Koffee returns with Karan!

what's common between best buddies Karan and Shahrukh, besides the fact that both will soon be seen as hosts on the small screen. Well, we think both have the gift of the gab and good PR skills to keep an audience rolling in abundance. At a packed media conference for the launch of Koffee with Karan, at Yashraj studios in suburban Mumbai, Karan- an ace director, designer, producer and a frustrated actor(as he calls himself) was seen in his element as gave us a sneak peek into his ultra popular chat show. This time around, the show which will go on air on 11 Feb will be seen on Star World and Star One as well. Koffee, retains the original essence but the differentiating factor is probably a different set and a rather interesting line up of Bollywood celebs. On a rather lighter note, a dapper looking Karan says, "I am over worked and under payed, so I decided to host a talk show. On a serious note the show has gives me an opportunity to do something that I love to do; which is talk to my friends. Koffee with Karan, is all about really getting my Bollywood friends talk about themselves in front of the camera." He further says, "So far I've had a wonderful journey and we will stick to the chatty, conversational style of the show," points an extremely witty Karan who looked pretty much in shape after shedding four kilos post his film Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna,. Karan is readying himself to do the balancing act with hosting the show, involving himself in the creative team of NDTV's new entertainment channel, designing clothes(for his favourite King Khan) besides ideating his new film as well. Here's a quick rapid fire round with the man himself. How different will be the second season of the chat show? The rapid fire round is intact and needless to say, it will be much more rapid with even more fire in it. The coffee hamper will be bigger and better with much more goodies in it. We will have interesting combinations of people in the show from John and Bipasha, Hemaji and Jayaji to international combinations like Tabu and Mira Nair to Mallika Sherawat and Sanjay Leela Bhansali (besides the opening show with favourites Kajol, Shahrukh and Rani). Its definitely double whammy as we have the show on two channels which means more eyeballs. So your good friend Shahrukh and you come together on television around the same time? Yes, it is funny as we go to two different studios at the same time for two different shows. And he is the one who encouraged me to host this show. So what makes you a good choice as a host for the chat show? Frankly, the show is very casual, easy, candid, fun and stress free. It's almost like a lounge chat on flippant issues and the good thing is that I don't intrude on the privacy of my guests. On one level, it does work to my advantage that as friends, I know exactly what's going on in their minds. With some celebs it's a nostalgic trip, since I've grown up watching their films since childhood. How do you manage multitasking and do you emphathise with journalists now? I've wanted to be a critic, an actor, a film maker and a designer and today I do all of it. We all love the media and its fashionable for people to hate journalists. But, in fact, I can now fully understand the job of a journalist. Though, I don't try to probe too much So are Aishwarya and Junior B scheduled to be on your show as they are much in the news? They are very much in the news and that's why its proving to be very difficult to get them. Will we see Ekta Kapoor on your show? Definitely Ekta is a good friend and I've known her since childhood. She's a Gemini and we are both similar. I am surely going to have her on my show. But with whom? That I can't say. You have to wait and watch. Who else will be on your wish list for the show? I would love to have Sooraj Bharjatya, Ram Gopal Verma. If Koffee with Karan is just chatting with friends, don't you have friends from other walks of life? Well I can never make thrillers, horror films so I stick to my genre. Similarly, I would rather stick to people I am comfortable with. And lastly, in real life.. you prefer to chat with friends over coffee or drinks with your friends? Well, over coffee the conversations make sense and are more coherent but when it's other beverages the chat is stuttered and muttered. So, I prefer coffee over other beverages.