SRK plans to bring cinematic value on television

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.