Karan Wahi gets anchored!

He’s fast becoming the next Manish Paul. Having landed three anchoring jobs back-to-back, Karan Wahi has finally found an outlet. After co-hosting Nach Baliye with Gautam Rode — “People said two boys will never work but we were so mad that the show had started becoming more about us and less about the contestants” — says Wahi, who’s now hosting Nach Baliye Shriman vs Shrimati with Aishwarya Sakhuja and will be soon seen kidding around with Mandira Bedi in Indian Idol Junior.

Wahi who’s done shows like Dill Mill Gayee, Remix, Mere Ghar Aayi Ek Nanhi Pari, Baat Hamari Pakki Hai, Kuch Toh Log Kahenge says anchoring has been on his mind for a long time now and the ball started rolling after Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa in which he participated.  “Since I did some stand-up, impromptu stuff there, I started getting calls for anchoring.

Till the time people look at you as a character in a serial, they don’t see you as an anchor. I have been doing a lot of red carpet events but have never done a mainstream show because there were very good anchors for those events like Manish and Ayushmann (Khurrana). And like how all anchors proceed to films, Ayushmaan did too and then Manish was all over. Now Manish is into films that anchor space is empty, and I am trying to build a niche.”

He says the TV serials he’s done have only helped him increase his fan base and is now keen to strengthen his foot in anchoring. “It’s great when people recognise you as ‘Karan Wahi’ and not a character you have played. Anchoring is a different medium. I wanted to try it and not stop working, I didn’t want to sit at home and say, ‘Will do that one show when it comes along.’” He realises, though, that anchoring is difficult too. “With time you learn a lot of things. I can feel the difference in me from the time I started on Nach too now. There were a lot of inhibitions. Today I say anything and everything under the sun thinking if they don’t like it, they won’t keep it. The scariest part is you channelise the entire energy of the show.”

While Aishwarya is junior to him in terms of the work she’s done, Mandira is way ahead. How does he balance? “I don’t think about what they have done. We respect our space. As co-anchors, I have to work with them as a team, focus on what I am good at. Having a co-host helps, because the humour comes through the banter you have with them. Though workwise, Mandira is senior, she doesn’t look senior! She’s as fit as ever. Also, I don’t like to think about her as ‘the’ Mandira Bedi. I feel we both have our respective fan bases and in Idol, we are bringing it together.”

The chocolate-boy says he wants to do films and is hoping something happens this year but is clear that he doesn’t want to be a flop film hero. “I would rather be a successful TV star so am really going to be careful about what I pick.” He is also clear that he would rather do a fresh TV show than ‘enter’ a running one. “I have done three of them, so now I want to do something from start.”