Farah & I Earned Rs 5000 Crores: Sajid

Sajid Khan began his career as a television host and soon took up the director's mantle on the small screen. Next he moved on to direct films.

He is now again back on Television for Sony TV's new show "Champion Chaalbaz No. 1". But this time he is going to a judge along with MTV VJ Cyrus Bharucha. The duo will now search for one best prankster through this show.

Q.: You are going to appear as a judge in "Champion Chaalbaaz No. 1". What is your comment on this?
A.: There will be no pressure on me as I'll just judge the participants in the show and not play the host here. Mona Singh will host it. There's an opportunity of meeting many people and that's a better part of the show.

Here I can witness many pranks and most of them are good ones. The good pranksters are getting better marks, while the bad pranksters are not making that much of a mark. I'm telling them to improve.

And I am also very happy because this is for the first time that I'm working with Cyrus.

Q.: The tagline of the show begins as "Jisme hai masti ki maha khujli………." How do you relate yourself to this?
A.: (Smiling) I feel very much related and connected to that. The show says that you have to show all your pranks on the show to win.

Q.: There are 33 contestants in the show. Can you think of anyone amongst who is really very good?
A.: Yeah. There's a girl in the show who I do believe will be the winner. She made a better opening and her first prank was about asking a typist to type a suicide note.

Its content was like this:' I am leaving you forever and by the time you will get the letter I would be leaving the world'. And then she gets pills in front of the typist who gets nervous. That was the best prank on the show till the date.

Q.: It's a new show of its kind on Indian television. Before that there had done similar shows on MTV, Channel V as well as on Bindaas Channel. Do you think that Indian audiences will appreciate that?
A.: Before replying your question, I would like to ask you how do you like the poster. Don't you think that it's quite a funny show? I believe that the Indian audience will also love that.

Q.: You have always been entertaining people. Have you ever thought of doing any serious character?
A.: Look, I'm a chain smoker, so I'll live for a maximum of 55 years. I have spent 37 years of that and I have just 18 years in hand. I would better spend that time only in entertaining people.

As far as playing serious a character is concerned, there are a few people who know that I am quite a serious person. I made "Heyy Baby", but I neither drink alcohol nor try to get any woman.

Q.: When was the first time you realized you have the talent to make people laugh?
A.: I was then just seven when I was forced to perform on the stage in school. There I danced and did mimicry of some actors and made all my teachers and other students laugh.

Usually I don't do films, but I know that scripts are needed only for films. There are many directors who say that they make scenes at the time they are needed. But it's foolish.

There's a proverb that says, "If it's not in the script then it's not on the stage". But I say the same for films as films require lot of money and we can't waste time on that. But as far as television is concerned, we have time for that. I feel proud to say that I never followed scripts for television programs.

Q.: You said that you don't believe in things happening in reality shows. What would you look for in this reality show?
A.: Laughter, laughter and only laughter. He, who will make audience, me and Cyrus laugh, will win the show. "MTV Bakra" by Cyrus and my "Bajao" were great successes because they made people laugh. We will search the same in the program.

Q.: Your image has always been that of a prankster. Are you really a prankster or that's an image that people have forced you in?
A.: These are two different things. I never make fun of others, but I love to play pranks on them. Whether it's for a show or in real life, I'm always the same.

Even during the shooting of "Heyy Babyy" I played pranks on my unit members. In that way people never get bored of their job and on the contrary, feel fresh. I really love to entertain others.

Q.: Do you feel any change in your personal life after becoming a director?
A.: See, people have started looking at me from a different point of view, but I'm still the same. I'm still the same Saajid, the same friend, the same son and the same brother. Even then I was single and still I'm single. I'll never change.

Q.: Your father Kamran Khan was a filmmaker. Don't you think that if he was alive he would have felt very happy seeing Farah and you as successful directors?
A.: I really miss my father very much. He tried, but couldn't succeed in filmmaking. He made a good movie, but unfortunately it flopped and all the money got wasted.

My mother told me a few days back 'I really feel like a proud mother because my children have earned a total of Rs 5000 crore for the (film) industry'. I have earned Rs 2000 crore and Farha has earned the rest. I think my father would have said something like my mother.

Q.: When will you become double from single?
A.: When I'll meet someone really interesting. But one thing is fixed that the girl will be from a non-film background.

Q.: Please tell us about your forthcoming films.
A.: I can only say that my forthcoming film will be a bigger hit than "Heyy Baby". I have taken Vidya Balan, Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh again and a new heroine. I can't say anything else at this moment. -Rajnee Gupta