Chat masala

Sajid Khan to do two new shows, one of which is expected to be a celebrity chat show.

There has been news of you making a big come back to television.
I don’t know whether I should call this a comeback. My show starts in March next year and my film, Housefull releases in April. One is a theme-based celebrity chat show. I am also writing the screenplay for my third film.

You had a chat show on Colors called Sajid’s Superstars, which went off air abruptly.
No, no. It had its runtime. It completed that and then went off air. Did you watch your sister, Farah Khan’s, chat show Tere Mere Beach Mein and Entertainment Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega? I was shooting overseas for the most of this year for Housefull. So, I just managed to catch the Salman Khan episode, which was fantastic. Yuvraj Singh and John Abraham’s episode was cool as well.

You’ve been known for inviting the wrath of different sections of the film fraternity. Your show Kehne Mein Kya Harz Hai, shut down a decade ago because of your spicy remarks.
That show on Sony was the mother of all stand-up comedy shows. It was brave and one didn’t have to take the jokes or remarks personally. But I know many couldn’t fathom the content.

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Like Ashutosh Gowariker, who couldn’t take your jokes last year at an award show?
Ashu and I have made up already. We’ve been friends for 15 years and we still are. Most award shows are TV events. So things are blown out of proportion for the TRPs.

It’s said that Housefull is Heartbreak Kid and Chupke Chupke combined.
No way. Everyone thought Heyy Babyy was Three Men And A Baby when Nanhe Farishtey and Kunwara Baap inspired it.

You had three actresses on Housefull. I’m sure there were catfights.
Oh, no. I had four. Lara Dutta, Deepika Padukone, Jiah Khan and Malaika Arora Khan. I ensured no one fought because it spoils the spirit on the sets. We had our meetings at the production office and decided that we’d party, eat and work together. No one was allowed to report late. Akshay (Kumar) is a superstar and reported at 7 am, the others automatically turned up.

This is your second movie with Akshay Kumar. Do you treat him like a lucky charm?
I don’t believe in lucky charms. It’s just that when I wrote the script, I knew I wanted Akshay for the part.