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{{Short description|Indian journalist}}
{{Use Indian English|date=January 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Karan Thapar
| image = Karan Thapar, Infotainment Television, Richter Frank-Jurgen (cropped).jpg
| caption = Thapar in 2019
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1955|11|05|df=yes}}
| birth_place = [[Srinagar]], [[Jammu and Kashmir (state)|Jammu and Kashmir]], [[India]]
| alma_mater = [[Pembroke College, Cambridge|Pembroke College]], [[Cambridge University]] (B.A.) [[St Antony's College, Oxford|St. Antony's College, Oxford University]] (Ph.D.)
| spouse =
| occupation = [[Journalist]], [[News presenter]]
| employer = [[The Wire (India)|The Wire]]
| credits = ''Devil's Advocate'' ''India Tonight'' ''The Last Word'' Face to Face (BBC) Hardtalk India (BBC) To the Point
| father = [[Pran Nath Thapar]]
| relatives = [[Daya Ram Thapar]] (uncle) [[Romesh Thapar]] (cousin) [[Romila Thapar]] (cousin)
}}

'''Karan Thapar''' (born 5 November 1955) is an Indian journalist, [[news presenter]] and interviewer working with [[The Wire (India)|The Wire]]. Thapar was associated with [[CNN-IBN]] and hosted ''The Devil's Advocate'' and ''The Last Word''. Some of the celebrities he has interviewed included [[Jyoti Basu]], [[Atal Bihari Vajpayee]], [[Mamata Banerjee]], [[J. Jayalalithaa]], [[Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee]], [[Narendra Modi]] and [[Shah Rukh Khan]]. He was also associated with [[India Today (TV channel)|India Today]], hosted the shows ''To the Point'' and ''Nothing But The Truth'' and is doing an exclusive series of Interviews with ''[[The Wire (India)|The Wire]]'' on his show the Interview with Karan Thapar.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Karan Thapar|url=https://thewire.in/author/karan-thapar|access-date=2020-10-20|website=The Wire}}</ref><ref>[http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/comment-the-two-faces-of-mr-modi/article6553304.ece The two faces of Mr. Modi]</ref>

==Early life and education==
Karan Thapar is the youngest child of former [[Chief of the Army Staff (India)|Chief of the Army Staff]] [[Pran Nath Thapar|General Pran Nath Thapar]] and Bimla Thapar. The late journalist [[Romesh Thapar]] was his cousin, and Thapar is also a cousin to historian [[Romila Thapar]].<ref>{{cite news|title=When the Devil's Advocate has the Last Word|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/when-the-devils-advocate-has-the-last-word/article4799504.ece|access-date=25 January 2016}}</ref>

Thapar is also related to the family of Prime Minister [[Jawaharlal Nehru]]. Nehru's niece, the writer [[Nayantara Sahgal]], was married to Gautam Sahgal, brother of Bimla Thapar, his mother.<ref name="ThePrint">{{cite news |last1=Singh |first1=Nandita |title=Why is Karan Thapar complaining? His dynasty holds a key to Lutyens' Delhi |url=https://theprint.in/lutyens-league/why-is-karan-thapar-complaining-his-dynasty-holds-a-key-to-lutyenss-delhi/87308/ |access-date=2 April 2019 |work=The Print |date=2 January 2019}}</ref>

Thapar is an alumnus of [[Doon school|The Doon School]] in [[Dehradun]] and [[Stowe School]] in England. While at Doon, Thapar was the editor-in-chief of the school magazine, ''[[The Doon School Weekly]]''.<ref>History of the Weekly, The Doon School publications (2009) p.41</ref>

Thapar graduated with a degree in Economics and Political Philosophy from [[Pembroke College, Cambridge|Pembroke College]], [[Cambridge University]], in 1977.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/books/the-man-who-lived-in-interesting-times-5323799/ | title=The man who lived in interesting times | date=25 August 2018 }}</ref> In the same year, he was also the president of the [[Cambridge Union]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.rediff.com/getahead/slide-show/slide-show-1-careers-karan-thapar-on-his-cambridge-experience/20110912.htm | title='Cambridge: A place where I had a bloody good time!' }}</ref> After which he obtained a doctorate in International Relations from [[St Antony's College, Oxford|St. Antony's College, Oxford University]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.alumni.cam.ac.uk/events/bombay-talk-by-karan-thapar | title=Bombay - Talk by Karan Thapar }}</ref>

==Career==
He began his career in journalism with ''[[The Times]]'' in [[Lagos]], [[Nigeria]] and later worked as their Lead Writer on the Indian subcontinent till 1981. In 1982 he joined ''[[London Weekend Television]]'' in the [[United Kingdom]] where he worked for the next 11 years. In London he was one of the co-presenters of Eastern Eye magazine program for South Asian minorities in UK.<ref>{{cite news |title=Madhu Trehan interviews Karan Thapar on his book "Devil's advocate" |publisher=News laundry |date=30 July 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://asu.thehoot.org/research/books/glimpses-of-two-generals-and-a-prime-minister-10701 | title=Glimpses of two generals and a prime minister }}</ref> He moved to India in 1991 and worked with ''The Hindustan Times Television Group'', ''Home TV'' and ''United Television'' before setting up his own production house in August 2001, Infotainment Television, which makes programmes for amongst others [[BBC]], [[Miroshka]], [[Doordarshan]] and [[Channel News Asia]].<ref name=InfoTel />

Thapar is noted for his aggressive interviews with leading politicians and celebrities.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/books/role-reversal/article23186785.ece|title=Role reversal - At the launch of his latest book, Karan Thapar faced a volley of questions from Shashi Tharoor|last=Leekha|first=Parul|date=13 March 2018|work=The Hindu|access-date=2019-07-29|language=en-IN|issn=0971-751X}}</ref> A few of his shows which have been much watched are ''Eyewitness'', ''Tonight at 10'', ''In Focus with Karan'', ''Line of Fire'', ''War of Words'', ''Devil's Advocate'' and ''The Last Word''.<ref name="InfoTel" /> In 2004, Thapar famously interviewed late former Chief Minister of [[Tamil Nadu]], [[J. Jayalalithaa]]. It ended with Jayalalithaa snapping at him and tossing the mic on the table, saying that "it wasn't a pleasure talking to you" and chose to leave with a "Namaste" not responding to his handshake.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newslaundry.com/2016/12/08/when-jayalalithaa-poked-fun-at-karan-thapar|title=When Jayalalithaa poked fun at Karan Thapar|date=8 December 2016|work=News Laundry|access-date=2023-06-04|language=en-us}} </ref> In 2007, Thapar also famously interviewed current Indian Prime Minister [[Narendra Modi]] (then the Chief Minister of [[Gujarat]]). A few minutes after the interview started, Thapar asked a few questions regarding the Modi administrations' actions during the [[2002 Gujarat riots]]. Modi abruptly stopped the interview just three minutes in<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://thewire.in/books/narendra-modi-karan-thapar-interview|title=Why Modi Walked Out in 2007 and the BJP Now Shuns Me|last=Thapar|first=Karan|date=22 July 2018|work=The Wire|access-date=2020-05-22|language=en-IN}}</ref> while saying "''dosti bani rahe''" ([[Hindustani language|Hindustani]] for "Let [our] friendship remain [intact]") which became a popular [[internet meme]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-02-20|title=Dosti Bani Rahe|url=https://indianmemetemplates.com/dosti-bani-rahe/|access-date=2022-01-15|website=Indian Meme Templates|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Friendship Day: When Modi told Karan Thapar 'dosti bani rahe'|url=https://www.freepressjournal.in/india/friendship-day-when-modi-told-karan-thapar-dosti-bani-rahe|access-date=2022-01-15|website=Free Press Journal|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-04-08|title=Why is Twitter flooded with memes after PM Modi's Pariksha Pe Charcha?|url=https://www.siasat.com/why-is-twitter-flooded-with-memes-after-pm-modis-pariksha-pe-charcha-2121621/|access-date=2022-01-15|website=The Siasat Daily|language=en-US|quote=a meme in reference to Modi’s infamous interview with Karan Thappar where he did not answer the ‘difficult questions’.}}</ref> He later said that interviewing [[A. R. Rahman]] was the toughest in his career due to Rahman's shy nature.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Gautam |first1=Nishtha |title=Not Modi, AR Rahman Was Karan Thapar's Most Difficult Interviewee |url=https://www.thequint.com/voices/opinion/karan-thapar-interview-on-his-interactions-with-modi-bhutto-and-more#read-more |access-date=2022-08-31 |work=The Quint |issue=2018–07–26}}</ref>

In 2020–21, Thapar wrote a column ''As I see it'' in the daily newspaper ''[[The Asian Age]]''. In August 2021, the management of ''The Asian Age'' objected to Thapar's regular column after he wrote about the '1947 Violence Against Jammu Muslims'. The violence against the Muslim residents of Jammu during the partition led to their mass displacement from the Jammu region. Thapar stopped writing for the column and said,
<blockquote>The 1947 violence against Jammu's Muslims that unfolded over a period of three-four months in 1947 is well-documented and has been historically accounted for. It is something that no one can contest. So I gather that the owners are under enormous pressure, presumably from Mr. [[Narendra Modi|Modi]] and Mr. [[Amit Shah|Shah]].<ref name="Asian Age">{{cite news |title='Asian Age' Kills Karan Thapar Column After Mention of '1947 Violence Against Jammu Muslims' |url=https://thewire.in/media/partition-jammu-muslims-karan-thapar-asian-age |access-date=19 December 2021 |work=The Wire |date=25 August 2021}}</ref> </blockquote>

As of 2021, he is doing the regular show ''The Interview with Karan Thapar'' after joining [[The Wire (India)|''The Wire'']].<ref>{{cite news |title=Exclusive News Stories by Karan Thapar on Current Affairs, Events at The Wire |url=https://thewire.in/author/karan-thapar |access-date=19 December 2021 |work=The Wire}}</ref><ref name="Asian Age" />

=== Assam Police Summons Controversy (2024) ===
In November 2024, Karan Thapar was issued a summons by the Assam Police’s Crime Branch under Section 152 of the [[Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023|Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita]], which pertains to acts “endangering the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India.” The notice related to an interview published on [[The Wire (India)|''The Wire''’s]] YouTube channel, in which remarks made by a guest were alleged to have violated the provision.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-08-19 |title=Assam Crime Branch issues summons to journalists Siddharth Varadarajan, Karan Thapar |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/assam-crime-branch-summons-journalists-siddharth-varadarajan-karan-thapar-10198763/ |access-date=2025-11-10 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-08-20 |title=Indian police open 2 criminal probes into The Wire news outlet |url=https://cpj.org/2025/08/indian-police-open-2-criminal-probes-into-the-wire-news-outlet/ |access-date=2025-11-10 |website=Committee to Protect Journalists |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Awards and accolades==
* In 1995 Thapar won the Onida Pinnacle Award for Best Current Affairs Presenter for the programme, The Chat Show.<ref name=InfoTel>{{cite web|title=Karan Thapar - Infotainment Television|url=http://www.itv.in/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1&Itemid=10|publisher=Infotainment Television|access-date=25 April 2014}}</ref>
* In December 2003, Thapar became the first person to win both awards in the current affairs category of the [[Asian Television Awards]].{{citation needed|date=July 2021}}
* ''The Best Current Affairs Program'' for an interview with Pakistan's Foreign Minister, [[Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri|Khurshid Kasuri]] tilted ''Court Martial''{{Citation needed|date= June 2022}}
* Second award for 'The Best Current Affairs Presenter' for his popular long-running BBC series ''Face to Face''.{{Citation needed|date= June 2022}}
* 'Best Current Affairs Presenter' award for his interview with [[Ram Jethmalani]] on ''Devil's Advocate''{{citation needed|date=July 2021}}
* In 2008 his show ''Devil's Advocate'' was conferred 'Best News/Current Affairs Show' by News Television Awards & Karan Thapar was presented the award for 'News Interviewer of the Year' at Indian News Broadcasting Awards.{{Citation needed|date= June 2022}}
* In April 2009, Thapar was conferred with the [[Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards|Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award]] and was chosen the 'Journalist of the Year 2007 (Broadcast)'.<ref>{{cite news |title=Awards 2007 |url=https://rngfoundation.com/awards/pastawards/2007.html |access-date=5 May 2023 |work=[[The Indian Express]]|date=13 April 2009 |language=en}}</ref>
* In August 2009 he was adjudged the "News Show Host of the Year" by Indian News Broadcasting Awards.{{Citation needed|date= June 2022}}
* In March 2010 Devil's Advocate was accorded an award for being the "Best News Talk Show" by News Television Awards.{{Citation needed|date= June 2022}}
* In December 2010 he was adjudged the 'Best Current Affairs Presenter' by [[Asian Television Awards]].{{Citation needed|date= June 2022}}
* In March 2011 ''Devil's Advocate'' was adjudged the "Best Current Affairs Programme" and Karan Thapar was declared the "TV News Anchor of the Year-English" by National Television Awards. In October 2013, Karan Thapar won journalism award.{{Citation needed|date= June 2022}}
* In December 2013, Karan Thapar received the International Press Institute-India Award for excellence in the field of journalism.<ref name=TH1>{{cite news|title=Karan Thapar wins journalism award|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karan-thapar-wins-journalism-award/article5210668.ece|access-date=25 April 2014|newspaper=The Hindu|date=7 October 2013}}</ref>

==Books==
* ''Face To Face India - Conversations With Karan Thapar'', Penguin, {{ISBN|0-14-303344-1}}
* ''Sunday Sentiments'', Wisdom Tree, {{ISBN|81-8328-023-4}}
* ''More Salt Than Pepper - Dropping Anchor With Karan Thapar'', HarperCollins, {{ISBN|978-81-7223-776-9}}
* ''Devil's Advocate: The Untold Story'', HarperCollins, {{ISBN|978-93-5277-985-7}}
*''As I Like It'', Wisdom Tree, {{ISBN|8-183-28466-3}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://thewire.in/author/karan-thapar Karan Thapar on ''The Wire'']
* [http://www.itv.in/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1&Itemid=10 Karan Thapar's Profile on Infotainment Television]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thapar, Karan}}
[[Category:1955 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:The Doon School alumni]]
[[Category:People educated at Stowe School]]
[[Category:Presidents of the Cambridge Union]]
[[Category:People from Srinagar]]
[[Category:Punjabi people]]
[[Category:Indian opinion journalists]]
[[Category:Indian male television journalists]]
[[Category:Alumni of Pembroke College, Cambridge]]
[[Category:Alumni of St Antony's College, Oxford]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian journalists]]
[[Category:Journalists from Jammu and Kashmir]]
[[Category:Hindustan Times journalists]]
[[Category:Thapar family (Pran Nath Thapar)|Karan Thapar]]

Karan Thapar - Revision history

Qtree2009 at 08:15, 5 March 2026