Film Director and show host Karan Johar has apologised for the controversy relating to the comments made by cricketer Hardik Pandya and K L Rahul on his TV show “Koffee with Karan”. Speaking up for the first time after the controversy erupted, Johar said that he feels responsible as it was his show. BCCI had sent notices to both the players and excluded from the Indian cricket team after Pandya made certain remarks on the show which were insulting to women.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06dJVKX-Wp0]
“I haven’t spoken about it really… I feel very responsible because it was my show and my platform. I invited them as guests and so the ramifications and repercussions of the show are my responsibility”, he said. The filmmaker said that things have now gone beyond his control and that he really wished he could undo that. “I have had so many sleepless nights, just wondering about how I can undo this damage. Who is going to listen to me? It has now gone into a zone that is beyond my control,” Johar said.
He clarified that he asks the same questions to every guest who appears on the show and that he does not have control over the answers that come his way. “I have to say and I don’t defend myself when I say this. I have to say that the questions that I asked the two boys are the questions I ask everyone including women. Deepika (Padukone) and Alia (Bhatt) were on the show, I asked them those questions. I have no control over the answers that come my way”, he explained.
Johar said that no objection was raised regarding the comments by Pandya from his team that comprises of 16-17 girls. He said, “Koffee with Karan is a show run entirely by women. I am the only man there. None of them came up. Some thought they were wild, they were crazy, he’s cracked, he’s mad. No one said that this was inappropriate.”
“I regret what happened to them”, he added.
Johar dismissed the allegations that what happened on the show was done for the TRPs. He said that he did not care about the TRPs. “My show is frivolous, a completely sometimes border line ridiculous, irreverent, candid. ‘Stop making sense’ is our mantra”, Johar said explaining that he was not justifying the comments made by the cricketers but this is how the nature of the show is.
