Filmmaker Karan Johar has announced the final season of his popular talk show ‘Koffee With Karan’, marking the end of a journey that began in 2004.
In an emotional message, Johar looked back at the origins of the show, its controversies, trolling and conversations, while also acknowledging the love it received from audiences over the years.
Recalling how the idea for the show came about, Johar said, "I think it was June 2004 where I told my dad that I really want to host a talk show, and I want to get two celebrities or stars and just have an informal, candid chat with them. And he looked at me, he said...'Karan you going to call your friends and chat with them. You do it every day. Who is going to pay you for that'. He passed away that month itself, actually on the 26th of June."
Johar said the first episode was shot on August 16, 2004, and recalled the journey of the show across eight seasons and 161 episodes.
"The very first day I shot for it was August 16th, 2004, and I'm here now, eight seasons later, 22 years later, 161 episodes later. A lot happened. I called lovers, I called friends, I called families, I called lovers who then went on to become ex-lovers. Some of them even got married. I nearly put an end to the careers of national icons. I'm living with the word nepotism even today. Conjecture became a kind of national word."
The filmmaker became emotional while announcing that the upcoming season would be his last.
"But whatever it was, I know the show gave me so much. I reached a point of time in my life where I realised that all good things have to come to an end. With a kind of heavy heart, I have to say that this will be my very last season of Koffee with Karan."
Johar also acknowledged the possibility of continued trolling and criticism while highlighting the audience's continued affection for the show.
"There will be trolls, there will be comments, there will be posts, and I'm ready to take that on. But within all of that and beneath all of that, I know there is still abundant love for this cup of coffee. So join me in my last season of Coffee with Karan and have that one last cup of coffee with me."
Since its first season in 2004, the show has featured several prominent Bollywood personalities and generated headlines, memes, debates and memories among viewers.
Jio Hotstar shared the announcement video on its Instagram handle.
The final season of ‘Koffee With Karan’ is set to stream from October 14 on Jio Hotstar. Previous seasons featured Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Salman Khan, Aamir Khan, Deepika Padukone, Emraan Hashmi, Priyanka Chopra and others.