Karan Johar ‘feels responsible’ for Hardik Pandya-KL Rahul controversy, says accountable for questions not answers

Karan Johar recently ended his silence on the row around the Koffee With Karan episode featuring cricketers Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul. The filmmaker and host had said that he spent “sleepless nights” as the two cricketers faced the heat for making inappropriate and sexist comments on the show. Karan, now speaking to NDTV in Davos, said he feels “completely responsible” for what the cricketers had to go through.

“I invited them as guests and so the repercussions of the show are my responsibility,” Karan said, adding, “Sometimes the irreverent nature of the show or rather the candid, frivolous nature of the show lends itself to guests crossing the line or going out of boundaries that are acceptable. I can’t take accountability for the answers, but I am responsible for the questions.”

Amid controversy around their comments, Pandya and Rahul were suspended before India’s first ODI against Australia despite their apologies. The Supreme Court of India had set up a committee to decide the fate of the players. The channel pulled the episode off air as well.

The Committee of Administrators’ (CoA) decided to lift the ban on Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul and while Pandya will join the team India squad for the series against New Zealand, KL Rahul will be included in the India A squad that is playing five one-day games against England Lions in Thiruvananthapuram.

“It’s probably my shortcoming as a human being or as someone whose emotional understanding of that situation was weak. It’s a lesson that I have learnt, maybe too late in life, but I have learnt it,” he said. Karan went on to say that he felt guilty for what the cricketers went through. He said the duo has already paid a heavy price and will eventually realise that what they said were errors in judgement.

Also read: Twitter slams Hardik Pandya for boasting about womanising

He had earlier said that the incident had nothing to do with TRP-chasing. “I have to say and I don’t defend myself when I say this. I have to say that the questions that I asked the two boys are the questions I ask everyone including women. Deepika (Padukone) and Alia (Bhatt) were on the show, I asked them those questions. I have no control about the answers that come my way.”