Experimenting on the small screen
C andid camera gags are have been very popular on Indian television. It was Sabumon A. who popularised this in Malayalam channels through his show ‘Tharikida’ on Surya TV in 2000. He became identified with the show such an extent that even now he is identified as ‘Tharikida’ Sabumon. He went on to entertain viewers with several other shows, each with a a fresh concept. After a hiatus he returned as co-producer of ‘Just Fun Chumma’, a sitcom on Amrita TV. At present, he is the anchor of ‘Take It Easy’, a new show on Mazhavil Manorama. Sabu talks about the show to FridayReview . Excerpts:
The concept
It is also a candid camera show but the pranks are played by family members or friends on each other. The ‘victims’, the master minds and other family members come together in our studio and share their experience with us. We have another segment where we show funny videos. Though we started out with international videos, now Malayali viewers have started sending in their clippings.
Thought behind the show
When we did ‘Tharikida’, except for a few episodes, we tried to see that our jokes did not hurt anyone. Once such shows became a staple on every channel, the fun factor began to acquire shades of mockery and taunting and the gag went beyond mere teasing. Now many of these shows try to a instigate a war of words that usually ends in a fracas. We wanted to revive the concept of fun and harmless leg-pulling. That is why we thought about bringing in families and friends because there exists a certain degree of comfort and familiarity in such relationships. Such harmless pranks will also strengthen a relationship with some laughter. In the first episode we had a husband playing a prank on his wife. Then we had episodes featuring brothers and friends.
The team
What makes the show special for me is that I am teaming up with Satheeshkumar, the director of the show, after a long gap. He launched me in ‘Tharikida’. He emerged a pioneer of sorts in the reality show genre with ‘Super Star’ on Amrita and, later, innovative shows such as ‘Veruthe Alla Bharya’, ‘Midukki’ and the like. In ‘Midukki’, I came in as a judge for the stress buster segment. It feels great to be working with him.
Malayalam television
The industry has not changed all that much. You start one show and everyone is eager to follow suit. Eventually people get bored and start rejecting whatever we dish out. We should understand that this is a time when the television industry in countries such as Japan are coming up with programmes that are pushing the envelope by exploring the extreme. For example, even in quiz shows the contestants are made to stand in freezing water. We can never think about presenting such dangerous stuff for the Malayali audience. I have always tried to provide something fresh for the audience, which I attempted through my previous shows such as ‘Tharikida’, ‘Enthum Cheyyum Sukumaran’ or ‘Attahasam’.
Plans
My production house SAB Productions’ first venture was ‘Just Fun Chumma’. We are into producing shows for various channels. An upcoming project is a serial that will be a different experience for our viewers. In the meantime, I am also spreading my wings in cinema. Recently, I played a negative role in Ranjith Shankar’s Punyalan Agarbathis .
‘Take It Easy’ airs on Saturdays at 9.30 p.m.
