Of glitz, glamour & guts

Chitvan Singh Dhillon

It all started when the showbiz woman in sparkling white invited the who’s who of cinema, politics, arts and sports, it was an offer too tempting to resist. It wouldn’t be unfair to call Rendezvous with Simi Garewal, the desi version of the Oprah Winfrey show. On the show, an eloquent Simi Garewal dared to probe deep into their personal space and discover the dirty dark secrets. Garewal embodied the virtues of what a quintessential host should be — charming demeanour, oodles of panache and the ability to put forth crisp and lucid questions. While warm talks and sunny smiles largely ruled the show, the vulnerable side of the guests melted our hearts. However, this show found only a select audience. 

How can one forget the wonderful talk show hosted by late actor Farooq Sheikh — Jeena Isi Ka Naam hai. This was yet another much-loved talk show which catered to a much larger audience and the viewers got the chance to take a peek into the real life of popular Bollywood stars as the host interviewed them, their families and friends. The first season was aired on TV in 2002 but due to its immense popularity, the second season came up in 2006. 

Long before the likes of Kapil Sharmas and Krushna Abhisheks took over stand-up comedy in India, Shekhar Suman was busy tickling our funny bones in his path-breaking talk show, Movers & Shakers. It was a runaway hit in the late 1990s. Moreover, it had a good mix of comedy, satire and celebrity guests that entertained viewers. During the show, he took the liberty of mocking almost anyone — right from the political executive of India to the biggest names in Bollywood. The show had an unusual format wherein the comedy session, the Indian version of a ‘roast’ was followed by a quick, candid chat with an ace celebrity. The first season was aired in 1997.

And then as time wound its way through the cosmic clock, came India's most watched celebrity chat show, currently running its fifth season. Hosted by producer-director Karan Johar, the show started in 2004 and became an immediate hit, topping the charts and breaking the ceiling for TRP rating, thanks to the juiciest tittle-tattle and jaw dropping scandal that the stars doled out on the show. While the audience eagerly waits for the show, celebrities feel they have finally ‘arrived in Bollywood’ after gracing the coveted couch. The ‘Rapid-fire rounds’ and the ‘Koffee Quiz’ are two live-wire segments without which the show would be incomplete. The show has dished out many a controversy due to its no-holds-barred format where stars talk their hearts (and stomachs) out! Remember the hullaballoo that was created the last time two women decided to speak their mind on his show? 

When the likes of Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan want to promote their upcoming films on a TV show, it is obvious that the show is soaring high on popularity charts. Comedy Nights With Kapil became one of the highest rated shows in non-fiction category in just six months since it was aired on TV. Kapil Sharma opens the show with a comic skit often underlying a pertinent societal issue, following which he interviews the stars who have come to promote their movies. Cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu’s ‘thoko taalis’ and ‘O! guru’ add sugar and spice to the show. Even the audience gets to interact with their favourite stars here and that’s another plus.

If Karan invites the aces of Bollywood to his couch, socialite Koel Purie extended the privilege to anyone who is making headlines and appeals to her and her generation of viewers. An interview-based show, On the Couch with Koel has had celebrities, young politicians, cricketers, socialites, business heads and even spiritual gurus on the guest list. 

While we have yet to produce a talk show host of the standard of Ellen DeGeneres or Jimmy Kimmel Live!, we definitely cannot overlook the popularity of Karan Johar, Simi Garewal and the likes. While most of us agree that content mirrors changing demographics of the audience, we need to remember that a show like Movers & Shakers came out during the 1990s. If the audience responded optimistically to the content of the show back then, why are they not doing the same now? Have we become more regressive in our approach to comedy? In this day and age, a talk show like Movers & Shakers becomes exceptionally significant because of its guts to take on everyone and not spare anyone from mockery. It wasn’t just a run-of-the-mill funny show. It was written well and executed perfectly. Can we expect such a show in the near future? Only time will tell!