Sajid Khan, Kirron Kher .Pictures by Aranya Sen

In town last Wednesday to audition Calcutta hopefuls for season two of India’s Got Talent, the talent hunt show on Colors, judges Sonali Bendre, Kirron Kher and (first-timer) Sajid Khan spoke to t2…

Sajid Khan

Why IGT

This is my first stint as a judge on any show and it’s been a fair experience so far. Why I chose India’s Got Talent among the other TV offers that came my way is the fact that it is an interesting show being beamed on a popular channel like Colors and has a sound production house (Siddhartha Basu’s Synergy Productions) backing it. That apart, it fitted very well in my schedule because the show only requires eight-10 days of shooting every month. But most importantly, I think it is a show that represents a lot of dignity, something that is rare on Indian reality television these days.

East’s got talent

We started our auditions with Calcutta and as expected, the quality of talent has been very good. At least 70-75 per cent of the people who auditioned from the city managed to impress us and that’s quite an encouraging number. Among those who impressed me a lot was a boy from Orissa who is an excellent popper (an advanced form of break dance) and a group of contestants who made beautiful portraits out of sand. I am amazed at the level of talent that this country is blessed with.

Reality check

One thing that I really cannot stand on reality shows is the emotional atyachaar that the contestants inflict on the judges. All I can say is that I am here to judge you, not to get swayed by emotional drama, which often turns out to be fake. Also, I don’t think I am any kind of expert because I believe that it is the average viewer himself who can judge a performance best.

Three’s company

What makes my time on the show even more fun is the presence of my co-judges Kirron and Sonali. Kirron and I have known each other for years now. She has acted in my sister’s (Farah) two films while (her husband) Anupam was in my Heyy Babyy. Sonali and I also go a long way. We are family friends and her husband Goldie (Behl) is a buddy.

Back to TV

After years of hosting shows on TV, it does feel a little weird sitting on the other side of the fence. I have even told the production house that I can double as host in case the original hosts (Nikhil Chinapa and Ayushmaan Khurrana) don’t turn up for a certain episode! But that doesn’t mean that I am looking to get back to TV in a big way. One show is enough, thank you very much!

Life after Housefull

I have already started scripting two films. I have decided to take a break from comic films now. So one will be a romance while the other will be an action film. Akshay Kumar will definitely star in one of these films. Both films will be massy entertainers made on a large scale because I personally don’t like serious, low-budget films.

Kirron Kher

East’s got talent

This is my second year as a judge and as usual Calcutta hasn’t failed to impress. We got last year’s winners (the Prince dance group from Orissa) from the Calcutta auditions and I am sure that this time too, the contestants from the city will shine on the national platform. I am particularly happy with the kind of talent that has come in from the Northeast because I strongly believe that it is a neglected region.

Dream run

It’s a pleasure and an honour being part of the show because of the great talent on display. For me, judging this show is a dream come true. However, India’s Got Talent is a very difficult show to judge. It’s emotionally exhausting and physically taxing, but one good performance and I am just raring to see the next 10!

Three’s company Having Sajid and Sonali on the judges’ panel is extremely helpful because all three of us bring something new to the table. We can argue, we can like or dislike a particular performance but at the end of the day, all three of us have the same objective — to pick the best talent that the country has to offer.

Big screen biggies

As far as films are concerned, I have just finished shooting for Action Replayy (starring Akshay Kumar and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan) and I am all set to start work on Dostana 2.