Celeb Talk Shows – The long and chequered journey from B&W TV to OTT

If one has to name the two things over which every Indian is enamoured with, it is Cinema and Cricket. The obsession runs deep as everyone wants to lap up every single detail about their favourite film stars and cricketers. In the times prior to the advent of social media, the fans would collect posters, keep newspaper and magazine cuttings, have special autograph books, watch every film and TV programme and match featuring their favourite stars. The advent of social media has brought the film and cricket stars up close and personal, providing an opportunity for fans to have a peek into their regular lives and also interact with them directly.

It is not surprising that celebrity talk shows have always been popular with the Indians. Right from the times of ‘Phool Khile Hain Gulshan Gulshan’, hosted by veteran actor Tabassum, to Karan Johar-hosted ‘Koffee with Karan’, the 7th season of which went live on July 7, 2022 – the history of celebrity talk shows in India is a long and chequered one.

Here’s a look at the most popular celebrity talk shows in India over the years...

‘Phool Khile Hain Gulshan Gulshan’ hosted by Tabassum Govil (1972 to 1993)

‘Phool Khile Hain Gulshan Gulshan’, India’s first talk show, had a long run on Doordarshan. Hosted by veteran actor Tabassum Govil, who brought her own charm to the conversations, the show started in the era of black and white television. The show featured a mix of the legends of the Indian film industry like Sohrab Modi, Anand Bakshi, along with the then upcoming stars like Amitabh Bachchan, Shakti Kapoor, among many, many others. The show gave a glimpse into the lives of the popular film personalities, who reminisced their struggles, their first break, their craft, behind the scenes anecdotes. The show is remembered for its grace and warmth.

‘Rendezvous with Simi Garewal’, hosted by Simi Garewal (1997-present)

Actor Simi Garewal has always been known for her style, poise and grace – something that she brings to her talk show ‘Rendezvous with Simi Garewal’. From being the writer, director and host of the show, Simi through her chats with famous celebs and entities give us some intimate insights into the lives of the popular stars. She would often bring in real life couples to her show. Not just film stars, Simi once featured then Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi, who talked about her all-girls trip with her daughter-in-law Maneka Gandhi. Only Simi could have pulled off such an interaction.

‘Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai’ hosted by Farooq Shaikh (2002-2008)

Long before Ayushmann Khurrana, Rajkummar Rao, became icons of the everyman Indian in films, there was Farooq Shaikh, who represented the genteel hero of middle class India. He helmed the celeb talk show, ‘Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai’ on Zee TV for two seasons comprising 97 episodes. The show featured not just the celebrity, but also had some people close to the celeb sharing hitherto unknown facts about the celeb. Farooq was also able to get the celebs talk about their inner turmoils and tough times. In an interview with Tribune India in 2002, Farooq confessed, “Sanjay Dutt’s was the most touching episode”. The entire episode was based on how Sanju opened up upon his prison days and how he has worked towards changing himself as a person. Apart from the film stars, artist MF Hussain, Kiran Bedi, former Indian Prime Minister VP Singh, Infosys head NR Narayan Murthy, father of White Revolution in India, Dr Verghese Kurien, among many others, also were guests on the show.

‘Koffee with Karan’ hosted by Karan Johar (2004-Present)

‘Koffee with Karan’ is unabashedly Bollywood (nepotism be damned). Host Karan Johar brings in all the bling, flashiness, bold and bindaas that the young ‘uns in Bollywood today represent. The style is breezy, gossipy, filled with innuendos, in keeping with the youth TG that the show caters to. For six years, Star World was home to ‘Koffee with Karan’. For the 7th season, the show has moved to the OTT space and is streaming on Disney+ Hotstar. There have been no dearth of controversial revelations and quotes on the show as Karan probes into the personal lives of the celebs. For instance, when Kangana Ranaut called Karan the ‘flag bearer of nepotism’ in the Bollywood industry; or the time when Deepika Padukone said that her ex Ranbir Kapoor should endorse condoms; or the time when Alia Bhatt was not able to name the President of India.

Episode 1, Season 7 of ‘Koffee with Karan’ opened with Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt as the guests. This is probably Alia’s first appearance on television after her marriage to Ranbir Kapoor. Naturally the conversation veered toward ‘suhaag raat’ and Ranveer shared his own experiences of it – perhaps too much of it.

‘The Kapil Sharma Show’, too, has a component where celebs appear to promote their upcoming films. The conversations are peppered with Kapil’s humour, roasts and the comedy skits by an assortment of characters – usually dressed in drag. This apart, there have also been celeb talk shows hosted by Neha Dhupia (‘BFFs with Vogue’ and ‘No Filter Neha’ – a podcast) and Anaita Adajania Shroff (‘Feet up with the Stars’), among others. But most have failed to gain enough traction with the audience.

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