Karan Johar announces 'Koffee With Karan 9' with a new syntax; calls last year's show a 'snooze fest'

Karan Johar's popular chat show, 'Koffee with Karan,' has been a fan favorite for years, known for its fun, candid conversations with Bollywood celebrities. In a recent interview, Karan Johar shared some intriguing insights about the show’s previous season and what fans can expect in 2025.

Reflecting on the eighth season, which premiered last year, Karan admitted that some parts, especially the rapid-fire segment, fell flat. The season kicked off with a bang, featuring Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone, but the excitement waned as the show progressed. Johar revealed that the feedback from viewers indicated that the rapid-fire round was particularly dull. In an interview with Sucharita Tyagi, he humorously remarked, "I questioned why I was even doing it. Should we just scrap the rapid fire and keep the hamper for myself since no one really deserves to win it?"

Karan expressed his determination to revamp the show’s format for the ninth season, set to return in 2025. He hinted at introducing a “new syntax” to inject more energy and spontaneity into the show. "Let's change the world of 'Koffee with Karan' with the ninth season. It will be back with all the fun and chattiness," he promised.

One of the challenges Karan faced in recent seasons was the reluctance of celebrities to open up as freely as they used to. He reminisced about the early days of the show when guests like Mahesh Bhatt were unabashedly candid. "With Bhatt sahab, you could always expect such honest answers. But nowadays, it seems celebrities are too scared to speak their minds," he lamented. Karan joked about the potential backlash he could face for airing such unfiltered content today.

Season eight saw an impressive lineup of guests, including Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan, Sharmila Tagore, Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol, Rani Mukerji, Kajol, Sara Ali Khan, Ananya Panday, Janhvi Kapoor, and Khushi Kapoor. Despite the star-studded appearances, the lack of spontaneity and openness was palpable.

The show is set to return not this year but next, in 2025, with the hope that celebrities will once again embrace the candidness that made the show a hit in its early days.