You cannot blame the host, says Jaaved Jaffery

There were several reasons that was attributed to superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s game show Zor Ka Jhatka not doing well. Critics noted that one of the reasons could have been that the tasks in the show were strikingly similar to the one actor Jaaved Jaffery hosted previously.

Could it be that his show on the Indian dubbed version of the Japanese cult show Takeshi’s Castle was actually a fillip towards the abrupt ending of SRK’s game show? “I don’t think that show had anything to do with this one. Yes, some tasks were similar but I don’t think my show could kill any other show,” says Jaaved, who will now be seen as host for another reality show.

But the fact remains that Takeshi’s Castle, based on the same format held on to its ground while Zor Ka Jhatka breathed its last after getting entangled in more and more controversies.

“The players were all Indian  while those on my show were of some other nationality. Also, I think it would be wrong to blame the host of the show when a show doesn’t do well. It wasn’t Shah Rukh’s fault if the game show didn’t do well. There might be a host of other reasons for it. I think it was a popular show on the channel already and the magnitude of the show is quite less than what Zor Ka Jhatka was, there the players were all Indian (in Jaaved’s show, the players were all Japanese),” he adds.

Jaaved Jaffery is now upbeat about his forthcoming reality show where he makes a comeback as a reality show host. “I have come back after a long time. This show is aimed towards the kids, their parents and the whole family will be taking part in it. I am enjoying this,” he says.

When asked whether it was dance realitys how Boogie Woogie that actually helped him position him as a game show host, he says, “I used to host a show called Timepass, a countdown programme on TV way back, and I think it was that show that actually helped me build my identity as a host. Then came another show called Flashback. However, Boogie Woogie was the most popular of the lot,” he ends.