Karan Johar cherishes his memories on KBC

By: Upala KBR, Mid-Day
Saturday, February 03, 2007
Karan Johar's Big Day is over and he's happy that he's passed the exam with flying colours!

The self-confessed GK-retard made a special appearance on Kaun Banega Crorepati 3 with good friend Farah Khan, and says that the only research he did for the show was on matching the colour of his clothes with his shoes (don't you just love this guy?)!

Nevertheless, the duo won Rs 25 lakh in the hot seat, which they will donate to the Bal Jeevan Trust. Here, they talk about their big 'ordeal'!

Karan Johar

How was it being in the hot seat?
It was great fun as we were constantly cracking jokes and behaving mad! It wasn't about giving the right answers, but giving great answers, which we did. I'm glad Farah was with me!

Were you nervous about going?
I was petrified! Mom (Hiroo Johar) called me and said, 'You are on national TV. I hope you don't come across as stupid!' I didn't want to let her down. But within five minutes of being on the set, I was at ease thanks to Farhan and Zoya (Akhtar), Malaika, Arbaaz (Khan) and Farah. Gauri (Khan) was also there, so all of them made me feel comfortable.

Did you have to be convinced to appear on the show?
No. When Shah Rukh asksI can never say no. He's family to me.

How many hours did you shoot for?
It was a long shoot, almost 8-10 hours. It was almost like being on Bigg Boss, but because I was with friends it was like being at a party at Mannat (Shah Rukh's home).

How much money did you make?
We did pretty well!

What charity will you donate to?
Farah was keen to donate to the Bal Jeevan Trust, which works for the upliftment and education of street children run by this lovely Parsi lady Gooly (Gulistan Engineer, honorary secretary, Bal Jeevan Trust). It's an NGO she has been associated with for some time.

Was it weird being formal with SRK?
Not at all. We were being ourselves. It was like the three of us playing board games at home.

Have you played with him at home?
Yes and I'm always the scapegoat! Whenever we get together, the question always is 'Who is going to take Karan in his/her team?' I am the last person to be selected. I get treated very badly (laughs). Generally, it's Farah and the others who play these smart board games. I'm the guy who sits there with a big question mark on his face wondering, 'How do these people know so much?'

Did you cheat? Tell us the truth, KJo!
I never cheat, not in life or in a game!

Who decided that Farah and you should go together?
It was Shah Rukh. Star Plus wanted to convey three kinds of love on Valentine's Day so there were friends (Farah and him), a brother-sister duo (Farhan and Zoya) and a married couple (Malaika and Arbaaz).

The episode will air on Valentine's Day (February 14) and all of us will appear in a 20-minute segment each.

Did you brush up on your GK before going?
No. Farah did all the research. She said that the only research I needed to do was match my shoes to my clothes! I didn't even want to research.

When you start with a big fat zero you can't get anywhere by mugging up. Farah is the clever one here, so I told her, 'I am here to provide the glamour while you provide the intelligence!'

Who was your phone-a-friend?
By the time we started, most of our friends had gone to sleep! The friend we finally called was Tony Jethmalani (Ram Jethmalani's lawyer son).

What questions scared you the most - sports, history, geography?
All of them!

Who answered more questions correctly?
Farah, undoubtedly. But I wasn't bad either! I answered quite a few questions.

What do you think works for SRK as anchor?
The fact that he is being himself: warm, compassionate and human. Shah Rukh is a brilliant host and an even better actor, but where he tops is as Shah Rukh, the human being. He is extremely talented, but his celluloid presence can't match up to his real-life persona.

SRK the actor or SRK the quizmaster?
The actor, always!

SRK on KBC or SRK on Koffee With Karan?
KBC naturally! Koffee With Karan would be me!

Farah Khan

How was it being in the hot seat?
It was great fun, but then I've already been a dummy contestant and practising companion with Shah Rukh. I am a quiz fanatic and love playing games like Trivial Pursuit. I told him that the 20 minutes we shot for was too little!

Were you nervous about going?
I was a bit nervous initially because Karan put a lot of pressure on me saying, 'I don't know anything, so you will answer everything!' I was scared that we would only win Rs 20,000 and come home, but then we had a practice round and I was good to go.

Did you have to be convinced to appear on the show?
Are you mad? I was dying to go! I was very excited. I told Shah Rukh that I wouldn't give him dates for Om Shanti Om if he didn't take me on the show. I love quizzes. Karan and me were very entertaining. We kept doing stuff from Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, making faces and behaving mad.

How many hours did you shoot for?
Many hours!

How much money did you make?
A lot.

What charity will you donate to?
Gooly's Bal Jeevan Trust, as it's a private trust. The big NGOs have so much in excess.

Was it weird being formal with SRK?
We were not formal at all. I even gave Shah Rukh a massage on the show! Karan and me jived and danced in the show. It was like being in SRK's house and playing the game.

Have you played with him at home?
Yes. We play games like Trivial Pursuit, Articulate and mind games like Mindtrap.

Did you cheat? Tell us the truth!
I don't need to cheat. I know everything! Only when I am really desperate I cheat!

Who decided that Karan and you should go together?
I think the channel.

Did you brush up on your GK before going?
Absolutely. I was reading Amar Chitra Katha, sports magazines and books on mythology while Karan was busy finding shoes and jackets!

Who was your phone-a-friend?
Most of our friends had gone to sleep. I had planned to call Rajiv Shukla for Indian politics and mythology, but he had boarded a flight by the time we called. Karan was planning to call Adi Godrej as he's a brain, but he goes to sleep at 9 pm and we were shooting till 12.30 am!

What questions scared you the most - sports, history, geography?
Sports. I have zero knowledge of cricket. Karan must have been scared of all the topics except fashion!

Who answered more questions correctly?
Me, of course! Karan got just three right!

What do you think works for SRK as an anchor?
I think the fact that he is having a great time and not putting on an act. He's so concerned about people in the hot seat. Shah Rukh's sense of humour is great too. He is always ready with funny comments and can laugh at himself too. He's like an older brother there. Shah Rukh makes you forget that you are on TV, it becomes like home.

SRK the actor or SRK the quizmaster?
Both. He's having more fun as quizmaster. I have never seen him enjoy himself so much!

SRK on KBC or SRK in OSO?
I want to kill you! Both, of course!

(Karan Johar, Farah Khan, Malaika Arora-Khan, Arbaaz Khan, Zoya and Farhan Akhtar will feature on the February 14 episode of KBC3.)

Silver jubilee ones
Other stars who have won Rs 25 lakh in previous seasons of KBC include Kajol and Ajay Devgan, Sonali Bendre and Rani Mukerji.