Annu Kapoor is well respected as an actor and a television anchor. Annu is also respected for his forthright opinions. And this will be amply evident on Chota Packet Bada Dhamaal – a realty show where Annu will be donning the judge’s hat.

Tellychakkar had a brief chat with the seasoned actor cum host on the sets of Chota Packet Bada Dhamaal. Excerpts:

Your last assignment as a judge wasn’t fruitful.

Acting Ki Funshala was a very brief encounter with this kind of avenue. It’s unfortunate that it didn’t work However, I consider this (Chota Packet..) a longer innings.

What brings you to Chota Packet..?

The format, channel, and above all the money! Let’s not forget that we are here to work. After all, we’re professionals and we don’t do any part-time job.

Besides, the money, my association with Zee goes back a long way and it’s always been nice to work with them.

The format of this show is the same as Ek Se Badhkar Ek. A few contestants in Ek Se.. didn’t like a singer judging a dancer and vice versa. Wouldn’t it be tougher for small kids to go through this?

That’s for the parents to decide before letting their children participate in such shows. I don’t watch much of television so I don’t know what happened earlier. However, I’m not here to hurt anyone. At the same time, I’m not going to mollycoddle anybody. This is a competition. If you are fighting a war in Iraq, you don’t expect the enemy to give you a peck on your cheek.

Personally, would you like your children to be part of such shows?

No. Children should primarily concentrate on their studies. Having said that we live in a commercial world. The channel, producer, actors and let’s not forget the greedy parents! There are million of parents who want their children to earn money at a tender age of three.

If you’re willing to accept their greediness then you have to accept ours too. I’ll never send my children to such shows.

What do you have say about reality shows?

There is nothing called reality. This is a misconception of our people. We’ve have borrowed this term from America without knowing the intricacies of a reality show.

You and I are talking, that’s reality. But that you’re recording the conversation then it doesn’t remain reality. On television, we capture footage of 3-4 hours but telecast it only for 55 minutes. So, how can that be real? What we get to see is a contrived kind of a reality show. There hardly is any analysis done and we work in a frivolous manner. We need to have our own creativity.

However, most of the reality shows on our television are a result of bought formats?

Well, that’s what you call a herd’s mentality. Anything works here. However when it comes to my shows, I try to give my original inputs, thoughts.

Anand Raaj Anand accused you of berating Bollywood in Junoon. How do you respond to this charge?

As far as Mr.Anand Raaj Anand is concerned, he’s been here for just 10 years where as I’ve spent 27 years in the industry. And with regards to him saying that I don’t respect Bollywood, I have this to say. The term Bollywood has only originated in the last five years of which Mr.Anand Raaj Anand is part of and I’m not. I belong to the Hindi film industry, an industry which boasts of names like Bimal Roy, Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Satyajit Ray, Shekhar Kapoor, BR.Chopra, Yash Chopra, Raju Khosla and Guru Dutt.

As Annu was called for the shooting the interview had to be wound up. We hope to catch him soon. So keep watching this space for more on the brand called Annu Kapoor.