Sara Ali Khan rules the latest episode of Koffee With Karan season 7 with her charismatic charm and candidness

Sara Ali Khan had me cheering for her throughout the second episode of _Koffee with Karan_ ’s Season 7 on Disney+ Hotstar. The actor, who has been part of films like Abhishek Kapoor’ s _Kedarnath_ (2018), Rohit Shetty ’s _Simmba_ (2018), Imtiaz Ali ’s _Love Aaj Kal_ (2020), David Dhawan ’s _Coolie No. 1_ (2020) and Aanand L. Rai ’s _Atrangi Re_ (2021), was a laugh riot on screen. She made an impression despite the host’s utterly predictable line of questioning. She was candid, entertaining, full of surprises, and not trying hard to be what Karan wanted her to. She came across as someone who was comfortable in her skin, and with her opinions.

Sara has been on the Koffee couch twice before her latest appearance with Janvi Kapoor . In 2018, on Season 6, Sara was invited with her father Saif Ali Khan . In that episode, she was charming and funny but understated. Her identity as a daughter came across strongly because she was asked to talk about her relationship with Saif, her mother Amrita Singh , her father’s new wife Kareena Kapoor , and her half-brother Taimur. None of Sara’s films had released. In 2021, she accompanied Dhanush , her co-star from Atrangi Re, on an episode of Koffee Shots, which was shot in the gap between Season 6 and Season 7. Sara seemed less confident than she usually is, perhaps because her fellow guest was out of his comfort zone and the host was desperately trying to make him feel at ease. Karan even went to the extent of telling Dhanush that he started the episode by gushing with praise so that Dhanush would loosen up. It is a delight to watch Sara in the latest episode and trace how she has evolved as a person and grown as an actor. One can draw limited inferences from a talk show but her graph across episodes speaks for itself. She comes across as wacky, competitive, and secure in her value system – one that builds on what she inherited from her separated parents but also from her own life experiences as a former student at Columbia University, as a woman living with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), as a person who desires actor Vijay Deverakonda . My favourite part of the show was Sara talking about how she saved money on a hotel room reservation when she and Janhvi were out on a holiday in the hills. Another moment that cracked me up was Sara mentioning how Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor ’s decision to have a simple wedding at home was a good idea because it did not burn a hole in their pockets. Karan and Janhvi thought that she was being a cheapskate but I am sure that many viewers like myself found that most relatable, perhaps even shocking coming from a celebrity because even a gym look or an airport look seems heavily styled and too expensive to put together. Sara and Janhvi got along quite well but Karan was stuck with his dated assumption that women in the same industry cannot be friends. Instead of playing to Sara’s strengths, Karan commented on her fashion sense and made her sound like a loser. When she was on the show with her father, Karan showed videos of her when she had put on a lot of weight. He says that he does not like to body shame but he ends up doing that. On the episode with Saif, Sara had also talked about their love of museums, art and history. The intellectual side of Sara remains unexplored on the show. We know, however, that Janhvi reads Hemingway on holidays. I wonder why Karan, who is so smart and articulate came up with such banal questions for Sara. He brought up Sara’s ex-boyfriend Veer Pahariya in her debut episode on Koffee with Karan, and he mentioned it again this time without teasing out any new information or facets about that relationship. Not surprisingly, Karan also hinted at Kartik Aaryan – an ex-boyfriend that Sara seems embarrassed about now but was excited to date when she appeared with Saif. Karan had made fun of his hair back then, and Saif had wondered if he had enough money. It seems that Karan has learnt nothing from all the critique regarding nepotism. While Karan asked Sara to talk about her experiences during the COVID-19 epidemic, he made no mention of Sushant Singh Rajput – Sara’s co-star in Kedarnath – whose suicide sent shockwaves around the country. Though Karan was mercilessly trolled around that time, it seems strange that he did not acknowledge that loss to the film industry on his show. The absence was jarring because Sara and Janhvi kept talking about going to Kedarnath together. Even the first episode of this season, featuring Alia with Ranveer Singh , touched upon the pandemic but in a way that made it all about how Karan was trolled. Alia validated him. Bollywood has faced bigger setbacks – the loss of legends like Dilip Kumar , Rishi Kapoor , Irrfan Khan , Lata Mangeshkar , Bappi Lahiri , S P Balasubrahmanyam , and KK . It was odd to hear Karan say that Bollywood was vilified in the last two years. Moviegoers have showered Bollywood with all their love during this time of mourning. Karan is one of the most successful filmmakers in Bollywood but the industry is certainly bigger than just him. A reality check would help, but that can happen only when he invites people who challenge him. Some of the most memorable episodes across seasons, at least for me, have featured people who are not part of Karan’s inner circle. The ones with Konkona Sensharma , Mallika Sherawat , Aamir Khan , Rakhi Sawant , Emraan Hashmi , and Diljit Dosanjh , stand out for me. Of course, the most adorable was Kartik Aaryan, who brought pinniyan – sweets made by his mother – for Karan, all the way from Gwalior. It was a truly moving gesture on a show that is certainly attractive for its glamour and glitter but is a bit harsh on those who are outsiders. Chintan Girish Modi is a Mumbai-based journalist who tweets @chintanwriting Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.