As “adorable” as they are, women still leave him “puzzled.” So when Abhay Deol got a chance to connect with them, up close and personal, and also get paid for it, he was on board in a second. Starting June 3,2022 Deol will make his television debut on Zee’s new reality series, “Connected Hum Tum.”
Deol, who has just wrapped up his home production “One by Two,” based on the secret laws of attraction and is tuned into the series “Good Wife,” feels women are such a maze that men can never really completely understand. “The show is an attempt to demystify women and thereby understand relationships better,” says Deol. “The idea of women shooting their own lives and baring their soul on national television is a first. As the host of the show, I intend to leave the audience with how I perceive the women through my lens. I will raise questions that will make them think.”
“Connected Hum Tum” is about six women of different ages and at different stages in their lives who dare to bare it all - hopes, fears, insecurities, mistakes, triumphs, joys, sorrow – on national television. The Indian series will feature Mumbai-based RJ Malishka Mendonca, dentist and belly dance instructor Preeti Kochar, brand manager Pallavi Barman, actor Mahima Chaudhary, LGBT activist Sonal Gyani and corporate trainer Madhavi Mauskar.
Developed originally in Israel as “Connected,” the format soon emerged to be a phenomenon across countries like Denmark, Holland, France and USA. This international format is brought to India by Disney UTV.
Each of the six women who have embarked on this journey have undergone technical training in terms of using the camera in the most natural manner, coaching in terms of adjusting to the presence of a camera so as to minimize its interference with their behaviour, viewing sessions of what they have filmed in isolation and in a group and monitoring changes in their behaviour as a result of the filming process.
What’s Deol doing on it: For starters, lending a male perspective. Why? Because Zee believes he is the thinking woman’s dream man and will be able to entertain the audience with his sparkling wit, spot-on observations and tongue-in-cheek commentary on all that’s brewing in the women’s lives. Waiting for that one!
In the cacophony of saas bahu drama, Deol strangely finds this out of the box and off-beat. But isn’t it another take on desperate housewives? “Well, it has the potential to spread the word about gender equality. It will sensitise the audience to the way a woman’s mind works as it showcases the point of view of the modern Indian woman. With violence amongst women so rampant, I feel it will be able to appeal to people’s humanistic side,” he argues.
Women, he feels, are much stronger than men in every way. “They can handle things that we can’t even dream of. Men aren’t as capable.”
The women he’d like to see shooting their lives: “My mum and sister, not my girlfriend as I would be a part of all the footage myself - something I am not comfortable with. Also, Sonia Gandhi - how does she cope with all issues that we hear of now. Her life will be interesting to watch and understand.”
If he’d not signed up to the host? “Rakhi Sawant should replace me then!”
