Farhan Akhtar Can Do That!

'I don't get bothered by other shows, hosted by celebrities. The only pressure I feel is to run my own show well, and make sure it is fun and entertaining.'

Farhan Akhtar gets ready for television.

Farhan Akhtar can do that.

Or so he says with his next hosting job with Zee TV's I Can Do That.

"This is a never seen before show on television," he claims, at a media interaction to promote the show in Mumbai. "Normally, celebrities do things they are well-versed with in the shows. This is the first time where they will perform something that they don't know. Apart from being an entertaining show, it will motivate viewers to do things that they wish to do."

The show is not similar to Fear Factor, he asserts.

"This show is based on performing acts where the contestants get to learn a new skill everyday. New challenges will be offered," he explains. 

The celebrity contestants on the show will be Dino Morea, Gauhar Khan, Gurmeet Choudhary, Mandira Bedi, Rithvik Dhanjani, Shibani Dandekar, Meiyang Chang, Madhurima Tuli, VJs Bani and Andy, Chef Ranvir Brar and Bharti Singh. 

There have been other 'Can do' moments in Farhan's life as well. For example, he doesn't shy away from public appearances any more.

"I cannot speak to a crowd. Since childhood, speaking on stage was a very big task for me. When I made my first film Dil Chahta Hai, people used to ask me to share my experiences but I always tried to make excuses. I was afraid to go on stage and speak, " he says.

All in the past obviously, if one sees his rock concerts, post Rock On!!.

The other 'Can do' moment was when he wrote Dil Chahta Hai. "Only I could do justice to it," he explains.

What Farhan can't do is study. "I was interested in films and music, never studies," he grins. 

Any pressure of being compared to other reality shows? 

"I don't get bothered by other shows, hosted by celebrities. The only pressure I feel is to run my own show well, and make sure it is fun and entertaining," he replies. "I have a responsibility towards the contestants and the show."

Television, he feels, is not any different from the movies he makes. 

"At the end of the day, be it theatre, television or films, we are all family. Eventually, we perform on screen. Someday, I will make a fiction show for TV. I am open to experimenting. Television is a very powerful medium that goes directly to everyone's home," he says. 

I Can Do That will premiere on October 17.

Photographs: Pradeep Bandekar