For viewers who’ve had it with sappy romances and saas-bahu sagas, there might just be a fresh alternative in the form of Vipul Shah’s new show, Pukaar — Call for the Hero. With a cast that comprises Raj Babbar, Rannvijay Singha, Adah Sharma, Pukaar is all set to air from November 24 on Life OK as a bi-weekly series. For Vipul, it marks his return to TV after Ek Mahal Ho Sapno Ka. It also marks the revival of his association with Deven Bhojani, who is co-directing the serial.
“When you have something really good in your kitty, finding actors for it is a cakewalk. I narrated Raj Babbar ji his part, and he agreed after a few initial apprehensions. I had my caste ready in four days flat,” he says.
Vipul’s association with army-themed films goes back to Force, Commando and Holiday and continues with his TV show. He explains, “I always wanted to be a fighter pilot as a kid, since that didn’t materialise, it’s this for me.”
Vipul isn’t worried about the competition. “If the show has to do well, it will and if it doesn’t, it won’t,” says the confident producer-director adding, “I wanted to tackle a issue which is very rampant, like the land mafia: Poor people are being thrown out of their houses and their farms are being grabbed by powerful builder lobbies… I’m sure such a concept will cut across the entire country.”
“One claim I can make is the action you’ll see in this show, is something which nobody has seen on TV before. My aim is to show a 24-hour film, which I will do in 24 one-hour-long episodes. People who are cinema lovers and have loved TV all these years must definitely watch the show,” says Vipul.
