Gone are the days when viewers would turn on the TV to watch talk shows and expect some masaledaar news about their favourite stars. Of late, most celebrities have been so diplomatic and politically correct onscreen, that they defeat the very point of lively talk shows. The fact that Salman Khan didn’t share anything interesting about his personal life on 'Koffee with Karan', or that Ranbir Kapoor was so low-key about every topic, seems to have been an ultimate downer for all viewers.
But Mumbai-based Mihir Joshi, who hosts 'The MJ Show', says it’s all about getting a good rapport going on, and not about letting the guest lead the show, like Salman Khan very much did. “The idea is to get them as comfortable as possible. Since I’m a musician myself, I get a good rapport going on with my guest. Once they slide into their comfort zones, they speak about interesting anecdotes, which they wouldn’t have shared with others,” he says. A good example of this, he narrates, is when Vishal Dadlani was on his show. “He never usually mixes Bollywood and Pentagram. He always speaks about just one of the two. But when we got talking, he told me everything and even sang a few lines. He never does that!” Mihir says.
If that’s the case, considering Karan Johar is from the film fraternity, he must be able to get the Khans and the Kapoors to babble away about their personal lives non-stop. But evidently, that wasn’t the case.
'Goliyon Ki Rasleela Ram-Leela' actor Gulshan Devaiah thinks it’s because of the advent of the social media. “Although news gets stale within a few days, every tiny thing the actors say is scrutinised. Also, when you’re on social media, everyone is always making mountains out of molehills. Simple typos are made out to be the biggest mistake of your life. If I was on such a platform, I’d keep it simple and try my best not to annoy people,” he laughs.
But Bengaluru-based Lakshmi Rebecca, who runs the award winning talk show 'Chai With Lakshmi', says guests are very guarded because of their celeb status. “I don’t have too many celebs on my show. So I don’t have a hard time getting guests to open up. Most celebs have these shows pre-planned in their head. And they also do many re-takes, so that they are portrayed how they want to be seen,” she says.
Gulshan adds, “Back in the 90s, it was very different. But now, celebrities have to watch their every step for fear of being misunderstood and pounced upon!”
