SRK on 'Ghar Ki Baat Hai' and others

[pokeye]

'The last time I appeared on TV, the TRPs weren't that great'

Yet another comedy is ready to make its television debut. The only difference, however, is that the show titled Ghar Ki Baat Hai, is being produced by Shah Rukh Khan's Red Chillies Idiot Box.

Ghar Ki Baat Hai, a tri-weekly (Friday to Sunday) which premieres on NDTV Imagine on January 30, is a light-hearted comedy based on common man's life.
Inspired by the legendary Doordarshan show of the 1980s Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi, the show marks the television debut of actress Juhi Babbar, Raj Babbar's daughter. The star cast also includes Sumeet Raghavan, Swapnil Joshi, Ali Asgar, Jayati Bhatia and Deven Munjal.

Director Aziz Mirza is the supervising creative director and the director is Anant Mahadevan. The writer of the show is Kanika Dhillon. Bhavana Sresth is the creative director of the show.

Rajul Hegde finds out more about the new show from Shah Rukh Khan.

Why did you choose to produce a comedy show and a remake of Yeh Jo Hai Jindagi?
I am personally fond of comedy and game shows and everything fell in place. Ghar Ki Baat Hai is a situational comedy and apart from the new characters, we will keep the originality and make a difference in presentation and quality. I wouldn't call it a copy or a remake. It is more like a tribute to Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi (smiles).

Will you make special appearance on the show?
The channel has spoken to me about that in order to spike up the TRP ratings. But the last time I appeared on TV, the TRP's have not been that great. (Referring to his quiz show Panchvi Paas).



'All the good jokes are mine while all the bad ones are Aziz's'

Do you think it is the right time to get into this arena when there are so many channels, reality shows and fragmentation? There is no right or wrong time. If the story is good it works and vice versa. Though we have people working in our production house for a long time, we are looking to give more opportunities to our young talent. Our main attempt is to bring in little more cinematic value to our shows with our expertise. It can be comedies, movies, reality shows or anything. We would like to produce shows like 24, Heroes and Desperate Housewives.

Why the title Ghar Ki Baat Hai?
The other title I had in mind was Devdas Ki Mauth (smiles), but it wouldn't have worked so we decided on Ghar Ki Baat Hai. It is a nice thought and it comes naturally. Its about family drama and neighbours.

How much of your home is there in the show?
It is not only mine; it's everybody's Ghar Ki Baat. The comedy is situational with little salt and masala to make it more interesting.

Did you help your team to choose the actors?
I didn't have to bother about that because everyone is picked as per the character. All of them are amazing actors. I have watched Sumeet Raghavan's Sarabhai v/s Sarabhai and I know Ali Asgar very well.

Did you give your inputs?
As of now I have not given any inputs. But yes, I would like to contribute in the future. Since I am good at marketing, I can give my feedback as an audience. All the good jokes are mine while all the bad ones are Aziz's (smiles).



'I don't think I would have done justice to the role done by Anil Kapoor in Slumdog'

As you know, Slumdog Millionaire has been nominated for the Oscars. Care to comment? I loved the film and I am really proud that it is being nominated for Oscars. Everyone has done a wonderful job. I wish them all the best.
I love awards. The Oscars and Golden Globe awards are a symbol of international recognition. I hope to feature in a film comprising Indian cast and crew some day, which will go on to win these awards. The success of Slumdog Millionaire worldwide is an incentive to all Indian filmmakers.

But there has also been controversy over the title Slumdog...
I have an old relation with the word dog. (referring to Aamir Khan's blog). Jokes aside, I don't want to comment on that.
The poverty which was highlighted in the movie is a reality. If anyone has a problem with the word 'slumdog', why don't they look positively and see that there is also the word 'millionaire' or 'crorepati'?

Do you regret declining Anil Kapoor's role in the film?
I don't think I would have done justice to the role done by Anil Kapoor. He (Anil Kapoor) is a fantastic actor and I truly believe that he is outstanding in the film.

'We want to create something like Sarabhai v/s Sarabhai'

Talking about his role in Ghar Ki Baat Hai, Sumeet Raghavan said, "Rajdeep Yagnik always gets into trouble because of his wife Radhika and the neighbour Ahluwalias. He shares a love hate relationship with his brother in law Kapil." He further added, "after a long time we are having a comedy sitcom on television. The director is also back after a long time. I am quite excited about this show because after Sarabhai v/s Sarabhai, I didn't feel the kick about any other show. We are trying not to go overboard, though. Overall, we want to create something like Sarabhai v/s Sarabhai".
As for Juhi Babbar, she didn't have any reason to say no as she liked everything about the show. As to why she was chosen, Juhi said the production house wanted someone with a theatre background.

"Everybody is kind to me so I can balance both theatre, which is my first love, and television," she added.
Asked how good is she at humour and she replied, "You should ask Ali Asgar that. Comedy is very difficult and when people react to it, it's a great feeling," said Juhi.


http://specials.rediff.com/movies/2009/jan/28video1-shah-rukh-khan-on-new-soap-ghar-ki-baat-hai.htm

[Jalda]

Thanks Sam. Lovely interview :kiss:

[PrettY_WoMaN]

Where's my thread, Ujj! :P

[pokeye]

^ phoof phoof :woohoo: :P

[senorita]

yipee shah watched sarabhai v/s sarabhai.it was my fav show. :clap2:

great interview as usual.tfs poki.

[pa_nat69]

SRK says he plans to bring cinematic value on television
Agencies Posted: Jan 28, 2009 at 1306 hrs IST

SRK said the actors in the show, which goes on air this weekend, have been chosen by his creative team.


Mumbai: Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, who has forayed into television by producing a weekly sitcom 'Ghar Ki Baat Hai' has said that he wants to bring "cinematic value" on the small screen.

"There is no specific cache of programmes which we are planning on television. I have been a film producer for the last eight to nine years and have experience of acting for the last 20 years. I think I can bring a difference to television in terms of presentation of content. I will try to bring cinematic value to television," Shah Rukh said.

"Sitcoms are situational comedies. If you see series like Friends','3 is company', you will realise that situations are same. But, there is newness in the characters. Besides, there is originality in the presentation," he said to a query on 'Ghar Ki Baat Hai' (GKBH) being inspired by popular television series of the 80s 'Yeh jo hai zindagi'.

"'GKBH' is not a copy of YJHZ but a tribute to it," he said adding he loved comedy shows and family dramas and GKBH was a good mix of both.

"Light content was commercially viable. I am strangely connected with television. I made my debut in acting with television working with Saeed Mirza, Kundan Shah and Aziz Mirza and now Aziz, Sameer Nair have persuaded me to be back on television," Shah Rukh said.

He said the actors in the show, which goes on air this weekend, have been chosen by his creative team. It features Sumeet Raghavan, Juhi Babbar, Swapnil Joshi, Jayati Bhatia and Ali Asghar.

The show's director Anant Mahadevan, who was part of TV series 'Circus' made by Aziz Mirza said life has come full circle for him with GKBH because he was working with Mirza and SRK, who played the lead in the serial.

"GKBH is a classic comedy which will capture the essence of television of the 80s where shows by Kundan Shah, Aziz and Saeed Mirza, Sai Paranjpye ruled the roost," he said.

Sameer Nair said the show has a stellar cast and a killer story coupled with King Khan as the producer.

Besides, a reality show 'Knights and Angels', to find cheer leaders for his IPL Kolkata knightriders team will go on air in March. A talk show on first ladies on Hindi cinema is already on air.

Both the shows are produced by SRK's television company 'Red Chillies Idiot Box'.
When asked why he ventured into television when the medium was considered fragmented and low TRPs for even the major shows, SRK said he has been discussing television with his friends for about two to three years.

"The risk is there. But, the channel felt confident that we were competitive enough," the actor said adding that he wanted the young people in his film production house Red Chillies to diversify into different arena.

"There is nothing like an opportune time. If your serial is good, its possibility of holding on and doing well is more at any given time," said film and television producer-director Aziz Mirza who is the creative director of the show.

To a question on why he named his company Idiot box which is considered as a slang for television, Khan said 'idiot box' is a terminology used for the small screen for many years.

"I don't consider the word a slang. Besides, it adds spice to the name Red Chillies and makes the company's name interesting," he said.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/sr...ision/416123/2

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[-Hamza-]

I hope he never does anything along the lines of Desperate Housewives. That show if absolutely absurd. . .

It'd be interesting if he looked into Californication, Nip/Tuck, Dexter, or perhaps a Law & Order.

[pa_nat69]

SRK at his wittiest best!
Shah Rukh Khan left his filming of My Name Is Khan in Los Angeles and returned to India for his shoulder injury. But no one who met him last evening at the launch of his sit com Ghar Ki Baat Hai would believe that the superstar is in agony due to his shoulder injury.




Dressed casually in denims and a gray tee and a red and black scarf, SRK interacted with the entire star cast quite a lot. He was hugging all of them and most importantly did not forget anyone's name on stage! He was his usual self as he patiently answered the never ending questions of the media.



Here are some of his best answers from the event:

On introducing Anant Mahadevan who is director of the show: In my first film Baazigar, I worked with Anant. In that film as I was the bad guy and he was the good guy and then in Badshah he became worse than me!

On his father figure Aziz Mirza: I will call him last on stage as he takes a lot of time. He also advised Aziz to loose some weight so that he can move around quickly. When asked considering the economic situation, is it a good time to launch the show, SRK replied, "All the good jokes from the show are mine and all the bad ones are from creative team!"

On the title Ghar Ki Baat Hai: We also had title Devdas Ki Maut lekin woh suit nahi hua issiliye yeh rakh diya!
On the name of his TV production company Idiot Box: I kept it because it is a known term. Saying this he suddenly burst into a loud laugh and said, "I remembered this one joke about one actor but sorry I will not able to share that with you guys as I have become intelligent now!"

On him turning down Slumdog Millionaire: Mera aur kutton ka toh bada purana rishta hai, aapko toh pata hai. But I felt bad when people try seeing negative things about a film which is so good. You should also see the positive side of it like even if the title has a dog in it, it has the word millionaire too in the end. It is a nice movie and good story telling. I liked it.





Sonali Joshi, Hill Road Media
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
www.indya.com