After Star One struck gold with the immensely successful The Great Indian Laughter Challenge, there's little wonder that rival Zee TV is trying to cash in on stand-up laughs.
Johny Ala Re, hosted by Bollywood's most successful comedian of the 1990s, Johny Lever, claims to provide family entertainment without any vulgar, below-the-belt jokes. And with a star like Johny at the helm, this could just give TGILC a run for the money.
According to Ashvini Yardi, Programming Head, Zee TV, "The best part of Johny is he makes you laugh just by being around! And it's not just him on the show. We have lined up celebrities who Johny will meet in his own comical manner."
Another talk show with a comic slant? "Not really," say Zee authorities. Celebrities like Sonu Nigam and Sunidhi Chauhan will come to the show and display their skills in various aspects of comedy. The audience will get a totally new and hitherto unknown side of these celebs.
Johny Ala Re will be a 30-minute show divided into segments. The first will have a topical stand-up session by Johny. Next, Johny will dress up as popular celebrities (Laloo Prasad Yadav, Amitabh Bachchan) and imitate them. In the third segment, he hits the streets and asks the common man to crack a joke.
Lever himself explains the move to television saying, "It's been a silver jubilee for me in the film industry. After 25 years, I am tired of playing the same roles. I want to do something different, which is what this show is going to offer me. There were talks of my coming to the small screen 10 years ago, but it didn't materialise. Now finally, thanks to Zee and Cinetek (the production house), this has happened."
The fact that Johny is taking this seriously is evident from his next statement, "Today, there is no way you can ignore television. Even Amitabh Bachchan has moved to it. In future, I will be choosy about films and only take up roles that excite me. I am now going to concentrate fully on the small screen."
The show's sets are unique, with a street ambience and cars parked here and there. Shweta Keswani will add glamour to the show by hosting parts of it.
Johny Aala Re starts June 5, and will be telecast Monday-Wednesday at 10 pm on Zee TV.
Text: Srabanti Chakrabarti
After Star One struck gold with the immensely successful The Great Indian Laughter Challenge, there's little wonder that rival Zee TV is trying to cash in on stand-up laughs.