Koffee with Karan Season Eight began with a bang, and it generated a lot of positive and negative reactions on social media that focused on Ranveer and Deepika’s relationship dynamics. Discourse is necessary in a country like ours, but moving on to the next episode is the best thing to do to get over all the white noise around the last one.
The second episode had two of the most subdued guests, who have been known for delivering both hit and flop films spanning decades. Sunny and Bobby Deol grace the couch for the second time in twenty years. Nothing has changed in the dynamics the brothers share. The feeling of family values they projected two decades ago still resonates in this episode as well. Their career trajectories have gone through various ups and downs, but they retain a strong, dignified stature throughout the show. Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol were always hyped actors for they had been raised under the shadow of their father, the legendary actor Dharmendra.
Karan Johar, right from the start, spoke in detail about the massive success of Gadar 2. Sunny Deol was humble enough to acknowledge the love he received for the sequel after 21 years. Sunny claimed to have expected good box office numbers, but he did not anticipate exponential collections from the sequel. The first film ‘Gadar’ was released in 2001 alongside Lagaan and came to be a monster hit on the big screen. Sunny Deol was glad this feat was repeated, and as stated by Sunny Deol, he was flying high on the success of the film. He also shared information about his recently announced project with Aamir Khan Productions.
Karan Johar couldn’t resist asking the Deol sons about their father’s role in Rocky Aur Rani ki Prem Kahani, and both had only high praise for their father and Karan, the director, for giving the yesteryear actor a crucial yet emotional part in the film, where Dharmendra agreed to a kissing scene with legendary veteran actress Shabana Azmi. Sunny and Bobby were gushing over their father’s well written role in the film. Elderly actors like Dharmendra are usually neglected by the film industry because producers do not think they are bankable anymore.
Sunny and Bobby Deol both spoke in depth about the struggles they faced after the corporatization of the film industry. Ever since the advent of proper production houses in the 2000s, the brothers struggled a lot to sign films because, by that time, a lot of new and young actors had entered the field. Though Bobby Deol clung on for a while in the first decade of the new millennium, Sunny Deol had a tough time floating, even though he had delivered one of the biggest hits with Gadar. Bobby Deol did not shy away from talking about his struggle with alcoholism, and he eventually gave up on his career for a while. He also briefly mentioned his struggles with depression and how he finally managed to have a wake-up call despite being trolled mercilessly after the advent of the internet.
Bobby Deol was candid about seeking work from producers and friends like Salman Khan, who were kind enough to give him a much-needed kickstart. Bobby has now managed to create a place for himself in the OTT space with the success of the web series Ashram, Class of ‘83, and the film Love Hostel. Bobby Deol is awaiting the release of Sandeep Vanga Reddy’s Animal. His brief appearance at the end of the teaser created an uproar all over social media. The host had to bring up the subject of nepotism, and both the sons are the original star kids. Sunny Deol is frank about them having the advantage of being exposed to the industry from a young age, but at the end of the day, it is the audience who decides the longevity of an actor. Bobby and Sunny’s struggle in the last few decades proves they received access only for a while and that the actors are on their own after a few films.
The episode also had its emotional moments when their father, Dharmendra, appeared as part of a video message for the two of them. It also included Sunny Deol’s sons, Karan and Rajveer Deol, and Bobby’s son, Aryaman, speaking about them as father figures. This emotional family moment was followed by a quiz for the gentlemen about the films their father starred in. Bobby Deol won the quiz by a large margin. Rapid Fire has been a staple part of the show, and even though Bobby was feisty with his answers, it was Sunny who won the hamper at the end of the show.
Episode 2 Review
The second episode features the original star kids of the legendary yesteryear actor Dharmendra, Sunny and Bobby Deol, as their usual selves in this fifty-minute-long episode. The viewers were expecting a distinct Sunny and Bobby Deol since they last appeared on the show, which was an emotional affair. The body language, the conversations, and the material of this episode were not much different from what they conveyed 20 years ago on the same couch. The audience was expecting some sizzling answers and conversation, but the episode ended up being about their family, which got dull eventually. Currently, now that actors are candid about their lives and the work they do, Sunny Deol seemed reserved to speak openly about his life and struggles, whereas Bobby Deol was open about making an effort to get films and keep working to improve his skills as an actor. His efforts to continue working in the movies led him to bag some good roles, including Sandeep Vanga’s Animal, which is releasing on December 1st, 2023.
Sunny Deol seemed to be in the mood to talk only about the success of Gadar 2 and retaining the persona he has in public of being a shy and quiet person. Bobby Deol’s candid reaction to the word Lord Bobby displays the level of self-awareness required to function as an actor in this generation. It is good of Bobby Deol to admit that trolls do not bother or affect him anymore. Two thumbs up to this actor, who had many hits in the 1990s and still wants to expand his boundaries as an artist. The video message from their father was again a repeat of their last appearance on the show. It seemed very unoriginal of the makers of Koffee with Karan to have rehashed the same concept. Their sons being a part of this video message was the only added amusement. Bobby Deol’s son did not show his face, sparking speculation that the young boy might be gearing up for his debut in the Hindi film industry.
Overall, Bobby Deol in this episode turned out to be absolute fun with his rapid-fire answers and knowing everything about his father’s filmography. Bobby Deol stood out and was the only redeeming aspect of this episode.
