Orry inclusion felt awkward and unnecessary. The young, rich South Bombay kid who is the talk of social media and friends with countless Bollywood celebrities was suddenly given the chance to grace the couch and make the whole segment about himself.
Orry could be going the vague celebrity way, having nothing to offer but remaining relevant and being spoken about by many in the social media circuit. There is no such thing as bad publicity, and Orry is yet another example of that. He could be the South Bombay male version of Rakhi Sawant spouting delusion and Karan Johar was forced to give the man space to roll out his idiosyncrasies.
Tanmay Bhat, Sumukhi Suresh, Danish Sait, and Kusha Kapila did not leave any stone unturned in roasting Karan on his show, and that was probably the most hilarious part of the entire season. Hats off to Karan for being a sport and hearing all the well-crafted jokes coming his way in four different forms. This portion of the season was added last year, and it was a smart addition because it allowed the viewer to see Karan as a person who believes in self-deprecating humor. There is also a version of him that does not care much about the trolls anymore, so there is a shield in his mind that protects him from reacting to what the comedians as guests have to say.
The Koffee Awards, which are bigger and far more coveted than the Koffee hamper itself in the Koffee with Karan universe. The categories were modeled, and a sassy take on famous awards all have grown up watching. The awards were well deserved, but it felt like the makers were pushing the Neetu Kapoor and the Zeenat Aman episodes way too much into several categories. Though Kareena should have been given an award for her sass throughout her episode with Alia Bhatt, there was hardly any mention of her comments about her friend, the host. It was a perfect end to a rather snoozefest of a season that did not generate much discussion or fun.
