Shah Rukh Khan-Salman Khan danced to ‘Bhangra Pa Le’, Ranveer Singh was playing music: Karan Johar on 50th birthday bash

From Shah Rukh Khan to Ranveer Singh, generations of stars gathered under one roof in cool outfits and danced the night away. But later, when a fresh surge in Covid-19 cases started to hit the country, Johar’s party was predictably termed as a ‘super-spreader event.’ Speaking about that night to Film Companion, Karan said that he wants to put it out there that he had nothing to do with this new wave of the pandemic.

“Now look, not to get technical about it but we don’t know who contracted it when because there was a lot happening that week. Even in the movie industry. There was not the party, there were weddings, there were events, there were shoots, why blame me? Everything, why does it come down to me? I don’t mean to sound like a victim but I do feel marginally victimized. I’m like I have nothing to do with this pandemic, I just want to put it out there. It’s not me. I have no connection with the beginning and the origin of this pandemic. I just want to put it out there so why people wrote what they did, how many people contracted it, did it happen at my party, I’m not saying it, I don’t know,” Karan told Film Companion.

Later, Karan also opened up about the details of the party, and said that his grand bash was celebrated in the Yash Raj studios, as initially suggested by Aditya Chopra, and that Bollywood star Ranveer Singh was in the in-charge of the music department along with DJ Ganesh.

“In my head it was a big deal (turning 50). A part of me was traumatised also, and a part of me wanted to celebrate it. And anything I know about the movies is from Yash Raj studios, from Yash (Chopra) uncle and from Adi (Aditya Chopra), so it had to be celebrated at that studio. Everyone became involved, Apoorva my CEO, and one of my producers, everyone suddenly became involved in it. I was like ‘it has to have a set, there has to be chandeliers, it has to be over the top, everything I am all about,’ I was so excited. People were looking like chandeliers, there were chandeliers, I was loving it all. I had such a good time,” Karan gushed.

When quizzed about his all-time favourite ‘Dafli Wale’ track and the fact that it was performed at his party, KJo said that he has a special connection with it: “That song goes back to my childhood. I was obsessed with that song and that film as a child. So when my children wanted to give me a present, they actually rehearsed the steps of the song, and I had tears rolling down my eyes. Ranveer Singh was completely in charge of the music, with his heart. He was like ‘the movie star will come on the dance floor, and we’ll play that song,’ he and DJ Ganesh. He did a tech check at 4 pm for sound. He was like ‘this has to be the Om Shanti Om dance number’, so Salman and Shah Rukh were dancing to Bhangra Paa Le, and Kajol-Rani were dancing to Koi Mil Gaya.”

During the interview, Karan Johar also opened up about the seventh season of his chat show Koffee with Karan, which will stream on Disney Plus Hotstar from July 7. He said, “The actors are all so guarded, I have to yank it (information and gossip from them) out now. Everyone’s like ‘will you ask me about this?’ ‘Will you cut that out?’ I was like ‘what happened to candour?’ People used to be so much easier on that couch. But now everyone’s worried that everything will become a headline. I have got cricketers in trouble for crying out loud (referring to his infamous Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul episode), I have nothing to do with cricket and I even managed that. Ranbir Kapoor has said that he’s not coming on this show. He said, ‘I love you. I will meet you and talk to you at your home.’ He said, ‘Mujhe bohot tension hoti hai‘.”

On the work front, Karan Johar is currently filming Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt-starrer family entertainer Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani. He will also direct an action film, which will go on floors post the wrap of Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani.