Star Plus’ latest offering, Gulmohar Grand, is a finite series depicting the world of the hotel industry. Actor Gaurav Chopra tells Divya Kaushik how this series can be a turning point for TV and can inspire other makers
Everest, India’s Rawstar, Airlines and now Gulmohar Grand, Star Plus is expanding its bouquet with concepts that are off the beaten track. These shows might not have been a grand success but surely are a welcome change for the audience who always complained about over-the-top drama and endless sagas on television. The latest, Gulmohar Grand starting from May 3, will be a weekly show depicting the world of the hotel industry. The show featuring Gaurav Chopra and Aakanksha Singh is a finite series with each episode presenting a different story, thus breaking the tried and tested format.
“The show is packaged to offer a different flavour every week. For example, one week you may have a story which is socially relevant, the other week you can have something which is comedy or a murder mystery. Every story has been written remarkably. Since there are different stories, this is the kind of a show that will appeal to people of all age groups and varied interests,” says Gaurav Chopra, who is known for playing diverse characters on the small screen. The reasons for him to be a part of this show were many. He says, “This is the kind of content we all need to endorse. This is the direction which TV all over the world has taken and it is high time that we take this direction, too, where we give people the choice to watch some thing as much as they want rather than thrusting it down their throats, episode after episode. While I was doing shows which continued for three to four years, all I heard were complains like why the story is dragged, why women are dressed in a particular way etc. So after hearing all this, you surely look forward to an opportunity like this, a concept like this that breaks the norms of usual TV shows. For an actor like me, who dabbles into theatre and has done two Hollywood projects in the past, variety matters. Variety in work keeps me motivated and interesting concepts drive me to the best of my capabilities.” The show is being shot at a hotel in Goregaon and the makers are trying to keep the show as real as possible.
It is being said that this show can be the turning point on television. “We are not saying that it will be a grand success, but it is surely something that a certain section of the audience would like to watch. The change on TV has been a gradual process. There are people who complain that most content on the small screen is regressive but I often ask them why do they still watch it. The audience has the power to bring a change. TV is a medium that works on volumes, if people want to see the change, they need to give a chance to different shows,” adds Gaurav.
The actor considers himself lucky that in the last 11 years he has been offered the variety. He has got an opportunity to do shows that are still counted among those few that broke the stereotypes. “Stereotypical dramas are not my taste. Thankfully, even the producers have deemed me fit for very different roles. I did a show like Dil Kya Chahta Hai, which was all about three guys in Mumbai dealing with their sexuality and friendship. It had nothing to do with women. It was in 2004-05 and was a very progressive story. I did a show like left Right left where I played a mentor, I hosted shows like Savdhan India and now I am doing Sadda Haq and the role has so many layers and shades,” says Gaurav.
The actor, who was a part of Hollywood film Blood Diamond with leonardo Di Caprio and hosted Big Switch season four, says that he has never aspired for Hollywood films. “I am not somebody who has an inferiority complex about being a TV actor. I will be brash enough to say that I have done better work on TV than any film actor. I have been given better scenes than what any film actor does in films. I only look at work as good or bad work. I am doing two films now but even then I will not be totally disconnected from TV,” he says. Gaurav revealed that he has ventured into film production and is producing a Marathi film under his banner Incarnate Films.
photo Sanjeev Kumar