Emceeing a TV show was not a part of his plans, yet Govind Padmasoorya landed in one. The actor-turned-anchor could woo his viewers in a jiffy and voila - GP, the blue-eyed-boy of televille was born. After hosting two seasons of D for Dance and building a sizable fan-base, he took up Fastest Family First, Asianet’s one-month-old flagship family game show.
The new role
After 200 episodes of D 4 Dance I wanted to indulge in something different and challenging. My new show has an entirely different template which made me move out of my comfort zone. If I was a carefree, spontaneous, out-of-the-box anchor in D for Dance, GP in Fastest Family First has a streak of seriousness. It’s hosting in a totally different line, it’s slightly formal and demands a lot of restraint. At the same time it has a certain fun quotient and I can’t be completely upright. I think people were surprised seeing this sophisticated version of GP who used to joke and flirt on the studio floor.
My emceeing mantra
More than the savoir-faire, it’s about striking an instant rapport with the crew and the contestants. Whatever I do I enjoy it. If I can’t find fun in it there is no point in expecting the audience to like it. Why I love hosting is that you are loved and accepted as what you are. In a film it’s the character who gets the claps, it’s his goodness or heroism that makes him loveable. It’s a scripted life and not real. But on television I come as my real, original self.
On the rewind mode
Initially I was not keen on doing a television show and declined the offer twice. I had never seen a reality show in my life and couldn’t imagine myself hosting it. Producer Yamuna persuaded me to watch their unedited versions and then I realised more than anchoring I will be handling an entertainer’s role.
was very casual on the floor of D for Dance. Out of the 100 episodes hardly 20 were scripted and what you got to see on air was the original camaraderie between the anchors, contestants and judges. I started it as an experiment, but it instantly clicked and I became GP from Govind Padmasoorya. The show gave me enormous popularity and acceptance, much more than any film could offer.
70mm dreams
made my debut with ‘Adayalangal’, a multiple-award winning film and later got a couple of solid roles in mainstream as well. But then I took a break to complete my MBA and when I came back I had to start from the scratch. When I was in the limelight I disappeared and then I had to reestablish my credentials. Right now I don’t want to do a film just for the sake of it. I am going through a lot of scripts, but this time I want to be sure before taking up anything.