Shikhar Dhawan: Akshay Kumar and my friendship goes back five years

Set to commence a new chapter of his career with his chat show, Dhawan Karenge, cricketer Shikhar Dhawan is noticeably excited to explore life before the camera. Promising to present "authentic and unfiltered conversations", the Jio Cinema show - which will air from today - will dig deep into the lives of Bollywood celebrities, and cricketing legends.

"People know me as a cricketer, but the show will give them a chance to understand the person that I am. While this is different from anything that I have done before, I have always felt that I have a knack for entertaining people. I wanted to explore that aspect of myself. While there will be games and entertainment, viewers will also get the chance to learn from these successful people."

Given his ability to always entertain when called upon to engage in conversation, Akshay Kumar evidently became Dhawan's first choice. "Akshay paaji and I go back a long way," he says of the actor who became his first guest. "We have known each other for five years, and have a lot of love for one another. He is like my brother, and that affection will be reflected in the episode. People will love seeing a new side of him. We discussed our journeys, and shared our philosophies. In fact, one of the games that we played on the show was one that he thought about on the spot."

Dhawan's guest-list is diverse, also consisting of spiritual individuals, businesspersons, and content creators. "I have friends in all fraternities, and enjoy talking to everybody. I get to learn from personalities belonging to diverse fields. When two minds from different walks of life connect with each other, the resulting interaction is special; different aspects come to the fore."

A discussion on chat shows is incomplete without addressing the gamut that's already available for people to consume. Notable among them is Karan Johar's Koffee With Karan, which, despite courting several controversies, continues to climb the charts. Dhawan, however, says he's not "competing with anybody". "[Karan and my] personalities are different. Each individual has his own charm, and brings his own unique flavour to a project."

Other names on Dhawan's guest-list include Harbhajan Singh, Taapsee Pannu, Bhuvan Bam and Rishabh Pant. Considering the bond he shares with Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Virat Kohli, fans would evidently be excited to see the cricketing stars on his couch. "There is a possibility of Virat being on the show, but I'll need to talk to him and discuss his dates. As for Dhoni sir, I cannot say for certain as he doesn't give interviews or appear on chat shows."