"I am born rich!"

His father dreamt of him being an international cricketer and he dutifully fulfilled it. But this lover of challenges wanted to diversify in life and thus Navjot Singh Sidhu landed in tellydom. This wizard of wit, just like the contenders, kept the audience in splits with his applause and reactions on Star One's The Great Indian Laughter Challenge. And if that wasn't enough he plays God is Balaji's plum project Kya Hoga Nimmo Ka (KNKH)! Riya V. Anandwala grabs an opportunity of meeting this commanding personality, who is not just celebrated for his one-liners, but also for his matching and trendy ties and turbans. Excerpts: First cricket, then commentary and now showbiz. Comment My life has been full of surprises. When I was in school I was so shy that when my teacher used to ask me to participate in elocutions I always turned it down. No one ever thought that I would reach this level ever. If I ever was a cricketer, that was because of my father dreamt of me being an international player. I have always believed, 'When you are making plans, life has some other plans for you.' How is it working with Balaji Telefilms? Oh, it has been wonderful working with these people. It has opened a new avenue for me altogether. Define Ekta Kapoor? She is one of those few young people who has accomplished so much in so less time. She is full of ideas, and the fact is that she is making good soaps. Good deeds always speak for itself! How did KHNK happen? Actually Ekta Kapoor met me and said 'Siddhuji, whenever I think of this particular character, it's only you who comes to my mind!' And I immediately gave a nod. So what's your reaction to the response you are receiving for KHNK? At first, I must admit that my family was very apprehensive about me taking up this project, because they didn't want to see me playing a sweeper or as an astrologer. It was hard to accept. But when I started off, my wife, who's my biggest critic, appreciated my performance and so did my children. My daughter is a big fan of Nimmo; you will see her imitating Sanjeeda in every aspect, from the way she talks to her hairstyle (laughs). And talking about the general audience, wherever I go, people come up to me and compliment my performance and say that they want to see more of me! Does it ever pinch you that you are not taking any kind of remuneration for this show? No, not at all! I have immense respect for Ekta's parents, and the kind of love I have received from them is overwhelming. And to put it very honestly, they couldn't afford me either! I get around 4 lakhs for one day's corporate work, and a lakh more if I stay overnight. So money was never a priority? Never! I am born rich. It was a new challenge for me, which I was eager to take up, and I did it. Because I believe that talent is nothing without opportunity! Coming to TGILC, do you think that it has lost it's essence in the second season? Not at all! Many people don't know that it did rather better (in the finals) as compared to the first season. Amongst so many challengers, who is you're your no. 1? Well, everyone had a certain style of showcasing their talent, but I would vote for Raju Shrivastav. He holds a theme and maintains it throughout. The rhythm which he adds to his piece is simply mind blowing. A talented person has the responsibility to live upto everyone's expectations and Raju has succeeded in that task. What's you take on the cold war between you and your co-judge Shekhar Suman? No one is perfect. Look at it this way, compare the three minutes of difference of in our opinion to the great time we have had in the past two years. Delete those three minutes and life is beautiful. And what about your cricket colleagues, do they ever discuss your performance? Yes, certainly! Maninder Singh, Harsha Bhogle, most of them have watched it and loved my work! And it feels great when your old time buddies praise you for something which was a major challenge for me. Are any new telly projects in the offing? Well, it's just KHNK and The Great Indian Laughter Challenge, nothing else. Are you aiming for the big screen? Well, I was offered a film for which I had to shoot in England for two months. And the pay package was awesome. But due to other commitments I couldn't take that up. Talking about your earlier profession - cricket, what do you think about the current players? Kings! I feel great to see such wonderful players playing for our country. Isn't it unfair that the audience puts a lot of pressure on our players? I don't think so. In this game, the player has to shut his mind off. You do your job well and pack up! Success is accountable to you, not to anyone else! Do you think that whatever happened with the former captain Saurav Ganguly was right? Well, a hero has to become a bore someday!