Renowned filmmaker Karan Johar and his actress Alia Bhatt graced the inaugural episode of The Great Indian Kapil Sharma Show on Saturday, September 21. During the emotional episode, Karan spoke about his deep emotional bond with Alia, and revealed that she is his ‘first daughter’ and that he experienced the deep love of being a father for the first time through Alia.

Karan, who launched Alia Bhatt with Student of the Year, said, “Now, I am a father to Yash and Roohi, but the first time I felt a father’s love for someone was with Alia. We were in the vanity van, and we were doing Alia’s look test. She wasn’t sure if she would be in the film or not or even what the title of the film would be. She had been working hard to stay fit for three months and hadn’t eaten anything.”

Karan further added, “When I went inside the van after the photo session, Alia’s mother Soni Razdan was also there. We gave her a big cupcake. I told her that she is in the film and I am directing it. Alia got very emotional and her first sentence was, ‘Can I eat this (cupcake)?’ At that moment my maternal feelings came out. Since then, she is my first daughter.”

Watch the promo of this episode here:

Meanwhile, Karan and Alia are gearing up for their upcoming film Zigzaar. Starring Vedang Raina and directed by Vasan Bala, the film will hit the theatres on October 11.