That funny bone

Television, he says, has become “a medium with a wide reach and influence.†The benefit of acting in a serial, he says, “is that you start a sort of rapport with the audience. It gives you recognition which lasts long.†Shah says people remember his roles on such shows as Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi, Filmi Chakkar and All The Best even today. “I’m not sure if many people remember my films,†he adds. But surely he’s greedy for acceptance on the big screen..? “That aura of being on a 70mm screen is gone,†he says. “I think both TV and cinema demand hardwork. It is either good acting or bad acting.†According to Shah, television is responsible for making several film actors so popular. “Film promos on television give both movies and their stars publicity. Television promotion is far more effective than posters and hoardings,†he argues.

However, he acknowledges the flipside as well. “In television, people don’t want to take risks. Everyone wants to follow a set formula,†he says. Pointing to success achieved by the trend-setting family soap, Hum Log, Shah reveals that every television producer was keen to ape the show so as to reap rich dividends.“The rat-race leaves little scope for creativity,†he admits. “Everyone with even a little money wants to produce a serial now,†he says complaining about the herd-mentality that he claims is rampant in the medium now.

For his own part, however, Shah says he’s decided to stray from the beaten path and take the road less travelled. He’s currently waiting for Bhago Bhoot Aaya a ‘horror-comedy’ he has himself conceptualised to premiere on the small screen.

He’s also only recently shot a pilot for a show called Kal Aaj Aur Kal, in which he will play both a grandfather and a grandson. He’s unlikely to turn director, he confesses. “I’m too lazy. I don’t think I can bear the pressure,†he sheepishly admits. “I’m happy with what I’m doing I play my roles, take my cheque and go home,†he says grinning broadly.