TV Track:Cricket with a glamorous twist

Charu Sharma
Don't you feel Extraa Innings takes away from the seriousness of the game?
Not at all! It's just about adding a bit of glamour to cricket. What's wrong if you can do it without taking away the seriousness of the game. Everything changes with time, so why shouldn't the same apply to cricket. It's just another way of trying to increase viewership. Earlier people only wanted cricket. Today, they want a lot of jazz too. It's the MTV generation that we're catering to today.

Do you play cricket?
I've never been a professional but I've always played it at a serious competitive level. I'm good at fielding and catches. Before this, I hosted a show on sports, Koi Jeeta Koi Hara.

Who's your idol?
I believe that the biggest asset one can have in this world is originality. So I try to be myself rather than follow someone else's style. Even after being on television for 25 years, I don't know how to address my audience. There's no set formula or style of doing things.

Do you restrict yourself only to cricket?
I'm a multi-sports person and am interested in every game. I even accept television shows dealing with all sports. I hosted a part of the '82 Asian games.

How do you handle criticism?
It feels good when sports people compliment me on the knowledge of the game. But if someone who doesn't really know much about it says something derogatory, then I just ignore it. When a certain set of people say something to you, you tend to take it more seriously.

How about doing television serials or films?
I'm a big believer in 'core competence'. I'm a sports person, so doing something else would be difficult for me. I enjoy being in my comfort zone. I don't like stress and tension. I love writing and it takes a lot out of a person. I'd like to take to it some day (smiles).

Does your family enjoy cricket?
My wife hates cricket. She wonders why people even listen to me (laughs). My sons are very happy that I'm seen on television.

Why do you live in Bangalore?
I enjoy the city and the weather.

What do you do in your free time?
When I'm not talking about the game, I'm playing. So the rest of the time, I try to be a better husband and father (laughs). Since 12 years, I haven't worked for more than six months a year.

Mandira Bedi
How has your journey with Set Max been?
It's been three-and-a-half-years since I've been associated with them. Prior to that, for seven years, I was only looked at as an actress. Now they look at me mainly as an anchor (laughs). This show will be more fun and exciting because Charu and I have company, Rohit Roy and Shonali Nagrani.

Have you quit acting?
I haven't quit acting forever. It's what I started with. But I've been so busy with cricket and will be till February. Let's see, I'll take up something good that comes up then. But I keep doing theatre to keep the actor in me alive. Currently I'm doing, Anything But Love. I've done a couple of films in the past, but it's not my focus. People think, that for me, television is a stepping-stone to films, but that's not true. I love doing television. It's given me so much.
Whatever I am today is because of television. I enjoy hosting shows and connecting with people. But I'm waiting to make a comeback on television with a big bang, as an actress, after a while.

Any film that you're working on now?
I'll be doing Sanjay Gupta's Dus Kahaniya with Sudanshu Pandey and Arbaaz Khan.

What did you think of your husband's film, 'Anthony Kaun Hain'?
I'm very critical of his work but I enjoyed it immensely.

Aren't you planning to work in one of his films?
No! We don't enjoy working together. But I'm planning to turn director. Probably we can learn a lot from each other (smiles).

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