Recently, Karan Johar remarked in an interview with the film critic Anupama Chopra on the Film Companion channel, that stardom no longer exists. He defined stardom as an inherent magnetism and mystique, so amplified, that it fills the big screen, and fills the largest room. He diagnosed the cause as easy access of social media that renders artistes ordinary and takes away the aura of stardom. “I’m not saying it’s good or bad, but that’s how it is,” he said, suggesting that stardom might be an irretrievable part of the past, like youth.

Episode one of Koffee with Karan, seemed to confirm this thesis. It featured Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt, a casting almost as full of frisson as the casting of Silsila. I mean here are two people married to two ex-lovers. Alas, the episode was a placid pool without undercurrents. The two share a heartwarming friendship, how nice. Alia nattered on about her wedding. How sweet, how sanskari. Ranveer Singh briefly enlivened the proceedings with his marvellous mimicry of Hrithik Roshan and others, his loudness the right volume for entertainment. There were endless shots of them all laughing, in lieu of actual hilarious moments—a laugh track in search of a sitcom.