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The sleuth returns after a hiatus of 22 years and offers his take on today's television industry.

What do you feel about the comeback of 'Karamchand'?
No one had ever thought that 'Karamchand' would be such a big hit twenty years back. One could never predict the success of a show then or even today. But there's a slight apprehension today. Then there was only one channel. So let's give it some time now and see how it goes. The 80s era of television was very good. There were serials based on literature that were successful. Today there is misinterpretation of Indian culture and it's so easily acceptable to the audience.

Is the character Karamchand very close to your heart?
Every character I play is close to my heart. Otherwise I cannot
play it.

What prompted you to play Karamchand again?
Playing the character again is an exercise of revisiting the character I played 22 years back. It's an interesting exercise for Pankaj and me. His children too were keen on knowing what 'Karamchand' was. There was also a certain curiosity to revisit the character I'd played 22 years ago. It's a challenge of sorts. I'm sure it will go down well with the audience.

How did 'Karamchand' happen?
I was new to Bombay then with only a theatre background. It was kind enough of Pankaj Parasher to select me for the role. We were all very young then and had a great time working together. That doesn't mean that we're old now. We still have a very relaxed atmosphere on the sets.

Is there any special significance to Karamchand's carrot chewing habit?
Nothing really. It was just a different character trait that we wanted to give him. Luckily it caught on in a big way and its also been scientifically proved that carrots are rich in Vitamin A and very good for the eyes and brain.
nIs there anything that you are planning to change about the character?
nThe passage of time will cause a change in the mood and feel of the show but I'm playing exactly the way I'd played him 22 years back. I've retained Karamchand's character traits for people who've seen it and enjoyed it and also for people who're watching it for the
first time.

Will Karamchand be technical savvy in keeping with the
present times?
There was a lot of discussion on that. Karamchand uses his brains so he does not need to be a technical wizard. In fact, he's hassled by modern technology.

Do you miss Sushmita Mukherjee as Kitty?
It's not the question of missing. It was the decision of the director and the channel to cast someone new in that role. Had they retained her,, they would have give an explanation about the whereabouts of Karamchand for all these years.

How many carrots do you consume per show?
You should be asking that to the production guys.

Do you enjoy reading mysteries and detective stories?
I love them. My all time favourite is Sherlock Holmes.

What about the so-called interference from Sony?
There is no creative interference from Sony either in 'Karamchand' or 'Office Office'. They've been very supportive.

Are you happy doing selective work?
Today when I sit back and think, I'm very satisfied as an actor. I'm a middle class person and am leading a good life. My selective work permits me to lead a good middle class life.

How about directing television serials?
In today's time with so much interference from channels, a director is not a director. He's just a co-coordinator. Beyond a point, television is not creative. It gets very repetitive.
It's difficult for writers and directors to get creative. I don't see any growth for me as a creative person as well as a person. That's why I'm apprehensive about direction on television. But I'd love to direct a film. Presently I'm working on something.

Would you cast Shahid Kapoor in it?
Hopefully, if he likes my script.

How about turning producer?
I can handle manpower so direction comes easy to me. I can't handle money so I don't think I want to get into production.
Do you have any films
releasing?
I have 'Blue Umbrella', 'Dharm', 'Halla Bol', and 'Good Sharma', due for release.

http://www.cybernoon.com/DisplayArticle.asp?section=xtras&am p;subsection=showbuzz&xfile=February2007_tvtrack_standar d350&child=tvtrack

SET seems to have struck a gold mine with the relaunch of Karamchand, the carrot munching detective serial. The show has not only interested the audiences but also one of the most accomplished actor of our times--- Naseeruddin Shah Adds the versatile actor, "I used to regularly watch the first season of Karamchand. I think, it created a new genre with a likeable character in the lead. I always wanted to be a part of it, so this time when director Pankaj Parashar spoke to me about a cameo appearance, I grabbed it. "

Naseer will appear as a lawyer in a murder case, in the upcoming episode to be aired on 10th March. "The best part is that the audience will not be able to know whether I am on the defence or the prosecution side till the end. My character is one of a legal shark who knows all the loop holes in the law and always gets his way", says the actor.

Naseer and Pankaj Kapur go a long way. They first met in 1973 when both did a play together and since then have acted in Jalwa Mandi, Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron and more recently Maqbool.

Elaborating further on his role, Naseer says, "I respect Pankaj as an actor and am happy to do a serial where he plays the lead. But unfortunately, we only have one scene together. I would actually love to share more screen space together. But then finally it's the director's call. I am also a bit surprised as to why Sushmita was not retained as Kitty since she has played a crucial role in making the original show a big success. Sucheta, who plays the new Kitty has a challenging job fitting into the shoes of Sushmita."

When queried on why he doesn't do more of television, the actor says, "I find the medium too taxing, you have to do a certain number of scenes every day, which I regard too much of a strain. Also, till now not too many interesting scripts have come my way which will encourage me to work that tad harder. It's really sad that the same old stuff is being recycled. People defend their lack of creativity by saying that the audiences are lapping up the current saas bahu sagas. You cannot blame the public because if you keep giving them the same content they are bound to get addicted to it."

Whenever this actor turned director gets a little time he watches cricket, news and old films on. He adds, "I avoid watching serials for they end up going nowhere and besides if you miss one episode, you loose the link as well".

Finally the actor says that the second season of Karamchand is going to be equally exciting as the earlier series. Well, can we dispute what the experienced actor has to say? Not at all!!

http://us.tellychakkar.com/y2k7/feb/21feb/news_nasheer.php