The final season of Koffee With Karan is set to begin tonight (October 14) with Salman Khan gracing the couch as Karan Johar quizzes him. A host of A-list Bollywood stars, South cine icons, and Gen Z stars will be sandwiched between the two biggest superstars in Hindi cinema over the last 30 years. The popular talk show has spanned over two decades and eight seasons. The ninth, and final, season will see host Karan Johar bow out in the most smashing way possible – by assembling his biggest guest list so far.
When Koffee With Karan began in 2003, Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol were the first guests. His episode will be the grand culmination of the 23-year-long journey of Koffee With Karan. Koffee With Karan begins streaming on October 14 on JioHotstar, with subsequent episodes dropping weekly.
The first episode had the two stars share banter, laugh, drop truth bombs, and set the tone for what Koffee would become in the years to come. It is only fitting, then, that Shah Rukh will be the final guest, too. This time, he would be without Kajol, though. Sources in the know tell us that Shah Rukh has already shot parts of the episode and a promo at Mumbai’s Yash Raj Studios, where the KWK set has been built. Just like Salman Khan in the season’s opening episode, SRK will grace the KWK couch alone. Host Karan Johar has tried to leverage all his industry contacts and goodwill for the final season, ensuring that most of the biggest names from Indian cinema are present. Sources say that the final season may have over a dozen episodes. A few guests have not been locked yet. Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan are set to appear together, as are expecting parents Kiara Advani and Sidharth Malhotra. Kiara may give the first glimpse of her baby bump on the show. Rashmika Mandanna and Vijay Deverakonda are also locked to appear this season. Alia Bhatt will appear, but with sister Shaheen Bhatt instead of husband Ranbir Kapoor. Among the younger lot from Bollywood, Janhvi Kapoor may appear on the show with Shikhar Pahariya, but insiders say the appearance has not been finalised yet. Dimple Kapadia is also set to appear, most likely with daughter Twinkle Khanna. The team is reportedly in talks with several other names, trying to finalise pairings and combinations. SS Rajamouli is heavily speculated to appear, with Karan Johar in favour of him appearing with his Varanasi star, Mahesh Babu. Similarly, the team is in talks with Sanjay Leela Bhansali to appear alongside an actor, most likely one of the leads of his next film, Love & War: Ranbir Kapoor or Vicky Kaushal.
Shah Rukh may be joined by either Aryan Khan or Suhana Khan for the rapid fire round, with the actor himself favouring Suhana to build some buzz for their upcoming joint appearance in his home production King, according to sources. But according to our sources, a few couple-themed episodes have been locked down, with parts already shot.
