Before I write anything else let me clarify that inter-hostel sharing on our LAN has been disabled these days (since over a month back actually), because of which my access to new movies and TV series has been seriously affected.

With that excuse I hope no one would crucify me for saying what I am going to right now. I have been watching episodes of Koffee With Karan for some time now, whenever someone on my hostel LAN is gracious enough to share new episodes. I watched the first episode in a condition of absolute boredom (which isn't altogether rare for me these days) a few weeks back, and found it better than what I had expected (which was essentially zilch). When I had read about this new series in the newspaper I had imagined an effeminate Karan Johar trying to do another holier-than-thou sugary sweet Simi Garewal show where the guests try their best to smile through idiotic questions. But the show's not that bad. And having been bred on a wholesome and unadulterated diet of Hindi films, it's not as difficult for me to enjoy a Hindi movie-related show as many of my friends.

Anyway, I was saying that the show isn't really as bad as I had expected it to be. In fact, with time, I have begun enjoying it a lot. The first episode that I saw had Kajol and Shah Rukh Khan. Karan Johar, despite his really irritating mannerisms, is a good anchor and doesn't bat an eyelid raking up controversial issues. Being a film-maker that most of the Hindi film industry (or 'fraternity' as Johar puts himself) is dying to work with doesn't hinder his bravado either.

I have this habit of judging how intelligent a public figure is based on his/her TV interview depending on how he/she answers the question, the language he/she uses, and a lot else. Here's what I think of some of the guests that I have seen on Koffee With Karan:
Very intelligent - Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Farhan Akhtar, Shabana Azmi, Lara Dutta, Saif Ali Khan
Moderately intelligent - Arjun Rampal, Hrithik Roshan, Kajol, Bipashsa Basu, Priyanka Chopra, Rani Mukherjee
Trying to appear intelligent, and might actually be so, but I couldn't decide as they were very artificial - Aishwarya Rai, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Shobhaa De
Dumb - Preity Zinta, Kareena Kapoor, Uday Chopra

I read yesterday that the finale of the first season will have Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan, along with Jaya Bachchan, Kajol, Farhan Akhtar and Farah Khan (there was another director whose name I can't recall) joining them.

And KBC is coming back too this summer.