Though his arthouse cinema with leading stars takes ages to release, he continues making more. Filmmaker Rituparno Ghosh is now in the midst of launching his television show, Ghosh and Company.

A chat show, it will feature film folk who are not only Bengalis but also those who have leanings towards the state, language and culture.

Not exactly

Comparisons may be odious, but the acclaimed director states that it is not exactly a take-off on Koffee With Karan! "There will be no rapid-fire round and no hampers to give away. I can't do that that's Karan Johar's show and he is good at it. In fact, I used to watch it often."

Rituparno, who is considered the heir to the legendary filmmaker Satyajit Ray's cinematic legacy, will anchor the show for the soon-to-be-launched Star Bangla channel.

It will be a weekly show and it is slated to air within a month. Says Rituparno, "It is a casual chat done in the Bengali adda style. It will be friends faffing, but I will not make them uncomfortable by asking them extremely private questions." Interestingly, Rituparno used to anchor a chat show called Evong Rituparno for ETV from 1999-2003. "Then I began doing films, got bored and ran short of celebrities and wound it up. In fact, those who have watched it would say that Koffee With Karan was like Evong Rituparno. But then not many would know about it, so Ghosh and Company will be compared with Koffee With Karan."

Rituparno's yet-to-release films include Sunglass (in Hindi and Bengali), The Last Lear (in English), Shob Choritri Kalponik and Abohaan (both in Bengali).

Rituparno Ghosh's guest wishlist

Jaya Bachchan: I would like to start the show with her. Jaya Bhaduri has a huge following in Bengal. Though she lived outside Bengal, her first film was with Satyajit Ray.
Gulzar: Because of his affinity towards the language. He speaks Bengali so fluently...
Vidya Balan: After Parineeta, many think she is Bengali.
Dia Mirza: She is familiar with the language.
Nandita Das: Even though she has lived outside Kolkata, there is this bonding.
Sharmila Tagore: For obvious reasons