"Have Learnt My Lesson": Karan Johar Amid Hardik Pandya-KL Rahul Row

The controversial episode of Koffee With Karan starring cricketers Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul -- who got some relief as the bans imposed on the duo for making "insensitive" remarks about women on the show was lifted on Thursday -- has turned out to be a lesson for filmmaker-chat show host Karan Johar.

Karan Johar said that he feels "completely responsible" for what the cricketers had to go through. "I feel very responsible because it was my show, it was my platform. I invited them as guests and so the repercussions of the show are my responsibility," he told NDTV in Davos.

The filmmaker has also apologised for his choice of questions, but said that he can't take accountability for what his guests end up saying. "Sometimes the irreverent nature of the show or rather the candid, frivolous nature of the show lends itself to guests crossing the line or going out of boundaries that are acceptable. I can't take accountability for the answers, but I am responsible for the questions," he said.

In the latest season of Koffee With Karan, Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul shared the Koffee couch and some of their remarks on the show were seen as "offensive" and "misogynistic". Amid brouhaha the morning after, the duo were suspended before India's first ODI against Australia. The cricketers submitted their "unconditional apologies" and statements to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The Supreme Court of India had set up a committee to decide the fate of the players.

The episode was pulled off air as well as all social media platforms.

Nevertheless, the filmmaker says everybody deserves a second chance and hopes that the cricketers, too, should be allowed to start afresh.

"I have had a tough time since the episode. I was feeling guilty for what the boys were going through. They have already paid a heavy price. They weren't allowed to play a few matches. But I feel immense gratitude that the first phase has passed. Hopefully, they will eventually realise that what they said were errors in judgement. The boys are talented, good cricketers and they should be given a second chance," Mr Johar added.

Talking about why the show was aired in the first place, Karan Johar said he "didn't realise it". He clarified he wasn't "chasing ratings" or thinking it would lead to some "scandal".

"It's probably my shortcoming as a human being or as someone whose emotional understanding of that situation was weak. It's a lesson that I have learnt, maybe too late in life, but I have learnt it," he said.