Koffee With Karan 8: Karan Johar’s latest episode strikes an important conversation on mental health

Karan Johar’s first episode of Koffee With Karan 8 saw the presence of real-life couple Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh. Amongst the discussions ranging from the couple’s dating life, marriage, and films, one stand-out moment was both Deepika and Karan opening up about their mental health issues. For the unversed, Deepika was one of the first actresses in Bollywood who opened up about her battle with depression. Karan was also seen talking about a depressive attack that he had gotten during the NMACC launch event.

The director said, “I think there were three tough years of the pandemic and there was trolling and I didn't realise that I was trying to be tough and resilient and brush things under the carpet. I remember Varun (Dhawan) was staring at me. I was sweating, I didn't even realise. He came to me, held my hand and asked ‘Are you okay?’ And my hands were shaking.” KJo then added how Varun helped him to calm down his nerves as he feared the director might be having a heart attack. He went on to say, “I got out of my long and elaborate jacket and I left in half an hour. I just went to my bed and I wept. I just cried and I didn't know why I was crying.” The Kuch Kuch Hota Hai director added how he consulted his psychologist after that who put him on medication. He also said that he is doing much better now.

Also Read: Koffee With Karan 8 Ep 1 Highlights: Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone's love journey from Ang Laga De kiss, Maldives proposal and more 

Well, it was truly heartwarming to see the debut Koffee With Karan episode of Season 8 spark an important conversation surrounding mental health. Amidst all the juicy gossip, a brutally honest attempt to destigmatize the taboo surrounding speaking up on one’s mental health issues was long overdue. This leaves us expecting more intellectually and emotionally stimulating conversations in the other episodes of this season.