Actor couple Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh attracted controversy after their joint appearance on Koffee with Karan in 2023. They spoke about their relationship, and Deepika confessed that for a while, they wanted to keep things flexible and open. In a recent interview, filmmaker Karan Johar, who also hosts the chat show, defended them against the backlash they attracted following the episode, and said that they are a solid couple. He also spoke about the controversy that erupted following cricketers Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul’s appearance on the show, and admitted that he was worried about their careers.
Appearing on Raj Shamani’s podcast, Karan was asked about having any regrets about Koffee with Karan, and he said that everything that goes on the air has been carefully cleared. He also said that he agrees to edit out portions if guests make requests. But, he admitted that he was quite shaken by the backlash that Rahul and Hardik experienced following their appearance. “What I felt terrible about, more than anything else, was what happened to Hardik and Rahul. That really threw me off, because I hoped that there is no damage to anybody. It’s the universe’s grace that they’re both doing phenomenally. They’re national treasures. A show like mine can’t dampen heroes of our nation. I was really worried and scared about that. I’m not a cricket fanatic at all, but I started watching cricket only to follow their careers,” he said.
Asked about Ranveer and Deepika, Karan said, “I think they spoke from their heart. I thought they were honest. I think (the backlash) was ridiculous, I’m sorry. I don’t agree with the reaction. They were beautiful. They were honest. They were earnest. They were sincere. They were beautifully in love with each other. They’re a wonderful couple, I’ve known them personally. Now they have a gorgeous daughter. Respect their love story, don’t judge it. That’s all I have to say.”
During their appearance on the show, Deepika said that there was no “real commitment” between them and that they were “technically allowed” to see other people until Ranveer proposed. She said, “I wanted to be single for a while because I had come from difficult relationships. I was going through a phase where I said, ‘I just don’t want to be attached, don’t want to be committed.’ And I had fun. And then he comes along, so I didn’t ‘commit commit’, until he proposed to me. There was no ‘commitment’ as such. Even if we were technically allowed to see other people, we would just keep coming back to each other.”
Deepika and Ranveer tied the knot in a lavish but private ceremony in Italy’s Lake Como in 2019. They welcomed their first child, daughter Dua, last year.
