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Salman's blog
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Day 1 - 10 Ka Dum
I still remember the day when my brother Sohail Khan, who always dreams big, thinks different, brought the proposal to anchor a show for Sony Entertainment Television. I had my reservations. The idea sounded so impractical that I rejected it even without giving it much thought. All my decisions are based on my instinct and some people think that I am too moody and cynical. But believe me I have been guided by my instincts and my heart all my life! I do not depend too much on intelligence, analysis and calculations… I believe in poet Adam who has said: " Aakal har kaam ko zulum bana deti hai…". Some meaning is lost in the translation-- that intelligence begets torture and torment and man is lost in deep thought and often feels ashamed of things that have never happened!
However, Sohail, the eternal optimist, and family friend Ajay Chhabaria have tremendous patience and endless power of persuasion. They kept asking me to look into the format closely. Their patience and perseverance paid dividends…
My experience of playing guest contestant in a show had taught me that simple inability to answer questions may humiliate a person in presence of millions of viewers. All such shows have that inherent humiliation. As a matter of fact most students do not ask questions in classrooms is only because of the fear of being refuted by the teacher and the thought of being ridiculed & booed by fellow students.
Questioning has been a taboo and there's social stigma attached to it which is quite unnecessary. Ours is a very obedient society. We have created an atmosphere in which ignorance has become bliss. What attracted me to the format of 10 Ka Dum is that there is no false shame and sense of humiliation if your answer is wrong. Sample survey has determined the exact answers in form of percentage and nearest to the exact answer is the winner.
This game is simple. It is a game of guessing.
So here I am convinced & ready to go…
The format attracted me…and how! Stay connected will be back tomorrow.
Day 1 - 10 Ka Dum
I still remember the day when my brother Sohail Khan, who always dreams big, thinks different, brought the proposal to anchor a show for Sony Entertainment Television. I had my reservations. The idea sounded so impractical that I rejected it even without giving it much thought. All my decisions are based on my instinct and some people think that I am too moody and cynical. But believe me I have been guided by my instincts and my heart all my life! I do not depend too much on intelligence, analysis and calculations… I believe in poet Adam who has said: " Aakal har kaam ko zulum bana deti hai…". Some meaning is lost in the translation-- that intelligence begets torture and torment and man is lost in deep thought and often feels ashamed of things that have never happened!
However, Sohail, the eternal optimist, and family friend Ajay Chhabaria have tremendous patience and endless power of persuasion. They kept asking me to look into the format closely. Their patience and perseverance paid dividends…
My experience of playing guest contestant in a show had taught me that simple inability to answer questions may humiliate a person in presence of millions of viewers. All such shows have that inherent humiliation. As a matter of fact most students do not ask questions in classrooms is only because of the fear of being refuted by the teacher and the thought of being ridiculed & booed by fellow students.
Questioning has been a taboo and there's social stigma attached to it which is quite unnecessary. Ours is a very obedient society. We have created an atmosphere in which ignorance has become bliss. What attracted me to the format of 10 Ka Dum is that there is no false shame and sense of humiliation if your answer is wrong. Sample survey has determined the exact answers in form of percentage and nearest to the exact answer is the winner.
This game is simple. It is a game of guessing.
So here I am convinced & ready to go…
The format attracted me…and how! Stay connected will be back tomorrow.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Day 2- 10 Ka Dum
The second thing that attracted me to the format am the informality of the show -- it goes to such an extent that the role of anchor and contestants are reversed at times and also interchangeable.
I hate formality and behavioral rituals. I like to be direct.
Beating around the bush is not my cup of tea. The inherent elements of humor and informality in the format made me think very positively about 10 Ka Dum.
The very essence in 10 Ka Dum is very positive…
The greatest temptation to do the show was…see u tomorrow.
Day 2- 10 Ka Dum
The second thing that attracted me to the format am the informality of the show -- it goes to such an extent that the role of anchor and contestants are reversed at times and also interchangeable.
I hate formality and behavioral rituals. I like to be direct.
Beating around the bush is not my cup of tea. The inherent elements of humor and informality in the format made me think very positively about 10 Ka Dum.
The very essence in 10 Ka Dum is very positive…
The greatest temptation to do the show was…see u tomorrow.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Day 3 - 10 Ka Dum
The third thing that really tilted my decision in favor of anchoring 10 Ka Dum is that the entire range of questions and answers were based on a sample survey. Even the simplest of the questions reveal glimpses of the mysterious Indian temperament. However, the greatest temptation to the show was direct interaction with common people.
We stars thrive on adulation and love of the common people and yet we get few chances of meeting them. It's really a thrilling experience to meet common people. These are the people who elect politicians and create stars. They are also guided by their instincts. Probably this common factor, of instinct, has created tremendous emotional rapport between my fans and me. My contemporaries are highly educated & accomplished people and are very articulate. I am a simpleton in comparison. I know masses love me for what I am and I need not project an image for establishing any rapport with them.
I realized that 10 Ka Dum would give me an opportunity to meet real people. I have been watching faceless and nameless people all my life and now I have a unique chance to meet people- real people with names, addresses and definite identities.
The soul of Hindustan lives in them. I can feel that meeting people will purge me of a number of things and I am sure I will be able to rediscover myself in an altogether different light. Every single handshake will vibrate in my thought process for a very long time to come.
Heart has its reasons for all that you do…to know more be with me.
Day 3 - 10 Ka Dum
The third thing that really tilted my decision in favor of anchoring 10 Ka Dum is that the entire range of questions and answers were based on a sample survey. Even the simplest of the questions reveal glimpses of the mysterious Indian temperament. However, the greatest temptation to the show was direct interaction with common people.
We stars thrive on adulation and love of the common people and yet we get few chances of meeting them. It's really a thrilling experience to meet common people. These are the people who elect politicians and create stars. They are also guided by their instincts. Probably this common factor, of instinct, has created tremendous emotional rapport between my fans and me. My contemporaries are highly educated & accomplished people and are very articulate. I am a simpleton in comparison. I know masses love me for what I am and I need not project an image for establishing any rapport with them.
I realized that 10 Ka Dum would give me an opportunity to meet real people. I have been watching faceless and nameless people all my life and now I have a unique chance to meet people- real people with names, addresses and definite identities.
The soul of Hindustan lives in them. I can feel that meeting people will purge me of a number of things and I am sure I will be able to rediscover myself in an altogether different light. Every single handshake will vibrate in my thought process for a very long time to come.
Heart has its reasons for all that you do…to know more be with me.
THE BLOG IS BACK
Friday, May 30, 2008
Day 6 - 10 Ka Dum
Let me tell you about the time when Siddhartha Basu came to me with his team, to explain the format of 10 Ka Dum… in great detail. You see, Mr. Basu has a penchant for every minute detail and is quite repetitive in his discourses. I often get bored with too many details. I believe in things left untold. My entire life is like an unwritten poem and Basu would love to pronounce even the colons and semi-colons!
Much later I realized that in a show like this, detail is of extreme importance and attention to it, even more so. The time space is limited and the schedule is extremely tight. In the television space, every second is costly and one is accountable for it. The ticking of the clock is the very heartbeat of television. People involved in the television industry are constantly whipped by the moving hands of the clock…living only to meet deadlines. For them "Time is a Bomb". And I am exactly the opposite of it. I am governed by the clock in my body. I get up when the sun rises in my heart and go to sleep when the moon and stars are too tired to shine! My lunchtime is when I am very hungry and it may happen at sunset! The universe within governs me.
See you tomorrow…
Ahh wait … I feel like telling you more…It was actually when Siddhartha Basu left, that I began to think about the show and my role as an anchor. My initial feeling was that I've taken a 'Panga', which might cost me a lot. Caught in a blue funk …even the thought of withdrawing crossed my mind!
My screen image is that of a very courageous man and at times I feel like believing it. Every man has an enormous capacity to delude himself. No..?
Friday, May 30, 2008
Day 6 - 10 Ka Dum
Let me tell you about the time when Siddhartha Basu came to me with his team, to explain the format of 10 Ka Dum… in great detail. You see, Mr. Basu has a penchant for every minute detail and is quite repetitive in his discourses. I often get bored with too many details. I believe in things left untold. My entire life is like an unwritten poem and Basu would love to pronounce even the colons and semi-colons!
Much later I realized that in a show like this, detail is of extreme importance and attention to it, even more so. The time space is limited and the schedule is extremely tight. In the television space, every second is costly and one is accountable for it. The ticking of the clock is the very heartbeat of television. People involved in the television industry are constantly whipped by the moving hands of the clock…living only to meet deadlines. For them "Time is a Bomb". And I am exactly the opposite of it. I am governed by the clock in my body. I get up when the sun rises in my heart and go to sleep when the moon and stars are too tired to shine! My lunchtime is when I am very hungry and it may happen at sunset! The universe within governs me.
See you tomorrow…
Ahh wait … I feel like telling you more…It was actually when Siddhartha Basu left, that I began to think about the show and my role as an anchor. My initial feeling was that I've taken a 'Panga', which might cost me a lot. Caught in a blue funk …even the thought of withdrawing crossed my mind!
My screen image is that of a very courageous man and at times I feel like believing it. Every man has an enormous capacity to delude himself. No..?
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Day 7 - 10 Ka Dum
My mother reminisces that I wouldn't leave her finger even when I was sleeping. It anchored me in childhood. Being close to her, helped drive away the demons. Today, I wish to tell my mother that I still hold her unseen finger. It is nearness to her alone that sees me through all the rough times. My father tells me that I was mortally afraid of crossing the road. I would wait and wait and cross the road only when there was no traffic. Dad, I want you to know that even today, I do not cross the limits and boundaries of relationships.
So I was telling you about my fear, how it raised its ugly head and how I was in two minds about doing 10 Ka Dum. I think that courage is not a constant factor in life. A brave soldier enters the enemy camp and the same soldier is mortally afraid of a lizard on the wall. I have seen some brave people running out of the toilet because of a crawling cockroach. No one is courageous all twenty-four hours. It is a divine blessing that one gets only at times of crisis – when one really needs it.
Whenever I am in two minds and doubts begin to gnaw at my soul, I go to my personal gym. The strenuous work out not only brings out sweat, but also purges my soul and all my fears are washed away. It dawned upon me that on the show, I should be just myself. I do not need to act. It would be done without a script. I will behave just as I am in my living room, chatting with friends. The contestants would be real people, and I should be as real and spontaneous. I had cracked it! I loudly said "spontaneous" and wanted to come out of the bath as the scientist Archimedes had come out shouting Eureka! Eureka!!
So, now I have no fears. And now I can look Mr. Siddhartha Basu directly in the eye! Once again I felt the excitement, the prospect of meeting my fans, friends and my countrymen…I was ready to take the first step of 10 ka Dum. The thrill is back… and here to stay!
Day 7 - 10 Ka Dum
My mother reminisces that I wouldn't leave her finger even when I was sleeping. It anchored me in childhood. Being close to her, helped drive away the demons. Today, I wish to tell my mother that I still hold her unseen finger. It is nearness to her alone that sees me through all the rough times. My father tells me that I was mortally afraid of crossing the road. I would wait and wait and cross the road only when there was no traffic. Dad, I want you to know that even today, I do not cross the limits and boundaries of relationships.
So I was telling you about my fear, how it raised its ugly head and how I was in two minds about doing 10 Ka Dum. I think that courage is not a constant factor in life. A brave soldier enters the enemy camp and the same soldier is mortally afraid of a lizard on the wall. I have seen some brave people running out of the toilet because of a crawling cockroach. No one is courageous all twenty-four hours. It is a divine blessing that one gets only at times of crisis – when one really needs it.
Whenever I am in two minds and doubts begin to gnaw at my soul, I go to my personal gym. The strenuous work out not only brings out sweat, but also purges my soul and all my fears are washed away. It dawned upon me that on the show, I should be just myself. I do not need to act. It would be done without a script. I will behave just as I am in my living room, chatting with friends. The contestants would be real people, and I should be as real and spontaneous. I had cracked it! I loudly said "spontaneous" and wanted to come out of the bath as the scientist Archimedes had come out shouting Eureka! Eureka!!
So, now I have no fears. And now I can look Mr. Siddhartha Basu directly in the eye! Once again I felt the excitement, the prospect of meeting my fans, friends and my countrymen…I was ready to take the first step of 10 ka Dum. The thrill is back… and here to stay!
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Day 8 - 10 Ka Dum
Mr. Siddhartha Basu and his bright young team - Tanya, Aradhana and Kaveri came to my house with their laptops, the very next night. They wanted me to get the feel of it before the rehearsals began at Mehboob studio.
Boney Kapoor's son Arjun played the first contestant and won ten crores! Computers work to precision and in my informal approach, I had to see that the elaborate arrangements were not disturbed. The first thing I realized was that in this format, man and machine had to work in tandem. Even a little turn out of sync can bring about this loud deafening noise. It's like conducting a symphony with an invisible baton. My first session of feeling the equipment didn't go well but the well experienced Babu (yes, I too began calling Siddhartha by the name he's comfortable with) was sure that it was a good beginning. Probably they had seen worse or they had no high expectations from me. It's all about comfort, that's it. However much my cool exterior may fool everyone, I know myself. I am very comfortable with moving machines that throb with life but steel cold gigantic computers rattle my nerves! My problem was how to be spontaneous amidst all these complicated machines and mechanisms.
I follow my impulses and spontaneity is the watchword for me. Most actors tend to be conscious and competitive. I never bother about stealing scenes from co-stars or out shining others. I have done a lot of stage shows all over the world. I discuss and disclose my ideas freely. If a colleague says he'd like to use one of my exciting ideas of stage entry or exit, I willingly let them. My interest is in the overall impact of the show. Just as I think a lot about the impact of my film in totality.
But, Babu is a perfectionist. How do I convince him that my charm lies in being imperfect? And this is what connects me with people. I am as imperfect as my fans are. And nothing would want to make me change that.
Day 8 - 10 Ka Dum
Mr. Siddhartha Basu and his bright young team - Tanya, Aradhana and Kaveri came to my house with their laptops, the very next night. They wanted me to get the feel of it before the rehearsals began at Mehboob studio.
Boney Kapoor's son Arjun played the first contestant and won ten crores! Computers work to precision and in my informal approach, I had to see that the elaborate arrangements were not disturbed. The first thing I realized was that in this format, man and machine had to work in tandem. Even a little turn out of sync can bring about this loud deafening noise. It's like conducting a symphony with an invisible baton. My first session of feeling the equipment didn't go well but the well experienced Babu (yes, I too began calling Siddhartha by the name he's comfortable with) was sure that it was a good beginning. Probably they had seen worse or they had no high expectations from me. It's all about comfort, that's it. However much my cool exterior may fool everyone, I know myself. I am very comfortable with moving machines that throb with life but steel cold gigantic computers rattle my nerves! My problem was how to be spontaneous amidst all these complicated machines and mechanisms.
I follow my impulses and spontaneity is the watchword for me. Most actors tend to be conscious and competitive. I never bother about stealing scenes from co-stars or out shining others. I have done a lot of stage shows all over the world. I discuss and disclose my ideas freely. If a colleague says he'd like to use one of my exciting ideas of stage entry or exit, I willingly let them. My interest is in the overall impact of the show. Just as I think a lot about the impact of my film in totality.
But, Babu is a perfectionist. How do I convince him that my charm lies in being imperfect? And this is what connects me with people. I am as imperfect as my fans are. And nothing would want to make me change that.
cutesy: duskadum.blogspot.com
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