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SRK's Hindi version of Ted Talks hopes to offer "lifelong learning" to Indian viewers

SRK's Hindi version of Ted Talks hopes to offer "lifelong learning" to Indian viewers

The Star Plus show aims to upturn the idea that ‘anything that is intellectually stimulating’ won't work on television
08 Oct, 2017

Much like he did in his eloquent TED Talk that premiered in May, Shah Rukh Khan sauntered on to the stage and started off with anecdotes from his younger days at the launch of TED Talks India: Nayi Soch in Mumbai on Thursday evening. “I have been working in the industry for 30 years as an actor, but TED Talks India has given me the platform to just be myself,” said Khan, who will host the show set to air later this year.

In a first, media giant TED has collaborated with a commercial mainstream television network to take its mission – of taking revolutionary ideas to people – in a language other than English. The show, in Hindi, will be premiered on the Star Plus television channel.

“I believe in the power of love,” Khan said at the Mumbai event. “And love is nurtured by small and simple ideas. TED Talks have been doing that for years.” The actor went on to describe his TED Talk as the greatest achievement of his career.

However, the makers remained tight-lipped about the speakers who have been roped in and the air date of the show.

Uday Shankar, Shah Rukh Khan and Chris Anderson at the event. Image credit Star India.
Uday Shankar, Shah Rukh Khan and Chris Anderson at the event. Image credit Star India.

The show promises to feature speakers from the Hindi film industry, but lesser-known faces with spectacular ideas are also expected to make appearances. “You won’t see these stars doing what they usually do,” Juliet Blake, the executive producer of the show said. “They are bringing very personal stories. The audience will be pleased to see that these are the finest storytellers from India, who are doing remarkable things.”

Great fit for India

Film industry stalwarts Karan Johar, Ekta Kapoor, Javed Akthar and Indian women’s cricket team captain Mithali Raj are rumoured to be part of the lineup. All but one episode will be in Hindi. “The idea came out of a deep sense of angst that has captured the imagination of a lot of us, the television sector in particular,” Uday Shankar, Chairperson and CEO of Star India said. “It is usually perceived that anything that is deeply creative, intense and also intellectually stimulating could not be accepted by people at home who tune onto their television in the evening. I find that deeply disturbing. TED Talks India is clearly an outcome of that.”

Like in the original TED Talk, the selection criteria for the speakers is to see whether their idea rings true to the organisation’s motto: Ideas worth spreading. “In the West, a lot of people are cynical and angry,” Head of TED and publishing entrepreneur, Chris Anderson, told Scroll.in in an interview. “In India there is a much bigger commitment to learning. The idea of a major mainstream television network to say we are going to offer lifelong learning to wherever you are for free in a powerful form is a very great experience. It is a great fit for India.”

Themes that resonate not only with Indian audiences but also overseas viewers will be chosen. Topics such as education and the power of learning will be prime narratives on the show.

“Television has its own demands,” Anderson explained. “I think what has been surprising to us is how much it is the same more than how much it is different. The crew, right from Uday, has insisted that this not be dumbed down, but this be TED. A way that a TED event actually happens is that you see a series of them. You might see four or five, which cluster around a theme. But they connect to each other and build on each other. You are going to see something really similar in this show.”

The series will be approached with the same diligence as any other TED Talk, the makers said. “It is a long process where the talks get translated into Hindi and back-translated into English for me,” Blake said. “And we have a team in New York, which does the fact-checking. There has been no talk in the show that has not been fact-checked by our team. And that has sometimes meant re-writes and edit after a talk has been given.”

Nevertheless, the show will fit into the entertainment genre, Khan promised. “It is a mix of entertainment, inspiration and intellectualism and to achieve that is difficult,” he said.

This story originally appeared in Scroll.in and has been reproduced with permission.

Comments

Rana Oct 08, 2017 12:50pm
Really... They should have hired some all around intelligent person for these talks.
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vijay gupta Oct 08, 2017 01:18pm
Very well said Shahrukh. We all love you.
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a Oct 08, 2017 03:23pm
@Rana Why dont you give it a shot ?
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Janab Jaipuri Oct 08, 2017 04:22pm
He doesn't have the intellect to host such a show. This is the problem with Indians. They think actors are intellectuals. People seek their opinion on everything.
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Saurabh Oct 08, 2017 06:31pm
Now that Shahrukh Khan's film career is on a downturn and is failing badly with each passing film, he wants to prove that everything is fine by hosting this show and claiming that hosting TedTalk is his greatest achievement. Well indeed it is, as he badly wants to redeem himself somehow from his failing and ailing career. Instead of focusing on making his films more appealing to the audience, he's now trying different tactics to save face. Someone rightly said that this show should be hosted by someone with intellect and not by a clown dancing at weddings and parties. Hosting a TedTalk show is serious business and needs someone more serious with intelligence, acumen and charisma. Definitely this is not a show where two clowns (Shahrukh Khan and Karan Johar) talk to each other about cinema. Unfortunately, that is all this show will be reduced to - another Koffee with Shahrukh Khan show with lots of dancing. Amusing indeed!
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NURUL HUDA Oct 08, 2017 07:00pm
@JANAB JAIPURI Do you came out from cave? SRK is famous for his intellectual apart from acting as he is very fond of reading books. After 50+, he is still reading books more than you & me despite being an successful actor. He is the only Indian actor invited for TED talk.
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Khaleesi Oct 08, 2017 10:16pm
Looking forward to it. Please invite people from other South Asian countries too. We have people like Malala, Asma Jahangir, Muniba Mazari, Sharmeen Obaid, Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy - who will be an asset to this show.
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GOOD POINT Oct 09, 2017 10:00am
@Janab Jaipuri , but he is good story teller. Media is a business, they have to make something that will sell to the masses.
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Paxi Oct 10, 2017 09:47am
India is country of multitudes. Many cultures, many race, many traditions, many languages, and so on. There is nothing called "ONE" in india, except that we are proud "INDIANS". Hindi is yet another Indian language spoken by just 25% of Indians, that is it. #StopHindiImposition in India and #PromoteLinguisticEquality
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