Purab Kohli: 'Hip Hip Hurray' audience has largely moved away from TV

Despite demand for naagin shows, Purab Kohli, who acted in the cult show 'Hip Hip Hurray', feels confident that his new series 'POW: Bandi Yuddh Ke' will be a clutter-breaker

Purab Kohli

Purab Kohli gets goosebumps when we ask him about his cult show 'Hip Hip Hurray' that first aired in 1998. "In those days, the TV industry wasn't looked upon as a moneymaking thing. The show found a target audience (adolescents) and identified with their issues. After that, I stayed away from daily soaps since I never enjoyed TV fiction after that," he says.

But, Nikkhil Advani's 'POW: Bandi Yuddh Ke' compelled him to return to TV. Initial reactions to the teaser have only reiterated his faith in the risky move. "If this show garners the appreciation, the format of television will transform completely," he adds.

Purab, who plays an Army man Sartaj Singh, reveals he was offered the show because of Akshay Kumar-starrer 'Airlift,' which released in january. "People forget performances easily; 'Airlift' brought me back from oblivion. Nikkhil was one of the producers on the film. I travelled with him once when we first spoke about POW. A few months later, he sent me a DVD of Hatufim (Israeli TV drama based on two prisoners of war) and said the characters have been turned around to suit Indian sensibilities. It was difficult to understand the psyche of a prisoner of war. I have tried to show his strength and vulnerability. Sartaj will be able to evoke sympathy," he explains.

The actor clarifies POW is not a remake of Homeland, but an inspired version of Hatufim. He says, "Homeland scooped out a character from Hatufim and centered an entirely fresh show on it which traces the stories of two PoWs who return after Kargil War. It has elements that the small screen audience enjoys, but the drama is rooted in reality. Each episode has it all, without plastering the over dramatic side of daily TV. Real drama is much more engrossing. The 'Hip Hip Hurray' audience has largely moved away from television. They are into 'Homeland' and 'Game of Thrones', but we are hoping POW brings them back. There is a large audience for naagins, but we will find space for real content."

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