His daughter8217;s father

He substantiates his statement with examples of her work 8212; Hum Paanch, Mano Ya Na Mano both Zee, Padosan DD2 and Itihaas DD1. And, now there8217;s Captain House from July 18, DD 2 at 9.00 pm. quot;Certain things can8217;t be taught. They are either there or aren8217;t there,quot; the father goes on about his daughter8217;s talents. Still he has a point: Ekta quot;an ardent TV buffquot; who drifted into Tellywood, via Ketan Sommaya8217;s TV Asia, is now at a commanding position in the industry.

But the command didn8217;t come easily; at least not as far as Captain House is concerned. quot;The pilot for Captain House was actually shot before that of Hum Paanch8217;s. But the serial went into cold storage for various reasons. Sometimes it wasn8217;t liked, at other times changes were suggested,quot; Jeetendra explains. Four years and a change of title later 8212; from Jindagi Mere Ghar Aana to the present one 8212; it did get a nod finally from DD2.

The father heaves a sigh of relief. quot;Nothing should ever hurt my daughter,quot; he prays. Captain House is a direct copy of the the American series The Ghost and I. The company8217;s brochure calls a comedy of horrors8217;. Kanwaljeet Singh, who plays a captain, owns a bungalow. He dies in an accident after which a young widow, played by Vaidehi Amrute, moves into the bungalow along with her children and maid. His ghost haunts the bungalow. The company has refrained from making a horror serial out of the theme. It has followed the original, and hopes to reap rich dividends from its comic potential.

quot;Ideally, when you watch TV, you don8217;t want to tax your mind. Moreover, one can still enjoy a comedy even if a few episodes are missed in between,quot; says Jeetendra. Nevertheless, he is quick to point out that his company has not treated comedy as its formula for success. quot;The laugh tracks alone don8217;t make a comedy. It is very difficult to make people laugh,quot; he says. quot;If at all there is any formula, it is that your product must appeal to all members of the household,quot; he adds.

So, the tactics are clear. Children and teenagers are their target audience. Jeetendra believes that parents generally don8217;t watch TV without their children and that if the serial appeals to them it appeals to the entire family. But will Jeetendra ever yell Action8217; for his daughter? quot;I8217;m very complacent, I don8217;t have the burning desire. If at all I wanted to do it I should have done it when I was in demand as an actor. If I didn8217;t do it then, I have missed the bus,quot; he comments.

But that is not the only thing that he accepts gracefully. Ask him if he has quit acting and pat comes the reply, quot;I haven8217;t quit acting, people don8217;t give me any work.quot; But there still is one big screen venture that he is a part of 8212; Mother 8217;98 8212; that involves some of his comtemporaries like Randhir Kapoor and Rekha.

He goes down memory lane, remembers V Shantaram, his first break. But only for a while. He comes back to the present and seems to love what he is 8212; more a father than a star.