Aug 24, 2024 08:30 AM IST
KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya faced a lot of criticism after appearing on Karan Johar’s chat show Koffee with Karan. KL Rahul said that the interview ‘changed’ him.
In 2019, amid the controversy over the ‘inappropriate’ comments made by cricketers Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul on Koffee With Karan (KWK), their episode was removed by Disney+ Hotstar. Now, during an interview on WTF is with Nikhil Kamath, KL Rahul opened up about his KWK interview in which he and Hardik faced bans for the ‘sexist’ comments made on the chat show. Read this also | Koffee With Karan: After KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya controversy, Karan Johar says he is ‘scared’ to call cricketers
‘This interview was a different world’
The cricketer, who is married to actress Athiya Shetty, said, “This interview was a different world. It changed me. Changed me completely. I was a very shy, soft-spoken boy growing up. Then I played for India and became very confident, I had no problem being in a large group of people. People knew I was in a room of 100 people because I would talk to everybody.”
‘I was deeply shocked’
He said, “I don’t do it anymore because that (KWK) interview hurt me too much. Getting suspended from the team. I’ve never been suspended in school, I’ve never been punished in school. I mean that hasn’t happened to me. I don’t know how to deal with it. I did little mischiefs in school, but nothing that would get me kicked out of school or my parents would have to come. That (the KWK interview and the reaction after that) was my first (fall), and then you realise how bad it is.”
KWK controversy
After a Koffee with Karan episode during the sixth season of the show hosted by Karan Johar in 2019, certain comments made by cricketers were seen as ‘sexist’.
Despite apologising to fans and his teammates, he was suspended by the BCCI and dropped from the three-match ODI series against Australia. Both were later fined The BCCI gave each player Rs 20 lakh. Karan had also said at the time that he felt ‘very responsible’ for the consequences the cricketers had to face.
