"I am doing a chat show with a difference"

A yummy-mummy, Mini Mathur who is seen hosting shows and appears in various endorsements has always kept a low profile. Her most famous anchoring assignment has been hosting Indian Idol. However, this year we see her missing in action from the show as Mandira Bedi and Karan Wahi take over as the hosts for Indian Idol Juniors this season. When asked about it, Mini says, "Apparently the channel wanted a different set of people for this season of Indian Idol which is meant for the kids, so none of the earlier judges and the hosts were repeated. Everyone was replaced."

Would she have done it if she was offered the show? "Of course, I would have loved to do it. I treat Indian Idol like a baby as my association with it goes back a long way and I would have never got bored doing it. Every year there were new contestants, and I had a good rapport with the judges as well as Hussain Kuwajerwala who was the co-host. It would have been a lovely experience with the kids as I too have kids, but I wish them all the best!" smiles Mini.

For Mini who was recently seen in the film I, Me Aur Main, it is time to take it easy for a while now, "I have been working in the Television industry for the past 15 years but never had the need to do back to back shows. There never has been a need to be constantly being seen on TV. I needed a change of direction which was very much needed. So recently, I took time off and could go travelling, acted in a film and could do things at my own pace. I was happy that people liked I, Me Aur Main and actually liked me, remembered me and wrote about me. I have also been writing fiction and I really don't know whether it will take the form of a book or a film."

Mini also doesn't feel the need to be seen on screen all the time, "I am a sounding board for my husband Kabir Khan's films and scripts so that keeps me busy too. I also feel that viewers get bored seeing the same person on screen again and again so it is better to do less work and have people asking you, 'what are you doing next?' They have inundated me with calls after I recently tweeted about doing a chat show."

Not ready to announce the name of the show as yet, Mini who will shoot for the show in Delhi says, "It will be some time before I can talk more about the show. All I can say is that it will be a chat show with a difference. There will be celebrities whom I interview but they will not be only from the entertainment industry. The guests on my show will be industrialists, sportspersons, politicians as well as from the entertainment sector. The half an hour show will not have fluffy content but will have food for thought" signs off Mini.

Seema Khot Mattoo