Stardust on my sleeve

Indian Link Radio broadcaster PRIYANKA TATER takes us behind the scenes of some of her hit interviews

Salaam, namaste, sat sriyakaal Main hoon aapki dost aur host Priyanka Tater.

The line with which I kickstarted my very first show on Indian Link Radio, is the one I choose to begin this article with.

It’s been almost two years presenting on-air for Indian Link and the journey has been an absolute roller coaster. I bet you’d agree that radio can be cathartic for those listening as well as for those presenting. And one of the most appealing things about the voice without a face (that is, the radio presenter!) is that the voice gets the opportunity to speak the hearts and minds of the “common man” out there. The personalised touch of radio can never be replicated by any other form of media.

Now before you conclude that this piece is a thesis on the radio, let me get back on track… sorry, no soundtrack this time!

I like to keep my shows fun, fast and full of entertainment, with the right dose of information, discussions and interaction. Wearing your thinking caps is an option!

But when it’s an interview with anybody who is a ‘somebody’, I try and make sure that they put on that cap and don’t get away easy! We as presenters are a voice of our listeners and it is a given that we act as the bridge to get the message across from both ends of the spectrum.

So let me take you behind the scenes of some of my interviews.

Yes interviews can be tricky, especially when you have some controversies to tackle. Like the one that I did with Neville Roach, AO. Now this was about the annual Gandhi Oration at the UNSW 2013 which had Sir Michael Kirby make some controversial remarks about Mahatma Gandhi. And yes, I happened to question them. Mr. Roach, as patron of the Australia India Institute at UNSW, is one of the brains behind the annual function. What happened can be best described as a robust discussion and was certainly stimulating for all those tuning in.

As a newbie in Australia, I got a chance straight up to relive my career as an entertainment reporter on Indian television, on an early assignment for Indian Link Radio: an interview with Vidya Balan. She was here for the Bollywood Film Festival. All the journos, including yours truly, waited patiently for our respective turn to interview India’s favourite actress. Since I had interviewed her earlier on various occasions in India, Vidya recognised me as soon as she walked in. Calling out to me, she started a conversation.

Alright, so I had an edge over others in room and I could sense that my interview would go off smooth! Take it from me, if the celeb is comfortable with the interviewer, half the job is done.

But it’s not always the celebrity who dictates the terms. More often than not I have found, the celeb’s PR and managers and assistants are the ones who lay the rules. Often they are the ones who decide when the interview starts and when it needs to finish, which question is “too personal”, where the interviewer is crossing the line and when they need to chip in to cut short an otherwise smooth flowing conversation.

It was no different this time with Vidya Balan’s manager. After the interview when I requested Vidya to record a message for Indian Link Radio (something along the lines of “Hello

Australia, this is Vidya Balan and you are listening to Indian Link Radio”). I was rudely stopped by her manager: it was time for photo ops, thank you. So Vidya, like an obedient child followed her manager and posed prettily for the shutterbugs, while my team from Indian Link Radio packed up quietly. And just as we were about to leave, I heard a voice. “Priyanka, you wanted an ID for your radio naa, let’s do it now”. That was the adorable Vidya Balan, winning our hearts with her humility. She most definitely challenges the norms both in reel and real life.

While you heard that interview on-air, I got to take a bit extra with me, some behind the scenes experiences and memories. Ah! These are some of the perks of the job!

And yet some interviews can be quite a challenge, just getting one at that. The powerhouse singer Sukhwinder Singh chose to wear his heart on his sleeve on-air and it felt like I was just chatting with a buddy, who had allowed me and the listeners a free tour into his mind and heart. But only God, Neelam Vasudevan (our Creative

Director), Ashish Chawla (our Marketing Manager in Melbourne) and myself, know how we skipped a few heartbeats when the singer just did not pick up the phone for a live-on-air interview! So it was me calling him, his manager calling, and then the promoter of his show, and then me trying again to call and repeatedly call the singer. The interview that was supposed to go on air at 7pm finally kicked off at 8pm. Those 60 minutes in between…. the less said of them, the better! As it turned out, our star singer happened to be taking a shower and you see, you don’t question stars or their idiosyncrasies. You just go with the flow!

With no pretensions of modesty, I’d admit that there is a lot of sweat and blood which goes into each show that we bring to you, our listeners, as you are the reason for our existence on radio. And I can vouch for myself and pretty much all my colleagues, that we love every bit of it. We love to chat with you on-air and off-air. We love it when you share your joys and we try our best to share your sorrows. We try to bring smiles to your faces

I like to keep my shows fun, fast and full of entertainment, with the right dose of information, discussions and interaction

That was the adorable Vidya Balan, winning our hearts with her humility. She most definitely challenges the norms both in reel and real life and be your stressbusters.

Jaate jaate ek geet meri taraf se aap sun lena: Yun hi kat jaayega safar saath chalne se (Hum Hai Raahi Pyaar Ke) Toh filhaaal aapki dost aur host Priyanka Tater leti hai aapse ijaazat.

Stay tuned and enjoy the music and the masti! Catch me live every Tuesday and Thursday between 6pm to 9pm on your very own Indian Link Radio.

Indian Link can be heard wireless by subscription radio in Sydney and Melbourne, on the internet (indianlink.com.au) or download our free app from iTunes or the Android phone market place.

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