Star World's Rendezvous with Simi Garewal has climbed the popularity chart so fast for a perfectly good reason. Time after time, the Lady in White Simi Garewal, has managed to rope in filmstars and celebrities for an absolutely honest heart-to-heart, which unravels their true nature.
This time around, Garewal has pulled off a coup in Rendezvous.... In October, she will broadcast a show with the entire Bachchan family- the legendary Amitabh Bachchan, his wife Jaya, son Abhishek and daughter Shweta.
The Bachchan Special will be spread over two episodes. On 5 October, the kids will be featured - their childhood jokes, their pranks, their growing up years included. The second episode, covering the entire family, will be telecast on 12 October. The show culminates into a celebration of Bachchan senior's 61st birthday on the sets. (His birthday falls on October 11).
Vickey Lalwani caught up with this graceful woman for an insight into her interviews, that so decorously bring out the flavours of the celebs. Excerpts:
How did you manage to pull off an interview with the entire Bachchan family? Today, Amitabh is the busiest actor in the industry and Abhishek is also working round the clock. It's really commendable that they took time off from their hectic schedules and accepted my invitation. Shweta flew in (from Delhi) specially for the show after I invited her. This is the first time she will has face the camera. The show is special, no doubt. |
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What is the Bachchan Special all about? Amitabh and Jaya discuss bringing up Shweta and Abhishek. They talk about everything - right from their childhood, all the way till yesterday when Amitabh celebrated his 61st birthday. |
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So, it would be a revelation of sorts? We'd know new things about the celebrated family? At the end, one will see that theirs is a very contemporary family but with lots of values. |
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Is it true that the family is very strict and conservative? |
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What else did you discuss in the show that you thought was heart-wrenching? |
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Did you talk about the failure of Abhishek's films at the box-office? |
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Did you ask them about Abhishek's engagement? The question would have been in bad taste, under such circumstances. But in Abhishek's solo interview which came sometime ago, we spoke on this at length. |
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Several personalities have opened their hearts in your show and let out their inner emotions. How do you manage it? In other words, all the people you have seen on my show till date have fascinated me in some way or the other. But I never insist on a certain question if I see that my guest is not comfortable with it, or is trying to evade it. I strongly feel that every person has a right to his/her privacy. As an interviewer, I don't like to push, if someone does not want to answer a particular question. |
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How did you actually conceive Rendezvous? I decided that if I ever get a chance to interview a person, I would make the person so comfortable that he opens up. Today other hosts are following my style. Karan Thapar has adopted the Rendezvousstyle in a show on BBC. |
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Which show of yours do you hold closest to your heart? I have done Rendezvous with so many personalities now. It has become difficult to choose. But if you insist, I still think the Jayalalitha and Maneka Gandhi episodes were special. |
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How do you manage the research for 'Rendezvous'? My next step is to talk to the prospective guest's school teachers and friends, relatives, acquaintances and associates who can add some depth to the interview. This way, I know the flow of questions exactly, the areas of the interviewee's life which I wish to explore. Only then, I am confident that I can handle the show in my own way. I shoot a great deal and then edit the show to the required length. My own home has a state of the art editing studio, which is fully computerised. I love computers and use them for work and leisure as well. |
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Is white your favourite colour? The sets of the show are almost a replica of my terrace. We have recreated the terrace in a studio and kept it there on permanent basis. |
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What next after the Bachchan Special? Preity Zinta and Rani Mukherjee. |