A slimmer, fitter Siddharth!

doweshowbellyad=0; Siddharth Kak (TOI photo)Documentary filmmaker, actor and television anchor Siddharth Kak returns to doing what he did best anchoring a cultural show on prime time television.
Kak who was the face of the iconic edutainment show Surabhi (which was also one of Doordarshan���s longest running shows) might have been missing from the small screen for five years, but he hasn���t been taking it easy at all."I have been doing a lot of work behind the camera all this while. Unfortunately in India, the audience remembers people only when they are on camera," he says.
Meanwhile, Kak is all charged up about his upcoming series on Indian culture, Indiadhanush on NDTV Imagine. The concept of introducing fresh anchors doesn���t seem to be conducive these days, he observes. Citing the difference Siddharth says, "In my time anchors became stars. Today stars become anchors. Oprah Winfrey didn���t become a star overnight, she achieved her iconic status over a period of time. Even Renuka Shahane and I literally lived and breathed Surabhi for years before we got recognised. These days, no one gives an anchor time to grow. We want a celeb who the audience can connect with instantly."
A people-watcher, Kak confesses to having a "wicked sense of humour" that enables him to see the 'funny' side of all things around him. Kak also thinks very soon family soaps and reality shows will lose their fizz and "niche programming and niche channels will take over."
At the moment, Kak is busy ���slimming down��� and is getting in shape for his other new projects. An inveterate foodie, he confesses that eating right sometimes isn���t easy but he wants to look fitter. "I am going to face the camera after some time, so I want people to see me in my new avatar," he says.