Karan Johar: Full-time filmmaker, part-time matchmaker

Indian filmmaker and television show host Karan Johar is renowned for his directorial accomplishments and controversially candid show, Koffee With Karan. But one of his lesser-known achievements are the many instances when he has played cupid to different Bollywood celebrities. Sparks have ignited on the infamous Koffee With Karan couch, as well as at the intimate gatherings that the Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998) director is fond of hosting at his house.

Here are five real-life B-town couples that Johar is accredited for having paired up over the years.

1. Sidharth Malhotra and Kiara Advani

Sidharth and Kiara were the stars of the most viral and widely trending Bollywood wedding to take place this year. Rumours of them dating first began circulating when they were seen spending time together at one of Karan Johar’s intimate parties. These rumors gained more traction when the two played romantic partners in the biographical war film Shershaah (2021) and audiences witnessed their undeniable chemistry on the silver screen.

While KJo was not directly involved in setting up the pair, talk of their romance started with them being spotted together at one of his parties and couple were given the opportunity to explore their romance on the sets of Shershaah, which also happens to have Karan Johar listed as one of its producers. Even though the Student of the Year (2012) director was not directly involved in linking them up, it was on one of the episodes of Koffee With Karan in 2021 that Advani finally admitted to being in a relationship with Malhotra.

2. Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor

Alia and Ranbir tied the knot in April of 2022 after dating consistently since 2017. While Karan did not play the role of a traditional matchmaker in bringing these two together, it was during her Koffee With Karan debut back in 2013 that Bhatt admitted to having a crush on the Rockstar (2011) actor and confessed her desire to marry him. Nine years later, her fantasy came true and the Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Ghum (2001) maker in acknowledgment of the mysterious manifesting powers of his Koffee With Karan couch, dubbed it the “manifestation couch”.

3. Katrina Kaif and Vicky Kaushal

Katrina and Vicky got married in 2021 amid lavish celebrations and plenty of internet frenzy, and Karan, yet again got—and continues to get—the credit for being the common link between the two. In a now-famous clip from his Koffee With Karan sessions, Katrina was asked who she would like to work with to which she quickly responded, “Vicky”, citing her belief that they would make a good on-screen pair. In another episode following that, Kaushal was shown the clip and he reacted by pretending to faint in shock.

4. Neha Dhupia and Angad Bedi

When it came to Neha and Angad’s romance and eventual marriage in 2020, Karan had a direct hand to play. The two first met at a party held at the Lust Stories (2018) actor’s home when Dhupia was already in a relationship and Bedi, too, was dating other people. While Dhupia’s initial plan was to set up her now-husband with one of her friends, it was the Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (2013) filmmaker who played the role of cupid and convinced Dhupia to consider Bedi for herself instead. And the rest, as they say, is history.

5. Vidya Balan and Siddharth Roy Kapur

Vidya and producer Siddharth have been married for a little over a decade now and their love story started with a fateful meeting at one of Karan’s intimate house parties. While the duo had met before briefly at an awards ceremony and Vidya had featured in one of the films that Siddharth had produced, the two did not get the chance to interact properly until that meeting, which the Neeyat (2023) protagonist revealed as having been fully orchestrated by the Om Shanti Om (2007) director to set the couple up.

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