Acclaimed Director cum Producer, Arun Sheshkumar has had an illustrious career wherein he has helmed various successful shows as the creative mastermind. His company Pyramid Films has now brought the ‘real essence’ of comedy ay everyone’s doorstep, with the SAB TV show, Comedy Superstar.

In an exclusive conversation with Tellychakkar.com, Arun talks about how different Comedy Superstar is in today’s time…

What prompted you to do a show like Comedy Superstar? Please share your reasons for the same?

In India, comedy has taken a big leap and there are so many comedians who have not got a platform yet. On television, the last show to find such talent was almost 8 years back, hence we felt the need to do a show. Above all, comedy is the flavour of the season. So for obvious reasons we need good comedians. We were confident that we would get good talent in comedy across India. The whole objective was to find an all-round entertainer and that's the main reason behind Comedy Superstar. As I say with lots of profoundness ‘We take Comedy seriously.’

On what reasons have you selected three dynamic judges for your show? Please share your reasons for that.

My partner and the Creative Director Pankita Sadrani rightly quoted that our judges are my mind, body and soul. When she designed the entire show, she categorized the judges as mind, body and soul. When you look at an overall entertainer, what appeals is the body, the lovability for the entertainer comes from the soul and the acceptance comes from the mind. Keeping these parameters in mind, it was very important for us to find judges who can fulfill these parameters. When we talk about mind, Shekhar Suman with his vast knowledge and experience is the best in business, because nobody can judge a comedian better than him. And not to forget, he is a great entertainer himself. When it comes to body, Sonu Sood was decided on the basis of his great physique and looks. Also, what many don’t know about Sonu is that he is a fabulous writer, a very rooted personality, humble to the core; he coming from a small town in Punjab brings out a very different human side to the way he talks and deals with situations. And Sushmita, of course, is a complete package of beauty with brains. She is very precise with her comments and a greater orator, motivator and a beautiful person from within. To find such a combination on the judges’ panel is rare. So for the first time on Indian Television, on Comedy Superstar you will see three huge judges on the same panel. And the most unique thing about the show is that there is nothing scripted about it.

What are the challenges you faced while coming up with a show like this? Please explain.

Honestly, we did not face any challenges. The thing was to make the right format that would appeal to the audience. We backed it with good research on the various trends in TV industry, post which we went in search of the right talent. The show is about searching for a 360 degree entertainer, not a comedian. An entertainer is known by his comic timing, dancing, singing and improvisation skills in totality. And we are happy the same is appreciated and liked by many.

This show has no double meaning jokes - why did you opt this route?

Five years back when audience used to watch reality shows, they used to like the pure entertainment and not a word was scripted. Things have changed after that. We were approached by SAB TV, India’s premier comedy channel to make a different show which would cater to their family audience. I truly believe that I want to make a show which I can sit and enjoy with my family. The current trend is insult comedy and double meaning jokes and many felt without these tools, one cannot make people laugh. But with this show, we want to tell the audience that without double meaning jokes, insult and below the belt humour also we can bring smiles on people's faces.

Who are the target audience for your show?

Our target audience is mainly the family audience of all age groups. Asli mazaa Sab ke saath aata hai - that's the tagline of the channel and we wanted to achieve that. Our show is purely based on this theory.

How will you define your experience working as a producer in this show? Tell us something about your journey. Any memorable incident from the shoot?

The unit consisted of a team of 350 people. We all have worked with each other in the last ten years, but in different capacity and responsibility. When it comes to Pyramid Films, the beauty is that we all came together as a team and worked like a family. My most memorable part is the journey of Comedy Superstar when we were shooting the show. There was tremendous enthusiasm within the crew and we have given our best.

You and Pankita are highly creative people. Throw light on the professional association.

When I first met Pankita she was my client. I have worked with many creative directors in the industry but the unique thing about Pankita is that she is always loaded with unique and fresh ideas. I call her 'Juke Box' of creativity. She is a bundle of talent and her uniqueness comes with a strong base of research, experience of working with some big brands and TV shows. Her ideas are unique, different, fresh and rooted, which has a mass appeal and this comes to her naturally.

Any interesting incident with Sushmita Sen....

For us, Sush is like a family. We have known each other for quite sometime now and have worked with her on some shows earlier too. We went to her, narrated the concept and she jumped on with pure enthusiasm, she asked us, "You’ll are doing it? I am doing it too". She is very down-to-earth. No hang-ups, no starry tantrums, she trusted us completely, which you rarely find in celebrities these days.

Any incident with regards to Shekhar Suman…

Shekhar Suman is an encyclopedia. Like in Google you can ask him anything and he has an accurate answer for everything. He is also a mischievous person behind the camera, at the same time, a kid at heart. Every evening after shoot we used to have a Chaat counter, especially layed out for him. And also he was a great support in terms of experience. He guided us thoroughly.

Now over to Sonu Sood…                             

To us Sonu Sood is like a common man. He is very grounded. He is a funny guy. He is not manipulative at all, which means when he talks, he talks from his heart and this element is what impresses the viewers about Sonu Sood.
One of the major USP’s of this show, is that the audience will see the human sides of all the three judges, they being what they are and nothing is fake.

What have been the landmarks of your career according to you?

I have been doing TV for about 14 years now. I have done most of the reality shows on television till date. From Kaun Banega Crorepati to Satyamev Jayate to three seasons of Jhalak Dikhhla Ja to India's Got Talent and major events like Filmfare, Screen and Zee Cine Awards. Currently apart from Comedy Superstar I am also directing another International format ‘I Can do that’ for Zee TV. I have learnt from each show and all these experiences have been fruitful in my work.

What’s your vision for Pyramid films?

We are not in any race to produce multiple shows. So we don't want to do many projects at a time. We are also in advertising films. We have some great award winning ad films to our credit. We are seeing ourselves doing full-length feature films in the near future.

How do you unwind yourself?

Watching good movies and television programmes is my best way to unwind.

What makes Arun Sheshkumar happy?

Honesty in good work, great shows and appreciation makes me happy.