‘Hosting is a highly underrated job’: Mini Mathur on helming a quiz show

After being a part of several reality shows like Indian Idol, Tol Mol Ke Bol and Jhalak Dikkhla Jaa, most of which she anchored, Mini Mathur will next be seen hosting the quiz show, Discovery School Super League (DSSL). She fondly recalls watching the Bournvita Quiz Contest in her growing up years. “Now, there are no such shows for kids. When the makers approached me, they had me at the word quiz (laughs). Even as a host, you get to learn — some of the questions asked to the sixth to 10th graders left me reeling! Also, it’s the quiz master’s energy that actually leads the show,” she says.

With two decades of hosting behind her, Mini feels that she can bring a lot more to the table than a regular anchor. “Shows like Indian Idol allowed me to lend my personality and somehow mould the way it was seen. Now, I want to use my experience as a seasoned host to lend something more. I want to do shows that are challenging, the set-up is intelligent and has somebody like Cyrus Sahukar with whom I share a great equation as a co-host,” she says.

Mini is a big critic of people who think that anybody can be a host. “I have put 20 years of my career, honing my skills. Hosting is a job that is highly underrated. I take a lot of pride in my job and I think I have reached a certain level. In the West, Oprah Winfrey, and Jimmy Fallon among others, at the age of 60-65, are doing their signature shows. It’s their experience as hosts that they are putting in it,” she points out.

Ask her about the trend of popular actors turning hosts and she says, “It is not for me to judge. My problem is, are they good enough for the job? Not everyone who is popular makes for a good host. But Amitabh Bachchan is the best host. I think Maniesh Paul and Kapil Sharma are also good, they take their job seriously,” she signs off.