I’m proud to be rooted to Madhya Pradesh: Shahbaz Khan

Indore-born actor Shahbaz Khan on why he takes pride in being associated with Madhya Pradesh. He chats with TOI about...
I’m proud to be rooted to Madhya Pradesh
MP has always been known for its rich cultural heritage. There have been great musical exponents like Tansen, Kishoreda (Kumar) and Lataji, and painters like MF Hussain from this state. And only after going to Mumbai did I realize that MP holds a very special place in the cultural map of the nation. I’m a son of MP and whatever little I am today is because of the traditions and culture I was brought up with. Unlike the people of today’s time, I don’t enjoy the ear-drilling music. I guess, MP again is the only reason behind my classical inclination. Even today, people here are so inclined towards art. Whether it’s Bhopal, Indore or Gwalior, these cities are breeding grounds of future artistes.
TV is losing its connect with the audience
The stress level is way too high now, than it used to be during our times. I may not be playing a lead role in any of the daily soaps, but even then I don’t have a single day off. Such is the pressure of daily soaps. I shoot for almost 14 hours a day. Also, we’re not given a bound storyline. Channels interfere so much in the content that the creative freedom is almost lost. During Chandrakanta and Mahabharata, 60% of the broadcast slots were taken away by a single serial. And today, if the show manages to reach the average TRP rating of 3.5 or 4, the producers get more than happy. This is also the basic reason behind this entire degradation process of TV content. One can’t really blame the writers, till what extent can they cook up stuff? TV is gradually losing its connect with the audience.
TV content badly needs censorship
Money has suddenly become so important in our lives that we sometimes tend to do things, which might be against our morals. Barring a few good talent-oriented platforms, I find most of the reality shows to be a threat to our culture. I don’t allow my children to watch any reality shows on television. Never in my dreams can I imagine to be a part of a show like Bigg Boss. I’m too private a person to opt for such craziness. It’s time, just like films, we enforce censorship on TV. The thinking, ‘if you don’t want to watch it, change the channel’, is not going to help. How can one restrict a growing child from watching obscene content? So, every project that goes on air should be studied by a committee and only then should be telecast. But unfortunately, there’s no one to take the initiative.