Maniesh Paul reveals he refused to 'ridicule' Katrina Kaif's Hindi
What's the story
Actor-host Maniesh Paul recently opened up about his early days in the industry and his friendship with actor Katrina Kaif. Speaking to Zoom, he recalled working with her on Tees Maar Khan and how he always ensured she was never ridiculed for her Hindi. "It was the first time I worked in a film where Katrina was there." "And I very well remember that I was extremely overjoyed whenever Katrina would come," he said.
Supportive stance
'She would feel very comfortable when I would be there'
Paul also remembered how Kaif felt at ease during his hosting gigs.
"Back then, when I would host a lot of shows, and Katrina would come on every award night show, she would feel very comfortable when I would be there."
"I will tell you why, because I never ridiculed her Hindi."
"I would, in fact, think it was a very boring concept. She doesn't know Hindi; don't overdo it or embarrass her by saying things like 'Yeh bolke dikhao.'"
Channel pressure
'It is not mandatory to make someone feel uncomfortable'
Paul revealed that television channels often pressured hosts to mock celebrities for entertainment.
"A lot of times, the channel would ask us to do all that, but I would always refuse."
"Instead, I would tell them, 'You want fun, right? You want three minutes of laughter, I will get it done, but in my style.' It is not mandatory to make someone feel uncomfortable or ridicule them to make people laugh," he said.
Personal boundaries
Refused to exploit celebrities' personal lives for entertainment
Paul also spoke about his refusal to exploit celebrities' personal lives for entertainment, especially their relationships and breakups.
"People have breakups, link-ups, other things going on in their life."
"They would give us suggestions like she has just had a breakup with him and he is going to be on stage while she is sitting in front, so say these things...I would be like, 'Okay, will do.'"
"But I would never do it because they would eventually forget it."