Day 9- 10 Ka Dum

The following night, I arrived for rehearsals at Mehboob Studio, with director Subhash Ghai. I was shooting during the day for his film. We began the mock show in his presence and he got so involved, he wanted to play the contestant! The questions were so funny yet intriguing and we began having some serious fun. In our day-to-day life, we often discuss mundane things with a spare sprinkling of profundity. It reminds me of Charlie Chaplin who once said that “Life in a snap shot is a tragedy, in a long shot its comedy.”

In the next few sessions, my brother Sohail, sisters Alvira and Arpita, participated as contestants. I was very happy that director David Dhawan too liked the format and agreed that most questions should be hilarious and not necessarily Intelligent. My friend producer Sajid Nadiadwala and Director Anil Sharma too gave their inputs. Soon the rehearsal hall became a club where all my friends visited each night, got together and had a great time playing 10 ka Dum with me!

The program begins with two contestants who play against each other and the winner continues to play with me. Unlike other shows contestants here are given an unlimited time to answer the question. This meant that I have to keep the tempo going; I have to keep the viewers entertained. But then that was never a problem for me. Plus the questions are so cool; they reflect common behavioral patterns of common people. As a star of the masses I have always admired and connected with common people. I believe they are and will always be the fountainhead of national energy.