New Delhi:

The much-awaited episode of Koffee With Karan finally aired on Wednesday and we must say, it was exactly what we expected. Gauri Khan, Maheep Kapoor and Bhavana Pandey were on the Koffee couch. The trio spoke about their three decades of friendship, their jobs, equations with their families, success, failure and much more. If you have seen Fabulous Lives Of Bollywood Wives, you must know by now that Gauri, Maheep and Bhavana have been friends for more than 30 years. Just like any other relationship, they have experienced their fair share of ups and downs.  When asked by host Karan Johar about their “friendship of nearly three decades” and how it is still going strong, Gauri Khan laughed and said, “We have had many fights, to be honest. Let’s not paint this rosy picture.” Bhavana Pandey added, “We have had our ups and downs.” 

Karan Johar also highlighted how they have had “individual issues” with each other but they always reconcile and have grown closer over the year. To this, Maheep Kapoor said, “We have had loads of fights but that’s what it is.” Then Bhavana added, “We have had loads of amazing times too and we have all been there for each other in our tough times as well. I think that is what has made us last.” According to Maheep and Gauri, “catfights” are important. 

Maheep Kapoor and Bhavana Pandey then revealed that people do think that they are friends with Gauri because she is the wife of superstar Shah Rukh Khan. It all started with Karan Johar giving his own example of being called a “hanger-on” with Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan. He asked Maheep and Bhavana to share their experiences. To this, Maheep said that she has faced it “all the time.” She added, “There were times when people used to say that she is getting noticed because she is friends with Gauri Khan. But you know, three decades, 100 fights, 100 issues, hard times, bad times, you can’t fake this.” On the bond that the three of them share, Maheep said, “We have gone through milestones in life. You can’t fake these things.”

Bhavana Pandey agreed with Maheep Kapoor. She also recalled the time when Gauri Khan had asked her to come over for a tea party. “I thought that it was really warm and welcoming of her, to be honest. I didn’t really know anyone. The tea party was wonderful,” she said.

Gauri Khan, Maheep Kapoor and Bhavana Pandey also revealed how their families sailed through tough times when things weren’t working out in their favour.

Karan Johar then wanted to hear Gauri Khan’s perspective on how she reacted to Shah Rukh Khan’s success when things weren’t going as planned for Chunky Panday and Sanjay Kapoor. Gauri said, “For me success is immaterial. Of course, we love it, we all enjoy it. We have all been a part of Shah Rukh Khan’s success and we are thankful to god. But when it comes to everyday life, I am really not thinking so much about success and failure, and what’s around me. What all my friends are going through. Because I am not giving it [success] that much importance.” Gauri added that she “values people for their presence when they are with me and I enjoy the moment with them.” 

Gauri Khan said that she doesn’t think that she is that person who always thinks about success and failure. Here, Bhavana Pandey stepped in and added, “We have all enjoyed Shah Rukh Khan’s success with her.” Maheep Kapoor, who herself comes from a family of stars, mentioned that “everything or everyone can’t be a Shah Rukh Khan.”

Maheep Kapoor also revealed that her husband Sanjay Kapoor was jobless for many years, because of which “money was tight” at that time. “There were times when Sanjay was sitting at home for years with no work. Money was tight. My kids have grown up seeing that along with the glamour and glitz. The people around me at times did make me feel like we were the unsuccessful wing of the Kapoor family,” she said.

Bhavana Pandey, too, opened up about Chunky Panday moving away from stardom after their wedding. “I think getting married to Chunky was a big deal itself because I was getting married to a movie star who was known by the whole world…He has been such an amazing person at home, especially. (For) success, honestly, by the time I got married to him, he had kind of moved away from being the lead actor. So, I didn’t really see that superstardom but of course, I knew him as a very popular actor and very loved actor. What I saw at home is that he had lots of friends. He had great relationships in the industry…so, I really didn’t feel that. It was never the main thing in my life,” said Bhavana.

For Gauri Khan, who is an interior designer, the tag of being a superstar’s wife has not always been welcoming and has worked against her “50 percent of the time” in her profession. But she described Shah Rukh Khan as a “humble” and down-to-earth person who is “comfortable” with people around him. We all agree to that, Gauri. 

The latest episode of Koffee With Karan 7 is streaming on Disney+Hotstar.