I may end up spoiling my name if I participate in Bigg Boss: Karan Wahi

The other day we visited the sets of Indian Idol Junior (Freemantle Media India) where we chanced upon meeting Karan Wahi.

In a freewheeling interview with us, the multi-talented TV star who is to anchor this year’s edition of the show along with Mandira Bedi on Sony Entertainment Television (SET), talks on his current show, past shows and future plans.

Read on….

What is it like to host Indian Idol Junior?

It is great fun. Indian Idol is after all such a big brand and being associated with it is a milestone for me. Seems SET has that faith in me and may be because of they called me over to host the show. I believe it will be a nice and different journey as here, the participants are kids. What makes it even better is that they are not child celebrities but kids hailing from the great populace we have.

Your show Remix is being re-run on Channel V. If there would be a new season of the show, would you have liked to be a part of it?

You are right, my show Remix is back on Channel V as a re-run and is being aired from 4pm to 5 pm from Monday to Saturday. Of course, I would love to be in a brand new season of Remix and feel that something you cherish the most is the first thing you do in your life. That is why Remix will always have a special place in my heart. Currently, Remix which has come back after nine years, is drawing many followers both on Facebook and Twitter. Thus I think that it is amazing to see how people miss it even after so many years. The children of the current generation also love what their elders had loved.

Is anchoring your priority these days?

I have no first or second priority. If I like a job that is offered to me, I will do it. If it works, then it will be good for me but if it doesn’t, I won’t back out of it, though. Sometimes things work while sometimes they don’t.

I am liking the entire aspect of anchoring. It’s not that I am not being offered acting roles. Every actor has his own growth pattern. As of now, I wish to concentrate on anchoring. After all, if I am enjoying something, then why not do it? I am not the kind of guy who can do too many things at the same time. And maybe this is the reason why I am staying away from TV soaps for the time being. I will be concentrating on Indian Idol till September this year.

It is not that I love anchoring more than acting. It is just because I am liking this space for the time being. Tomorrow, whether I do daily soaps or shows, I will always be doing something I love. I love to be in the anchoring space for the time being. I am in talks with so many people for TV and films. As soon as something is finalised I will come out with the details.

What is the difference between anchoring, a dance show and a singing show? You have anchored Nach Baliye earlier.

There is no difference whatsoever. I feel that interviewing an actor and an anchor is the same thing. After all, as a host, I am not going to change myself as a person. It is just that I interact with different contestants in each show. While anchoring Nach Baliye, I interacted with celebrities whom I already knew and even had a rapport with.

As far as kids in Indian Idol Junior are concerned, first of all they aren’t celebrities. I do not know anything about them whatsoever. It will take me some time to understand them. As I interact with all of them backstage, I am getting to know each and every one of them personally. As an anchor, my job is to see that all the contestants should have a rapport with me. And yes, I would go to any extent to make them feel comfortable.

You are a cricketer. What do you have to say on the recent match fixing IPL scandal?

I really don’t want to comment on that. How would I know who is guilty and who isn’t? I continue to watch cricket matches with great devotion. Till the time I am alive, I will never believe that everything is fixed in cricket. I am a cricketer and have friends who are cricketers. I know what all of us went through in our individual journeys. According to many, those who have been caught are thieves and those who haven’t been caught, are innocent. I haven’t seen the police records anyway. So, how can I ever comment on this? All I know is that I love cricket.

You had once told me that you are often offered Bigg Boss but you turn it down because if someone rubs you the wrong way you get very offended. Comment.

As a general audience, when you watch Bigg Boss, you don’t know what is going on in the house over the 24 hours in a day. We don’t know how the masala incidents are selected and portrayed in that one hour episode. Since I am very fidgety in life, I don’t think that I fit to be in that house at all. If I am placed with a person who pushes me to my boundaries, I am bound to lose it. I may be someone who can control myself to a certain extent but am not someone who can control myself for too long, though. That is the only reason why I have tried to avoid the show throughout the years. I don’t think that I can make a better name for myself if I participate in it. In fact, I may end up spoiling my name if I am on Bigg Boss. I am scared as it has taken all these years to make a name for myself.

Anupama Mandloi, Content Head of Freemantle Media India (the production of Indian Idol Junior) said that you will sing on the show. What will you be singing?

I will have to ask Anupuma of what I will sing and why. As there are so many great singers out there, I don’t know where it came from, but I feel that she is playing a prank. I hope she is (laughs).

What is more comfortable- hosting with Mandira Bedi or Aishwarya Sakhuja?

As they are different people, anchoring with them was a different experience. I anchored Nach Baliye with Gautam Rode for three and a half months, then I anchored the same show with Aishwarya for three weeks. I have travelled with Mandira to five or six cities for Indian Idol Junior. As each person has a different nature, the work experience has also to be different.

A fan of yours told me that you are to be a part of a Life OkKshow soon. Comment.

Currently. there are no daily soaps for me in the pipeline. I was in talks with somebody that could not materialise because of my dates. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to adjust. I did not want to give anyone false hope either. As of now, I am concentrating fully on Indian Idol Junior which will go on till September. I am also in talks for a film. Right after Nach Baliye ended, work on Indian Idol Junior started. Right now, the only thing that I have not done is films. I have acted, danced and anchored. I am working towards it (films) and hope it works out.

You want to be working till what age?

I want to retire from work early in life. If you are just after making money, but don’t have a good life, then what is the point of it?

What do you watch on television?

I watch mainly two channels- the Discovery and the History Channel. I used to follow Kuch Toh Log Kahenge before I joined it. After all, I would love the show. I would also follow Dill Mill Gayye before I had joined the cast. Of late, I have been watching Qubool Hai as I have great respect for Karan Singh Grover. I also watched a few episodes of Saraswatichandra, but as I couldn’t watch it back-to-back, I lost track. There was a phase in my life when I would only watch the news channels. Then I realised that I was so wrong as a kid when I would ask my dad, as to why did he watch just the news. Later, I realised that I was watching faltu news (that is what many news channels generally air anyway). And that is the reason why I stopped watching news. (laughs)