Case Toh Banta Hai, Trailer Launch and Press Conference: Courting laughter

Trials and tribulations continue on the web. The genre has attracted Banijay Asia production house to create a show based on weird and ludicrous allegations levelled against film personalities that are debated and judged by TV/film/web veterans. A 'notice' of things to come was served to us today at the J.W. Marriott Hotel, Juhu, Mumbai. Some of the persons associated with the show were present, and many others were shown on screen, in two bursts: one was a regular trailer, screened twice, in succession, as is the norm, and another video, which was compilation of clips of the star personalities who will constitute the accused, one a week. The show will be streamed on Fridays, on Amazon miniTV, available on Amazon Shopping App, beginning 29 July. No wonder Girish Prabhu, Amazon Advertising Head, said, “Hundreds of millions of Amazon customers throughout India will be able to watch this show for free each week.”

Adding star-weight on the occasion was the dapper Riteish Deshmukh, who plays the prosecuting counsel, while the defence counsel is played by Varun Sharma, who was present too. A lady plays the judge, and she goes by the name of Kusha Kapila, a much admired social influencer. Also present were veteran Gopal Dutt, who plays a complainant, and Paritosh, an excellent mimic, who is likely to prove the star witness…I mean the joker in the pack. He demonstrated his credentials on stage right there, by imitating both Riteish and Gopal. Listed as accused are Varun Dhawan, Kareena Kapoor-Khan, Anil Kapoor, Karan Johar, Badshah, Sara Ali Khan, Rohit Shetty, and more. Three-fourths of the series’s run has already been canned. The trailer launch and press conference was ably compèred by Sachin, whose full name was not mentioned.

“I have done many projects in the past which fall under the comedy genre, but Case Toh Banta Hai will always remain one of the most special projects of my career,” said Riteish Deshmukh. “The mere idea and concept of this show, that puts the biggest celebrities of our country in a spot, makes them and us laugh allthe time. It's one dhamakedaar (explosive) case with a lot of masala.”

“My love for atrangi (unusual, extra colourful) comedy is well known among audiences and the industry. Nothing could have excited me more than getting together with Riteish and Kusha and then having fun with most popular and admired names in the film fraternity,” said Varun Sharma.

“When I was approached for Case Toh Banta Hai, I was like ‘Are you sure, you want me to be the judge?’ I’d never thought they would trust a content creator with a role like that, but once I sat in my judge’s chair and got to hear the hilarious accusations that were levied on celebrities and be a part of that contagious energy on set, I knew that I was a part of something truly hatke (different). As much as I tried to be a tough task-master, I was the one to laugh the loudest on a joke, so this judge appreciates good humour, if anything,” said Kusha Kapila.

Asked whether the cast indulged in improvisation, a process that often brings out the best in comedy scenes, the whole panel agreed that they improvised a lot. The question was directed at Varun, Gopal and Paritosh, but Riteish joined-in in seconding the responses. Asked by another journalist whether he gave priority to actions or reactions while participating in comedy scenes, Riteish replied that individual actions or dialogue mean little if they are not backed by reactions, so, “I concentrate more on reactions.” He also added that the most most mkemorable cases that he worked on were those featuring Karan Johar and Anil Kapoor, though the others were very interesting too.

There was indication about the director of the series, though there were several references to 'Sajid' (full name unknown), sitting in the first row, suggesting that he was the man. Obviously, this was a bit odd. One also missed the presence of the accused, and at least one or two of their ilk would have added more colour to the goingson, which were conducted in a court-room like set. Before opening-up the session for questions from the press, the compere sat in a witness box and put routine questions to those who constituted the 'bench'.

Case Toh Banta Hai is backed by Noise (Order, Order!) a key player in the India's wearables segment. The company led the smartwatch market in India during the first quarter of the year 2022. Shipments reportedly doubled Year-on-Year in the quarter. Noise is now planning to enter smart glasses segment in India. The other sponsor is Campus Shoes, an Indian brand, known for its sportswear.

I might be pardoned for getting nostalgic, but a 30-minute weekly radio programme called S. Kumars Ka Filmi Muqaddama (SKFM), produced by my Guru, Mr. Ameen Sayani, of which I was Production Manager and script-writer, was broadcast over All India Radio-Vividh Bharati and Radio Ceylon, from 19 October 1975 to 28 March 1982. AmeenSaahab played the prosecutor in that show, while the accused had to defend himself or herself. There was a non-filmi judge and a Madam Clerk read out the charges. There was also a pukarchee (called), who called out the names of the accused at the beginning of the show. We had hundreds of film personalities put in the dock, including Lata Mangeshkar, Shashi Kapoor, Jaya Bachchan, Javed Akhtar, Raaj Kumar, Shabana Azmi, Randhir Kapoor, Naushad, Kadar Khan, Bappi Lahiri, Naseeruddin Shah, Shatrughan Sinha, etc. Much later, SKFM spawned the TV show Aap Ki Adalat. SKFM seems to have inspired Case Toh Banta Hai too, at least in part. Of course, a mock and funny court-martial is nothing original, and even SKFM might have drawn from some sources.

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