Cyrus Broacha, Karan Johar and Cyrus Sahukar on the sets of Kutting with Karan

Ek cutting chai dena. The familiar call on the pavements and railway platforms of Mumbai is the kernel of the new concept steaming in the MTV stables. The youth channel is doing its own thing with Karan Johar?s chart-topping chat show Koffee with Karan. Christened Kutting with Karan, it is a four-part series that went on air from Monday night.

?If you are tired of watching Karan ask questions, see him getting grilled,? laughs Ashish Patil, MTV?s programming head.

But Karan apparently survives the grilling. The causes offered differ wildly. ?I have the mind of a five-year-old. How can I ask difficult questions?? protests host Cyrus Broacha, who has made a bakra of many of his guests, on being asked if he succeeded in adding to his hit list. ?He played along,? says co-host Cyrus Sahukar. ?Actually he held his own against both,? Patil concedes. Broacha and Sahukar are on the job for two episodes each. No wonder that Karan, hyper-busy with the premiere of Kaal this weekend, merrily messages how he ?had a blast with the two Cyruses?.

However, Karan still had to contend with the lie-o-meter, more life-like than the one he uses on his own show. ?The Sardarji boy who was there in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai has been shown to have grown up. Every time, he thinks Karan is lying, he lets out a fart,? Patil says. Trust MTV to mix biography with biology.

The half-hour series has been divided into four parts, each on a different theme ? his relationships, his journey (from an actor, playing a bit role as Shah Rukh?s friend in Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, to script-writer to director and now to producer in Kaal), music, and casting (heavyweight, every time. Count the names in Kaal ? Ajay Devgan, Vivek Oberoi, John Abraham?).

Kutting turns the table on Koffee. The plush lounge has given way to a downtown dhaba. ?His films deal with the rich and famous, fancy filmstars, furcoats in summer. We wanted him to get used to the other side of life,? explains Broacha, adding, tongue-firmly-in-cheek, how Karan would take a bath immediately afterwards.

The gift hamper that Karan smugly hands out at the end of his show to the winning rapid-fire respondent lands on his lap, uncontested. ?It has an old pair of socks, smelly cheese, a 1996 calendar?? recalls Broacha. No one would grudge him taking this one home.

It is not just Koffee beans that brew on the show. Simi Girebaal, of Rendezvous fame, appears, in a sari. ?He looks like a giraffe in white,? grins Broacha at his colleague?s impersonation. ?The wig used to keep turning around,? grimaces Sahukar.

The treat with the tea will be exclusive footage from Kaal after the chat. Raise a toast to the show at 8.30 pm for the next three days on MTV.