TALKING POINT with sharman joshi

Your new show on soon-to-be-launched channel,Real,is called Poker Face and is supposed to be a combination of a poker game and a quiz show.

The actor talks about his TV debut and why belonging to an acting family is not such a bad thing

Your new show on soon-to-be-launched channel,Real,is called Poker Face and is supposed to be a combination of a poker game and a quiz show. Could you elaborate on that?

The game is a quiz show but it really doesnt matter whether you know all the answers or not. The basic idea is to keep bluffing and keep a straight face and convince your opponents that you do know the answers. You have to psych them out in order to then to get rid of them. Thats where the poker element comes in.

There will be five rounds,each played by six people,one of whom stands to win Rs 10 lakh. On the sixth day,the five winners will pull their respective prizes and will play each other.The winner of that round will win the entire kitty.

What is your role on the show?
Im the host of the show and my job is to welcome the participants,explain the rules and generally make them comfortable.

Why did you choose to make your debut with this show?
Id always thought of flirting with the TV medium. And when the concept of Poker Face was explained to me,I found it very exciting. Also,the show is shot on a short-schedule format which means,if it starts this Monday,itll wind up by the following Sunday. That helped me make up my mind.

Do you think youll ever enter the TV industry full-time?
That depends on the kind of offers I get. If its exciting,definitely. But right now,I havent been offered anything that interests me,besides Poker Face,and I certainly dont see myself in a daily. I guess if we had the Hollywood tradition,where big stars make one or two episode cameos in TV shows,Id take that up.

Story continues below this ad

With regard to your movie roles,do you ever feel that you get typecast as a comic actor?
Not at all. I agree that many of my roles have been comic,but Ive done a few serious role too. For instance,in Rang de Basanti,Life in a Metro and Sorry Bhai!. I admit,the last one didnt do too well but that had a lot to do with the timing since it released the week of the Mumbai attacks.

You come from a family of performers. Is that partly why you turned to acting as well?
Im acting because I just love it. Its my passion and quite frankly,I dont want to do anything else. I think this is the only job in the world where you are actually paid to have a blast.

Pooja Pillai

Pooja Pillai is a Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, working with the National Editorial and Opinion section. Her work frequently explores the intersection of society, culture and technology. Editorial Focus & Expertise Pooja’s writing spans several key domains, often blending analytical commentary with cultural critique. Art & Culture: She writes extensively on cinema, books, and the evolving landscape of arts and entertainment. Technology & Society: Her work examines the human impact of the gig economy, the rise of AI in creative fields, and the cultural shifts driven by digital platforms. Food & Lifestyle: She often uses food as a lens to explore history and politics, covering everything from the origins of pantry essentials to the impact of nutrition policy. Politics: She closely tracks political developments in South and West India and provides commentary on international political transitions, including the shifting landscape of American politics. Multimedia & Podcasting Pooja is a prominent voice in the Indian Express’s digital ecosystem. She is the host of 'DeshKaal with Yogendra Yadav', weekly video podcast where she facilitates deep-dive conversations on Indian democracy, social movements, and current political affairs. Notable Recent Works Cinema & Identity: “SRK@60: Why Shah Rukh Khan is Bollywood's last, and only, superstar” – an analysis of stardom and the changing face of Indian identity Global Politics: Commentary on the Trump administration’s misguided “war on woke culture” via typography and analysis of the visual semiotics of Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s attire during successive visits to the White House. Art & AI: “An unequal music: AI is lowering barriers at the cost of music itself” – a critique of how technology is redefining artistic value. Professional Presence Pooja is active on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram, where she shares her latest columns and editorial insights. Her full archive and latest updates can be found on her Indian Express Author Profile. ... Read More

Click here to join Express Pune WhatsApp channel and get a curated list of our stories

Tags:
pune