Women folk in the hinterland are still cagey to see or talk about sex: Vaquar Shaikh

Vaquar Shaikh, who plays the very serious Rashid Ahmed Khan in Zee TV’s hit Muslim social Qubool Hai, has gone through a complete change when he decided to take part in a sex comedy play Scam Bam Thank you Mam along with fellow TV actor Shweta Gulati. “I, for one, love to make people laugh. Unfortunately the idiot box has never exploited this side of mine over the years. Hence such stage outings come as a whiff of fresh air,” he avers. He however accepts that the above Janak Toprani directed play is over the top and falls in the adult comedy genre. “But I guess the audiences want that. And if producers pump in so much money, they do want a safe bet. The Box Office success of Grand Masti proves that. Also the theme of the play is full of scams and sadly, we Indians are destined to live with this kind of misadventures for many more years to come. So we might as well laugh about it,” he observes. Here Vaquar accepts that Indian TV still lives in a different cultural world. “It is only now that small screen audiences have somewhat matured and we are making consummation scenes the focal point of our tracks. The only reason I guess we really can’t go bold on the tube is that it is a medium that is watched by women and children also. Change has come about at least in stand up shows e.g. Comedy Circus that has no holds barred digs on actors and politicians. Many a time their gags go even below the belt,” he relates. But doesn’t the fair sex also like to talk about sex which is a natural thing? “Here I want to tell you that jokes cracked in my play get maximum applause from the women folk. But again this openness is still limited to urban metros and small towns. Women folk in the hinterland are still cagey to see or talk about sex openly in front of their husbands and in-laws. Though I am sure that they must be having a hearty laugh about the same in the company of other women or while reading SMS jokes,” Vaquar informs. Finally, Vaquar admits that audiences addicted to soaps would not accept his play.