The Creative Behind Talk Shows

Kiran Joneja, who hosted her own talk show on Star Plus a few years ago, spoke about the exhaustive applied and selective research that goes on behind the success of chat shows.

"The director, writer and the anchor all have an equal responsibility of making the show a success", she said. Unfortunately, talk shows are still treated as fillers in India and not accorded the importance they are in the West, she noted. An admirer of the Oprah Winfrey Show, Joneja said tight budgets often hampered the making of truly quality serials in the country. "It is the responsibility of talk shows to change the perspective of people watching them and to create awareness", she said.

The anchor person has the dual role of being aware of the topic being discussed as well having the presence of mind to handle panelists with conflicting interests, she noted. Joneja, however, rued that most channels in India are still 'serial focused' and talk shows are not considered as important, she added.