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Tag: Roshan Abbas

  • Kommune’s Spoken Fest to host its fourth edition in Mumbai next month

    Kommune’s Spoken Fest to host its fourth edition in Mumbai next month

    Mumbai: Kommune’s festival, Spoken Fest, is back in its physical form with its fourth edition in Mumbai on 19, 20 November, 2022 at the Jio Garden, BKC. Spoken Fest, created by Roshan Abbas, will provide its audience with two days of strumming music; multiple stages; slam poetry; an arts forum; readings; musical comedy; masterclasses; and more.

    Spoken Fest 2022 positions itself as being the perfect weekend experience if you’re looking for a place to help tap your creativity, explore the works of musicians, poets, and storytellers, and attend a few workshops with the masters of the art. Artists including Rudy Francisco, Kusha Kapila, Srishti Dixit, Kalki Koechlin, Kubbra Sait, Mithila Palkar, Faye D’Souza, Varun Grover, Radhika Apte, Imtiaz Ali, Jim Sarbh, Kabir Khan, Aamir Aziz, The Local Train Rock band, Megha Rao, Zakir Khan, Bhuvan Bam, and many more have been a part of Spoken Fest in the past. The year 2022, it added, promises to be bigger with more than 65+ performances, including art, music, poetry, food, and everything else that you may expect out of a well-curated festival, over two days. From gen-z to millennials, from grandparents and parents to children and teenagers, Spoken Fest attracts everyone! The fest will also comprise art zones, a curated bazaar, and experiential brand interactions.

    Kommune co-founder Roshan Abbas said, “Spoken Fest is back with its physical format after a year. What makes Spoken Fest unique is that it is the only festival that asks you to tune in, not tune out. We’ve seen our audience emotionally and intellectually engage with the performances. Brands that target millennials and young adults today through experiences have worked with Kommune’s Spoken Fest in the past and enjoyed the power of building communities and content via the festival. Our quality of experience and content is unique and well curated. And all at a price point that is very affordable.”

    A platform for budding and established poets and artists, Spoken Fest 2022 aims to be a cultural melee of music, dance, drama, words and linguistically inclusive performances in languages as varied as Urdu, Hindi, Marathi, and English. A confluence of people, personalities, and passions, the fest positions itself as being a safe space for cultures, embraces and even encourages diversity, and aims to inspire.

  • Geometry Encompass wins network agency of the year at Dragons of Asia 2019

    Geometry Encompass wins network agency of the year at Dragons of Asia 2019

    MUMBAI:  Geometry Encompass had a glorious year at Dragons of Asia 2019, securing 5 Dragons under various categories. Its campaign "Beginning of Togetherness" for Brooke Bond Red Label dominated the awards by winning the best in India title – the Blue Dragon, along with a gold, silver and black Dragon. The campaign was inspired by real-life stories and it reveals what happens when a cup of tea makes people question their deep-rooted prejudices. It focuses on communal brotherhood and encourages everyone to find common ground.

    Geometry Encompass also won a Bronze Dragon for its campaign, “The Mirror Image”. It highlighted the efficacy of Vim dishwashing soap by replacing mirrors in public restrooms with thalis (steel plates used for having Indian meals) washed with the product. The thalis were so clean and shiny that the reflective surfaces acted like mirrors.

    Geometry claimed its ground for the fourth time in a row as the Network Agency of the Year.  The winners were announced on 7 October 2019 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

    ‘Dragons of Asia’ has recognised excellence in results-driven marketing communications by agencies and clients across all countries in the Asia Pacific region since the year 2000. Its Network Agency of the Year Award was conceived in 2016 and been bestowed to Geometry ever since.

    Geometry Encompass chief executive officer Ranjit Raina, speaking on behalf of Geometry Encompass India, said, “We’re thrilled to see that our hard work has been recognized by a body as prestigious as the ‘Dragons of Asia’. Arpan and his team have consistently delivered great work for our clients and it is this commitment that has shone through for us. This body of work is especially important as it demonstrates our creative strength across categories for HUL. The intense spirit of competition pushes us to perfection and keeps the industry dynamic and creative.”

    Commenting on the victory, Geometry Encompass managing director Roshan Abbas said, “This is a great achievement for us as we have won across a wide range of categories. This was made possible thanks to our hard-working team and our brave client partners. These awards are a testament to our dedication to creating meaningful work that has an impact and pushes the envelope of creativity and effectiveness.”

    Geometry Encompass managing partner Shankar Shinde commenting on behalf of Geometry Encompass said, “It is been a great year for Geometry Encompass, we did some excellent work around the largest human gathering Kumbh Mela 2019. And now it is humbling to see our work getting recognition at the international forum!”

    Dragons of Asia marketing communications recognition programme director Mike Da Silva commented, "This year’s Dragons of Asia was the closest Programme in our 19 years, in terms of quality of the execution and effective, measurable results. With this closeness, winning a Dragon of any colour this year, has been truly well deserved. Geometry Encompass’s “Beginning of Togetherness’ for the Brooke Bond tea brand, successfully encouraged Indians to open their minds to existing deep-rooted religious differences, becoming a catalyst for positive outcomes, whilst successfully addressing the brand’s marketing objectives.”

  • Geometry Encompass ropes in Ranjit Raina as CEO

    Geometry Encompass ropes in Ranjit Raina as CEO

    MUMBAI: India’s leading experiential marketing and brand activation agency, Geometry Encompass recently announced the appointment of Ranjit Raina as the Chief Executive Officer. Raina will commence his new role from August 13, 2019. In his earlier stint with the agency, he served in the capacity of Chief Operating Off­­­­icer.

    Raina holds an experience of over 27 years across production houses, experiential industry and television. He first joined the agency in 2004. In his decade long stint with Encompass, he was involved with the bottom line functions primarily Finance and Corporate Operations of the organisation. He has worked with clients across sectors like Nokia, Pepsi, Hyundai, GSK, Mercedes Benz, Palmolive and Gillette.  He has also played an eminent role in the acquisition of the agency by global giant WPP in 2008.

    In 2014, he moved on to lead his own business venture, an engagement design consultancy company.

    “Ranjit has witnessed the growth of Geometry Encompass from the very beginning and now will bring his expertise and experience back to the organization,” said Diana Cowley, CEO – APAC, Geometry Global. “The team of Geometry Encompass has always played a key part in Geometry’s Asia Pacific growth. I am confident that Ranjit will lead the team to even greater heights in the months and years to come.”

    Speaking on the development, Roshan Abbas CEO and MD said, “We are happy to have Ranjit back as the leader of our team. He has proven time and again his strong understanding of the market and his expertise in live engagement experiences. He is bringing with himself the agility of a start-up and a new-age thinking that will lead Geometry Encompass to newer heights.”

    Taking up the new role, Ranjit Raina said, “Geometry Encompass has always been experimental and industry-first in its approach and is driven by passionate individuals who are always working to create a new experience for brands and its consumers. Being digitally-charged and data-driven, the agency ensures best returns for its clients and the most impactful conversations with consumers.  I am glad to be back with the force and hope to achieve new milestones in the near future.”

  • Geometry Encompass elevates Tanu Randhawa as COO – north

    Geometry Encompass elevates Tanu Randhawa as COO – north

    MUMBAI: Geometry Encompass, the leading experiential marketing and brand activation agency under WPP Network, has elevated Tanu Randhawa as chief operating officer – north. She will be operating out of the Gurugram office. Earlier, she was managing partner, a position she has held since 2015.

    Randhawa joined Geometry Global Encompass, then Encompass, as an executive in 2000 straight out of college in Chandigarh. In her 19-year long stint with the company, she has grown to specialise in large format live experiences that span across events, exhibitions and brand activations. She has played a pivotal role in some of the award-winning special projects that the company has executed including the BMW i8 launch, opening ceremonies like the South Asian Games and Khelo India School Games and more than 6 Auto Expos for clients like Hyundai, FIAT, Eicher and Mercedes.

    Randhawa has also handled a corporate portfolio of clients like Hyundai, Eicher, and luxury automakers like Mercedes and BMW. She continues to lead the BMW relationship for the agency. As part of the Special Projects team she has worked on several major events like the BRICS Summit and The India Africa Forum Summit among others.

    Taking up the new role, Tanu Randhawa said, “The bigger role comes with bigger responsibilities. I am delighted by the faith Geometry Encompass has shown in me. My years at the agency have helped me carve a niche for myself in crafting live experiences and large format events. I look forward to taking the legacy ahead while leading an extremely talented and innovative team and to further strengthen our brand position.”

    Speaking of her new role, CEO and MD Roshan Abbas said, “Experiential agencies need people at the top who can combine their expertise while embracing the new age world of digital and data. Tanu has been a passionate advocate for this world and for empowering her young and passionate team always. Since April she has been actively leading our new business development efforts while executing our large format projects. She has been instrumental in creating an environment where we embrace new ideas and has helped build a solution-centric approach with brands focused on long term partnerships.”

  • Chatterbox launches marketing platform with influencers

    Chatterbox launches marketing platform with influencers

    MUMBAI: Today, brands are shooting in the dark when it comes to knowing which influencers to tap. Influencer marketing is the fastest growing marketing approach being favoured by brands, but a majority of brand budgets for it is not spent efficiently. There is a rising class of new influencers, from which there is very little past performance-data.

    Indian influencer marketing company, Chatterbox, has launched a technology-backed solution with Chtrbox.com. With advanced ML (machine learning), smart-data driven influencer-search, proprietary matching algorithms, gamified mission modules, real-time performance tracking and more, chtrbox.com offers complete end-to-end solutions that make influencer marketing more automated, intelligent and cost effective for brands and agencies.

    While the Chatterbox team helps brands craft their influencer strategy, the Chtrbox.com platform offers brands over 150K mega to micro influencers with deep data to make the right selection, enables push-campaigns and missions to relevant influencers to get their word out and get the biggest bang for their buck.

    Chatterbox co-founder and CEO Pranay Swarup says, “While brands leverage the human intelligence and authentic chatter of social media influencers, Chtrbox.com leverages artificial intelligence at its very best to ensure brands find the right influencers first. With the rise of social media content consumption in India, Chtrbox.com’s access to 150,000+ influencers with a cumulative followers of 3.5 billion is all set to further elevate the emerging industry.”

    Influencer marketing is nothing but word of mouth 2.0 in our digitally advanced and ever-so-connected world. Today it’s not just a celebrity, but a social media star, your college mates, colleagues and family members that you listen to the most. Chtrbox.com helps brands and agencies construct and optimise this very piece, and lets data validate gut-calls.

    Chatterbox CTO Akhil Mordia notes that Chtrbox.com’s engine has analysed more than 24 million content pieces by top and emerging influencers, across categories and geographies. “For each content piece, our proprietary technology allocates a unique score basis its context and performance, generating every influencer’s social media value. This helps identify the relevant influencers with the best ROI,” he adds.

    Chatterbox has been set up by Roshan Abbas (MD Encompass), Gaurav Kapur (media personality), Rohit Raj and Varun Duggirala (founders of the Glitch, now part of WPP) and Pranay Swarup (previously, cofounder of Letsintern.com), with this aim to combine the power of people and technology to build a data-led storytelling solution for brands. Chatterbox has already managed successful campaigns for 52 of India’s top brands, such as P&G, Flipkart, Hike, Nokia, Godrej, OnePlus, Puma, and Reliance.

     

  • Mahayoddha Rama (Animation): Combines myth and comic for kids

    Mahayoddha Rama (Animation): Combines myth and comic for kids

    When it comes to animation films, our filmmakers usually fall back on Indian mythology probably thinking that the viewer will be familiar with the story already. Few, if ever, attempt a theme outside the myth such as the recent one MotuPatlu: King Of Kings.

    Mahayoddha Rama adopts a different approach in that this tale has been told from Ravan’s perspective who wants to destroy Rama, the avatar of Lord Vishnu, prophesied to be his doom. The approach is comical with a dash of martial art.

    As the story goes here, Ravan has been trying to get rid of Rama since his childhood and trying every trick from sending a tiger to kill Rama to sending his sister Surpankha to lure him and brother Laxman.

    Ravan’s 10 heads are the funny part of the film as each head has a different voice. While the main head has the voice of Gulshan Grover to go with his villain image, the rest are voices of Roshan Abbas, Gaurav Gera, Kiku Sharda, Sadashiv Amrapurkar and Amin Sayani, and others. One of the heads of Ravan also keeps chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’ frequently!

    Kunal Kapoor has done the voiceover for Rama, Jimmy Shergill for Laxman and Suchitra Pillai for Surpankha.

    This animation film looks more like a comic take on the epic myth as the character of Ravan here is more like a caricature meant to evoke laughter though his surroundings are dark and he is surrounded by all sinister looking aides.

    While the animation is not up to the mark with the characters having limited expressions. The film has taken a long time hitting the cinemas having been made in 2008. It aims more at kids seeking fun out of this comical version of the Ramayana.

    Producer: Contiloe Films.

    Direction: Rohit Vaid.

    Cast (voices): Gulshan Grover, Kunal Kapoor, Jimmy Sheirgill, Mouni Roy, Amin Sayani, Sadashiv Amrapurkar, Sameera Reddy

  • Mahayoddha Rama (Animation): Combines myth and comic for kids

    Mahayoddha Rama (Animation): Combines myth and comic for kids

    When it comes to animation films, our filmmakers usually fall back on Indian mythology probably thinking that the viewer will be familiar with the story already. Few, if ever, attempt a theme outside the myth such as the recent one MotuPatlu: King Of Kings.

    Mahayoddha Rama adopts a different approach in that this tale has been told from Ravan’s perspective who wants to destroy Rama, the avatar of Lord Vishnu, prophesied to be his doom. The approach is comical with a dash of martial art.

    As the story goes here, Ravan has been trying to get rid of Rama since his childhood and trying every trick from sending a tiger to kill Rama to sending his sister Surpankha to lure him and brother Laxman.

    Ravan’s 10 heads are the funny part of the film as each head has a different voice. While the main head has the voice of Gulshan Grover to go with his villain image, the rest are voices of Roshan Abbas, Gaurav Gera, Kiku Sharda, Sadashiv Amrapurkar and Amin Sayani, and others. One of the heads of Ravan also keeps chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’ frequently!

    Kunal Kapoor has done the voiceover for Rama, Jimmy Shergill for Laxman and Suchitra Pillai for Surpankha.

    This animation film looks more like a comic take on the epic myth as the character of Ravan here is more like a caricature meant to evoke laughter though his surroundings are dark and he is surrounded by all sinister looking aides.

    While the animation is not up to the mark with the characters having limited expressions. The film has taken a long time hitting the cinemas having been made in 2008. It aims more at kids seeking fun out of this comical version of the Ramayana.

    Producer: Contiloe Films.

    Direction: Rohit Vaid.

    Cast (voices): Gulshan Grover, Kunal Kapoor, Jimmy Sheirgill, Mouni Roy, Amin Sayani, Sadashiv Amrapurkar, Sameera Reddy

  • WPP & ISDI partner to launch communication school in Mumbai

    WPP & ISDI partner to launch communication school in Mumbai

    MUMBAI: WPP and the Indian School of Design and Innovation (ISDI) have joined hands to establish the ISDI WPP School of Communication in Mumbai. 

     

    Located on ISDI’s state of the art campus in Mumbai, the ISDI WPP School of Communication marks WPP’s first foray into the Indian education sector. The partnership will help create India’s first professional three-year undergraduate diploma program in communication based on a unique work-study model that will bring together a strong academic and creative curriculum combined with practical application.

     

    The admissions process is currently underway through an online application form. The school recently hosted its first Accepted Students day where students and their parents had an opportunity to interact with the leadership team and faculty. The inaugural batch will commence in August 2015 with the first cohort of 60 students.

     

    The ISDI WPP School of Communication is WPP’s second education initiative globally. In 2011, WPP in partnership with the Shanghai Arts and Design Academy established the WPP School of Marketing and Communications in China. The program has just successfully completed its fourth year with 220 students enrolled. 

     

    WPP and WPP companies, which are globally recognized for their in-house training and development programs, have worked closely with ISDI to develop the school’s curriculum and hire full-time faculty. ISDI founder and director Radha Kapoor will lead the school’s board of directors. 

     

    Additionally, senior staff from WPP companies will serve as part-time faculty and act as mentors. Internship and training opportunities will also be provided to students. An Executive Council has also been set up to oversee the smooth functioning of the three-year program. ISDI is represented by HR College dean Dr. Indu Shahani, ISDI directors Radha Kapoor and Siddharth Shahani and WPP India by country manager Ranjan Kapur, country finance director Paul Mower and Ogilvy & Mather vice chairman and country head of discovery & planning Madhukar Sabnavis.

     

    While the list of visiting faculty will be marked by Ogilvy & Mather executive chairman and national creative director Piyush Pandey, Encompass Events managing director Roshan Abbas the program directors will include the likes of Sabnavis and GroupM for South Asia CEO CVL Srinivas among others. 

     

    WPP CEO Martin Sorrell said, “Amid strong growth in the wider economy and, more specifically, in our sector, India is facing a pronounced talent shortage, one that is expected to become even more acute in the future. As the leading communications group in India and the world, WPP is committed to helping India to further develop the already high level of creative and professional talent in this sector.” 

     

    Speaking on the supply-demand gap for fresh talent in the industry, WPP India country manager Ranjan Kapur added, “We employ approximately 15,000 people (including associates) and on an average, we need 3,000 new recruits every year, including replacements and first timers and this school is just a small beginning. We hope to expand this to be able to cover a significantly large part of our requirements and turnout 400-500 young men and women every year from our school. Our first batch of 60 students is just the beginning.” 

     

    Committed to introducing a new education model, ISDI had welcomed its founding batch in July 2013. Founded by Kapoor in association with Parsons The New School of Design, New York, ISDI’s partnership with WPP will help create the right mix of design, innovation and effective communication that will shape the careers of future industry leaders.

     

    Kapoor said, “The joint establishment of the ISDI WPP school to nurture world-class creative talents and the development of a new model in the collaboration between colleges and companies is a new exploration on the path of higher vocational education for the ISDI. WPP and its companies are known for their world-class internal training programs. WPP will share its experience in developing such programs and making them relevant to ISDI and its students. Upon graduation, students will have a solid academic background and creative skill sets, providing them with good employment opportunities in our industry.” 

     

    The School will offer students a three-year undergraduate program, wherein, the first year comprises basic marketing and communication subjects and the second and third year offers students four major specialisations to choose from- Advertising and Communications, Media, Activation and Digital Marketing and Public Relations. WPP Lectures will run from Monday to Saturday, in the afternoons. Throughout the three years, students will be taught and mentored by top professionals from WPP and the industry, will work on live projects, build a portfolio, develop practical work skills, and have the opportunity to intern with WPP companies and get international exposure through student exchange and study abroad programs.

     

    Graduates will receive a three year Undergraduate Program certification from ISDI and WPP, in addition to a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology from the University of Mumbai, IDOL (Institute of Distance and Open Learning).

     

    Going forward, Kapur says that it will hope to replicate this model in more cities. “We would like to take it forward and open another branch in New Delhi in the future,” Kapur said.

  • The Glitch brings on board Roshan Abbas

    The Glitch brings on board Roshan Abbas

    MUMBAI: Radio and television host Roshan Abbas has joined digital marketing and creative agency The Glitch as head of business development.

    Abbas will be responsible for the entire life cycle of content for the web and look after production and delivery of quality online branded content.

    The Glitch co-founder and creative head Rohit Raj said, “We at The Glitch are very happy to have Roshan on board. He is already an investor partner at the agency and keeping in mind his experience in content creation, we are sure he will be an asset to us as business development head.”

    Abbas has close to two decades of industry experience, with domain expertise in radio, TV, theatre, events and BTL.

    Established in 2009, The Glitch has been involved with brands like Quicksilver, Nickelodeon, Channel V, Eros International, Maybelline and Idea Cellular among others. One of their most recent social media campaigns was for the movie Rockstar.

  • TV hosts….a new breed enmerges

    TV hosts….a new breed enmerges

    Let’s go back a little in time. Hosting was all about propah quiz masters and news readers. A Siddarth Basu or a Luku Sanyal is still remembered very fondly by TV buffs. The closest one got to a host then was Tabassum on DD’s Phool Khile Hai Gulshan Gulshan. Tabassum gate crashed into a predominant male bastion and probably remained the lone female host for a long time on TV.
    Then and now

    Then it was more about the serious, intelligent, well-mannered and dressed in the mandatory suit kind of TV host. It was much later that hosting was redefined and got its current avatar. Now it is all about the Hinglish speaking, hip, yo, irreverent young guy. Being able to think on your feet and adding your own brand of cerebral content to a show is co-incidental.

    Hosting as a profession is still in its nascent stage in India. Celeb shows, reality shows, cookery shows, talk shows. The need for hosts is on an all-time high. So what is hosting all about? A pretty face, designer threads, a good bod, spiked hair? Or is it all this and dollops of talent and intelligence? What is the art of good hosting?

    As no corporate house or institution has yet thought of launching a course in hosting all our hosts are self-taught. “One should have a good education and be well-read. This should be a pre-requisite,” believes Mini Mathur one of the most popular hosts on TV today.

    Cyrus Broacha, Sajid Khan, Mini Mathur, Cyrus Sahukar, Mona Singh, Karan Johar, Roshan Abbas are also in the current top bracket. Not to mention the veejays on different music channels who sport fake accents, crack juvenile jokes and the female veejays dressed in almost nothing. And not to mention that all read from a script written by an equally amateur writer.

     

     

     

     

     

     

    When actors came calling
     

    Hosting came of age when Shekhar Suman charted a different route for himself as a talk show host. He began to host hard hitting satirical TV Talk shows on entertainment and news channels. He introduced his particular brand of humour which was a heady mix of obnoxiousness, irreverence, and simple observations.

    Movers and Shakers on the Sony Entertainment Network and Simply Shekhar on Zee Television were two of his much-watched shows. Modelled along the lines of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Suman did manage to carve a niche for himself via this show.
     

     

    When Amitabh Bachchan crossed over to the small screen with the game show, Kaun Banega Crorepati he not only helped the channel’s dipping fortunes but also helped himself get a new lease to life. The hugely popular show, characterised by Bachchan’s baritone and personality is remembered today for the host rather than the crores earned by the contestants.

    Though of course Bachchan was a household name, the show helped him widen his fan base and also helped him clean up the financial mess he was in.

     

     

    But when superstar Shah Rukh Khan replaced Amitabh Bachchan as host on KBC Shah Rukh Khan said, “I was pleasantly surprised when the channel offered me the show. I was a participant in season one of KBC… and little did I know one day I would be hosting it. It is a huge act to follow, that of Mr Bachchan…but it also excites me that I am getting an opportunity to reach out (and) talk and interact with my audience through a medium where I began my career as an actor years ago.”

    And full marks to Khan for having taken hosting to new heights. Having come from the world of theatre Khan knew all the trade secrets and perfected the art so well that he had viewers swooning. It was rumoured then that audiences watched the show only to get entertained by SRK. He chatted, he danced, he sang and he joked. Damn the GK questions. He did all that was required of a successful host. His style, his wit, his intelligence was unmatched. Though one must add that SRK is a better host on live shows than on the small screen. Nonetheless, his TV hosting did set a benchmark.
     

     

    Very recently actor Sunil Shetty crossed over to the small screen to host the Biggest loser jeetega on Sahara One. Unfortunately, the actor flopped in his new role. Veterans know that this is not an easy role to play.
     

    Money talk

    And that brings us to the most important takeaway of this profession- financial returns. Unlike in the earlier times when a host did TV shows for only a day or two in the month and supplemented his income with other jobs now for most of them it is their only job. Today it is a very lucrative career and hosts of all kinds are laughing all the way to the bank. And it is this moolah coupled with the thrill of becoming stars in their own right that more and more PYTs are attracted to this new job.

    So how much does a TV host earn? Inside sources inform that much depends on the length of a show and the status of the host. But on an average a start- up anchor takes home atleast Rs 5000 per episode and an A – list host makes anything between Rs 1 lakh to Rs 3 lakh per episode.

    “The business is good and so is the money,” Sajid informs. “I have never been out of work. Your demand is because of your popularity. Moreover I never discriminate between work.”
    Mini too has taken a conscious decision not to take up any acting assignments as she has good work on her plate. This also helps her focus on her job.

    Whether hosting is a well paying job, Abbas says, “It depends. It pays me very well but I can’t be sure of all other anchors. Actually, a lot depends on your popularity.”

     

    Pre-requisites

    “You don’t have to look like Brad Pitt to be a good host. In fact 90% of the hosts worldwide are not exceptionally good looking,” says Sajid Khan. “You need to talk well and this can’t be learnt.”

    Saiid who began hosting shows way back in 1994 (Main Bhi Detective) is still going strong. Ikke Pe Ikka his countdown show on Zee Cinema has done over 400 episodes and put him in the big league. Of the belief that hosting is an inborn art and that very few people are born with it, Sajid says, “Shah Rukh Khan, Shatrughan Sinha, Karan Johar are those blessed with it. As for Amitabh Bachchan he is a superstar and hence it is easier for him to host a show. He is being himself.”

    Karan Johar normally wears the director’s hat. And when he is not making films he hosts a talk show, Koffee with Karan. The show brings together celebrities who are interviewed in the show’s trademark informal style. The first season was a huge success, and the programme became the first English entertainment show to ever get a huge rating in India. Karan is himself on the show, chorus all those who know him. A veteran Karan very cleverly juxtaposes his teleprompter lines with his real lines. Having said that he is a delight to watch. In fact another super host Sajid Khan says, “I like Karan on the show. It comes naturally to him. I have known him since years and he has always held a captive audience be it when talking informally with friends or as a host. He doesn’t pretend and that is his USP.”
     

    And then there was Simi Garewal in her impeccable English accent hosting Rendezvous with Simi Garewal. A picture perfect in her designer outfits and chic appearance Simi hosted this very class-centric talk show. Simi who had been an actress but not a successful one had finally found her calling. The show spilled over into many seasons and Simi did her la- di- dah act to perfection.

    From small-time housie shows to countdown shows on TV, to prestigious award functions he has done them all. Armed with an abrasive sense of humour, Sajid Khan has done many a celeb in with the Sajid brand of wit and all this with his tongue firmly in the cheek.
     

    “Right since my childhood I was always standing with a mike and taking a show on the floor,” informs Sajid. “My USP is being able to connect with people. I’ve hosted shows for as varied an audience as the House of Commons, to the Maharashtra Shetkari Sangh. My strength lies in the fact that I don’t work on a script. I never use teleprompters and I don’t need writers. What people see is what they get. I think a successful host is one is who conducts a show without giving himself too much importance.”
     

    Mini Mathur who was a MTV host for 4 years has also hosted both the seasons of Indian Idol and is gearing up for the third is an MBA in Marketing and her stint with hosting goes way back to hosting India’s first game show, Tol Mol Ke Bol. She is of the firm belief that it is a very specialised field. Mini says, “Today everybody is a me-too. Unfortunately most over do it. I am in the business since 10 years. I haven’t burned out as I do less work. I have a family and am a happy person. And because of my life experiences I can put it better before the camera.”
     

    “An effective anchor needs to be quick witted, observant and adaptable to unforeseen situations,” says Roshan Abbas popularTV host. But when he took over from the oh-so natural Faroukh Shaikh to host the second season of Jeena Isika Naam Hain it was a tough act to follow. Shaikh had charmed viewers with his dignity, subtle wit and grace. Despite his experience, Abbas was unable to match Shaikh.
     

    As there are so many new shows mushrooming now on the small screen the hosts can cast a wide net. But what is important is the fact that the subject should not matter to a host. And hence it is only a well-read/intelligent host who can do justice to the work. Mini says that reality shows do not have a script. “It is made up of good moments. I like to work on a basic framework and then improvise. It is very reactive. Spontaneity and wit are the two essentials that make a successful host.”
     

    So does that mean that a Sanjeev Kapoor who has been hosting cookery shows should try his hand at a reality show? Talking of spontaneity, Ranvir Shorey and Vinay Pathak are the latest two entrants in the hosting arena and they are a delight to watch on their late night talk show, Ranvir -Vinay aur Kaun?
     

     

    Downside

    Well-written scripts are difficult to come by rue most hosts. Sajid therefore says he works without a script. “People hire me because they save on teleprompters,” Sajid ribs. “I can host the Oscars better than any of the hosts. I was the first to wear a tuxedo, sing a song, walk down from the stage and talk to the audience. I work for the viewer.”
     

    The genial Mini storms, “My angst is against the perception of TV presenters. They are not given due respect. They must be accorded the space of a TV serial. Sometimes people don’t even know our real names. “
     
    Abbas says, “It is unfortunate that good avenues for formal training in TV anchoring do not exist in our country. I’m trying to do my bit on this front through a series of workshops. Besides, nobody can deny that luck plays a crucial part in your success or failure over here.”
     

    The bottomline
     

    The good ones survive despite the onslaught of a hundred others who come to try their hand at the job. A Cyrus Broacha is saluted by not just his listeners but by his contemporaries. And he is no threat to any of them…as he is head and shoulders above the rest. And they know that. As VJ Ranvijay has said of him, “Thanks to him, all of us have careers today. VJing wouldn’t be a career if Cyrus Broacha wasn’t there.”
     

    One thinks it’s about time the Cyruses, the Minis, the Shaikhs, the Sajids opened a school for wannabe hosts. Its pay back time folks!