For the first Koffee With Karan episode of 2017, host Karan Johar pulled off a coffee coup.
He managed to get Shahid Kapoor and Mira Rajput (people from outside the industry didn't even know what she sounds like) on the couch and it turned out to be a fantastic episode, one that might just make you believe in the cliched adage of marriages being made in heaven. (At least that's how it appears on television.)
Mira was earnest, more comfortable than many stars who've been pried upon by Johar's decidedly gossipy ways, and one could sense a genuine chemistry, a beautiful friendship between her and husband Shahid Kapoor.
Shahid, who has always been relatively more transparent about his personal life as compared to other stars his age (Ranbir Kapoor is awfully dull, Ranveer Singh is boringly diplomatic, as if too scared to offend his ladylove Deepika Padukone), was eloquent, didn't dodge any questions, and revealed a tremendous capacity for wit.
Shahid started out by saying that he started feeling lonely as he veered into his early 30s and couldn't find a partner of his liking in the movie industry. (He has dated Kareena Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, Vidya Balan, Sonakshi Sinha).
"I wanted a solid home because my parents separated when I was quite young," he said.
So when his parents suggested if they can look out for him, he readily agreed. And when Shahid and Mira met for the first time, they spoke for 7 hours straight and Mira candidly admitted that she wanted to 'come back for more.'
Though the age difference bothered them at first, several dates later, the couple couldn't feel it coming in the way of a budding relationship.
More than anything, the episode achieved what has always been Karan's intention — a detailed account of the guest's personal life, narrated by them, in a manner that is sincere.
They genuinely seemed to be excited talking about themselves instead of being guarded, as we've seen with so many other celebs who come on the show.
Right from where they met to their sleeping patterns (who snores and who steals the blankets) to sneakily making out in cars and family functions, Shahid and Mira were a tour de force, firmly secure in a marriage that came across as beautiful.
All the questions one had when their wedding was announced (How even? Isn't she a child? How will she fit in a movie star's life? Isn't he a casanova of sorts?) were answered, thanks to Johar's (comfortably) relentless line of questioning.
While it's best to watch the entire episode to get a sense of the couple, there was one moment where Shahid made quite a convincing case for choosing an arranged marriage over love marriage.
He said:
"I am a big supporter of arranged marriages. It's simple, really. You start with zero expectations and once you hit it off, every day is better than the previous one and all the highs come in the course of marriage. In romantic relationships, you reach the peak of your romance before marriage. And then you are left thinking where all the love went and why everything has become so mundane. So I feel the graph in an arranged marriage is better in the long term."
Sure, there are shortcomings of it too, but it does offer a different perspective that's worth giving a thought.
The couple was also candid enough to admit that in the first two months of a marriage, they were still figuring each other out.
"We're really secure right now," Shahid said. "Not to the point of boredom, but the difference in our ages really works for us [they're 14 years apart]. In the first two months, there were speed-breakers but within a few months, they evaporated and we became one. The fact that she conceived early brought us together in a humongous way."
Shahid and Mira have a daughter called Misha.
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