Chat it up

Anupam Kher

By Priyanka Bhadani

Decades ago when the access to a celebrity’s life was almost next to impossible, it was actress Tabassum who became the bridge between the common man and their favourite film stars as she called the celebs on her show Phool Khile Hain Gulshan Gulshan for a detailed chat about their life and career. The show, that went on air in 1972, was the first television chat show of India and remained so for many years (it was aired till 1993). With the advent of the cable television in the mid-nineties, the format was explored more as shows like Movers & Shakers (1997) where Shekhar Suman called a guest (Bollywood stars as well as politicians) as he had a small chat with them on the topical issues concerning them; Jeena Issi Ka Naam Hai (2002) with late Farooque Shaikh as the host; and actor Simi Garewal’s chat show Rendezvous With Simi Garewal, were born.
Cut to today, the number of chat shows have just gone up with almost every entertainment channel, both Hindi and English, exploring the format. So while seasons of the popular shows like Koffee With Karan (KWK) and Rendezvous With Simi Garewal (RWSG) (both on Star World) sees a comeback periodically, there’s an onset of new shows that include The Anupam Kher Show – Kuch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai (Colors), Look Who’s Talking With Niranjan Iyengar (Zee Cafe), among others.
In the midst, there have been other talk shows too. Captain Tiao, which sees child actor Sadhil Kapoor as the host also became popular earlier this year as the young kid surprised many Bollywood celebrities with his inquisitiveness to know about them and their lives. The show is set for its second innings from September 21 on Disney. Comedy Nights With Kapil, though started as a comedy show, in more than a year, it has become a platform for many celebs as they drop their inhibitions while talking to the hosts — Kapil Sharma and his family of madcaps. Last year, another interesting show was introduced on Indian television as BBC Worldwide brought the international format, The House That Made Me, to the country with Vinay Pathak as the host and named it Har Ghar Kuch Kehta Hai. The show that takes the audiences to the childhood homes of celebrities, recently made a comeback with its second season on Sony Entertainment Television. While in the international format the celebrities took a walk down the memory lane on their own, in the Indianised version to make a better connect with the audience, a host was brought in.
While the number of shows in the format are on the rise, we wonder if there’s a formula for success for these shows?
Of course there is, remarks Kevin Vaz, General Manager, English Cluster, Star India, who has tasted success with KWK and RWSG. The idea is to keep innovating, he says as he points out how many celebrities have tried their hand at the format and haven’t really succeeded. “There have been many shows in the last few years but the iconic stature that Koffee… or Rendezvous… or Jeena Isi... have got, hasn’t been achieved by any,” he says as he talks about the shows hosted by Farhan Akhtar (Oye! It’s Friday), Farah Khan (Tere Mere Beach Mein) and Arjun Rampal (Love 2 Hate U) that fizzled out in their first seasons itself.
“While planning and executing a chat show, one has to think differently. In the current time when the access to a celeb’s life has become very easy with the celebs being seen on various platforms, both on-screen and off-screen, the audience won’t come to watch a show where they speak about random things. Difficult questions need to be asked,” says Vaz and adds that new elements should be introduced in the shows to raise the interest level as well as bring out the hidden aspects. “We try to innovate in each season. Like, this year, on Koffee… a new quiz segment was introduced,” he says as he also praises Karan Johar for the difference that he brings in. “Because of his personal relationship with each of the stars, he manages to get out deeper insights into their lives,” he adds.
The other people associated with the format couldn’t agree more. Anupam Kher, who recently dabbled in the format, and wanted to bring out the hidden aspects of a celebrity’s life that made them who they are, kept his show strictly unscripted because he wanted a heart-to-heart chat that evolved on the sets during the shooting. “No questions have been pre-decided. The entire point of the show is to keep the conversation as real as it can be,” the actor had remarked during the launch of the show that will wrap up its first season this weekend.
Raj Nayak, CEO, Colors, says that the entire idea of Kher’s show was to establish a format that doesn’t have run-of-the-mill content where celebrities promote their films. “We hoped to create a separate proposition giving viewers a new perspective into the lives of their favourite celebrities. When Kher discussed the concept, we instantly knew that it was the idea that we could build on,” says Nayak, who has received a positive feedback on the show with consistent ratings throughout the season.
Fazila Allana, Managing Director, SOL Production Pvt Ltd that was behind the first and second season of Koffee With Karan and is currently involved in the making of Comedy Nights With Kapil, says that the biggest challenge is to make a talk show fun, gripping and engaging. “CNWK does it well because even after being irreverant as it is, it shows that you can have fun with the big stars.”
Having said that, Allana would strictly put CNWK in the the comedy show genre than a talk show as unlike the American late night shows — The Ed Sullivan Show or The Tonight Show, it isn’t driven by one host. “It has a cast of multiple people that keeps it in a completely different space,” she says and adds while Movers & Shakers was an attempt to develop the late night show culture in India and it was successful as well, there still time for it to grow. And while the planning and execution is an intrinsic part to make a chat show click, a lot also depends on the host. “It’s the host of the show who plays an important role in binding all the elements of the show together,” remarks Anurag Bedi, Business Head, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) as he talks about Niranjan Iyengar’s show on Zee Cafe that has got “overwhelming response”.
In fact, it is the host who represents the viewer’s interests in gleaning as much information about the guest as possible.
Actor Vinay Pathak says that for a freewheeling chat in front of the camera, a host has to make sure that the guests are at ease. “Instead of trying to get a controversy out or to induce a guest in getting out juicy story, the idea should be to connect to the guest’s emotional side,” he remarks as he says that this is what has worked for him.
Agrees Devika Prabhu, Director, Programming & Acquisitions, Kids, Movies & Youth Channels at Disney India as she says how the innocence of a eight-year-old Sadhil has caught on with the audiences. “Captain Tiao makes the conversation interesting with the way he presents and engages the guests. It is always amusing to watch the reactions of the celebrities when an eight year old boy stumps them with an outlandish question,” remarks Prabhu, who thinks that it is because of Sadhil’s innocuous charm that the guests have been extremely welcoming and have warmed up to the show.
But as much as the host’s charm and the format works, “the host and guest need to work together to build a chat show’s success,” concludes Prabhu.

A few of the most popular shows of the past

Phool Khile Hain Gulshan Gulshan

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Hosted by Tabassum, this was one of the longest running chat shows on the small screen that went on for more than two decades (from 1972 to 1993). With her child-like enthusiasm, the host kept the audiences hooked as she spoke to the guests about their lives and careers.

Rendezvous With Simi Garewal

Known as the Lady in White for her signature white outfits, actress Simi Garewal brought glitz and glamour to Rendezvous with Simi Garewal as she interviewed actors like Jaya and Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Rani Mukerji, Priyanka Chopra, Lara Dutta and others on the show

Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai

The show became popular because it just did not see a celeb talking about himself but other people from his family and friends revealed few lesser or unknown facts. Clubbed with FarooqueShaikh’s inimitable style of hosting, Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai became one of the most loved chat shows on the small screen.

Movers & Shakers

One of the initial shows on the small screen to invite celebrities from various walks of life for a tete-a-tete, the show was appreciated for host Shekhar Suman’s quirkiness and the his ability to bring up some of the most controversial issues in a lighter vein.