SHAYAN MUNSHI

Guess who’s the latest to turn TV host? Shayan Munshi, the Bong Connection actor who has also signed up for an acting course, inspired by Javier Bardem! A t2 chat with Shayan on how he mixes work with pleasure...

You are hosting High Tension, a quiz show for ETV Bangla. Tell us about the show...

Well, Rabiranjan Moitra is the director of the show and the format is somewhat like Kaun Banega Crorepati, but High Tension is more fun than serious. There are four rounds with three contestants and only one contestant reaches the fourth round and walks away with the prize. And as the title suggests, there are moments of very high tension, so it’s fun.

What’s your role as the show host?

I am the anchor, quizmaster and confidant. It gives me immense satisfaction to be a part of a show where I get to interact with so many different people. Besides, I am also learning a lot of things through the quiz. It’s like stuff I was taught as a child and the questions are sometimes very simple but something we all have forgotten.

You’ve been focused on a career in films all along. Why switch to television suddenly?

Well, I have done TV before.... Cook Na Kaho, a reality show for Star One. I had a lot of fun doing the show because I got to learn cooking. So I thought let me try another one. Being a Bengali and having grown up in Calcutta, quiz is something I can relate to very well. Since childhood the culture of quiz has been there in the family. Derek and Neil ’Brien are family friends. (Laughs.) But I don’t want to do soaps and serials, at least not at this juncture of my career. Besides, I liked the way ETV approached me. They said they wanted a contemporary host who the youth could connect with.

What if you get film offers while working on the show?

Oh, that’s not a problem because it’s not hectic at all. We are shooting in Hyderabad and we don’t shoot for more than three-four days per schedule. It’s flexible.

What film offers do you have?

There are a few but I am not considering them because I will be off to New York for a six-week acting course.

An acting course?!

Yes. I want to train myself. The course is called Art of Acting and I am doing it at Stella Adler Studio of Acting. Actually a few months back, a teacher from the institute had come to Bombay for a workshop. I had enrolled for it and he suggested that I should go to New York and train with them. That’s why I decided to take a break from work and go for the course.

But why do you need to do an acting course now?

Well, a lot of Hollywood actors go for these acting workshops. It enriches you as an actor. There are so many areas in acting that are to be learnt. Spanish actor Javier Bardem too takes these acting courses and I am truly inspired by him. It helps you master the craft better and excel in the field.

Has your love for scuba diving taken a back seat then?

Oh no, no. I am just a test away from getting my certificate as a dive master. I will take the test at the end of this month. Scuba diving can never take a back seat. It’s something I am very passionate about and whenever I have time I sneak away to the Andamans for a dive!

You take acting courses, you go scuba diving... how do you keep the fire burning at home?

Well, I don’t want to be a millionaire. I make enough money from the movies that I do to sustain me. I am not here to make loads of money.

Any plans to settle down in Calcutta?

Not at the moment. I have a home in Bombay and it won’t be easy to relocate to Calcutta. I will continue working from Bombay.