Cinestars ki khoj mein By: Vickey Lalwani October 13, 2006
Pooja Bhatt
Anupam Kher
The forthcoming talent hunt on television, Idea Zee Cinestars, has an impressive panel of judges.
National Award-winner Madhur Bhandarkar, actor-producer Anupam Kher and director-producer Pooja Bhatt will decide the fate of the contestants on this show, produced by Optimystix. The trio were in Mukesh Mills on Wednesday, where the show is currently being shot. HiTLIST spoke to them on the sets.
What prompted you to take up this show?
Madhur: I had time at my disposal. Traffic Signal is almost complete and UTV's film doesn't begin before February 2007. So I thought this would be a good opportunity to test fresh blood in the film industry.
Anupam: I have an acting training school where we tutor aspirants from scratch. The next logical step would be to judge them. So, why not?
Pooja: I'm an actor, producer and director. That answers your question.
Madhur Bhandarkar
Often, winners of such shows end up going nowhere…
Madhur: I have given breaks to people who've never faced the camera in their lives, so I'm always on the lookout for new people. I wouldn't mind giving a chance to somebody from the show if I think he/she has the spark and fits a character in my forthcoming ventures.
Anupam: I disagree. We have only just made a beginning in this direction, so there's no need to write off such contests. I struggled a lot in my early days, making the rounds of producers' offices before I finally arrived. But after participating in this show, the winners will make a name for themselves. When they go to producers' offices thereafter, at least they won't have to identify themselves. Last year's winners are now doing a film for Mukta Arts.
Pooja: When John (Abraham) was shooting with Rahul Rawail (that film got shelved) and I picked him up for Jism, people said that we shouldn't touch him. I will be scrutinising all the contestants equally, whatever their final rankings in the contest. Runners-up and even those who get eliminated rather quickly can make it bigger than those who win.
About Idea Zee Cinestars
Says Ashish Kaul, Senior Vice President, Zee Network, "Idea Zee Cinestars will provide participants from various cities an opportunity to court fame and fortune by showcasing their acting and dancing skills. The hunt will narrow down to the two best performers.
Sixty participants will be brought down to Mumbai where the elimination rounds will be conducted. Viewers, who will vote for their favourite performers through the weeks, will choose the best couple."
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