Looking for Comedy in the Hindu World

Former "SNL" cast member Chris Kattan is heading soon to Mumbai to shoot a semi-improvisational comedy series, "Bollywood Hero," for IFC to air this summer. In the show, Kattan plays himself, a guy who can't find work in Hollywood so he heads to Mumbai to become a huge Bollywood star, which of course isn't nearly as easy as he thinks, since he's going to have to become a song-and-dance man.

Well, shooting the show may not be as easy as he thinks, either, given last Thanksgiving's terrorist attacks in Mumbai.

At TV Press Tour, we have been apprised that the show's producers have determined that it'll be safe to shoot in India, but Kattan, his ear for geopolitics quite clearly finely attuned, says, "If the terror stuff - is that the way to put it? - if something happens, we'd deal with it (in the show)."

Belisa Malaban, the show's executive producer, says, "It's more important than ever to shoot our show in Mumbai."

Rishi Malhotra, the series' technical expert on the Bollywood entertainment industry, says, "Mumbai is a character (in the show). We need to shoot there. What we're doing from a production standpoint is taking precautions to protect our crew as if we're shooting anywhere."

"Like Encino," adds Kattan.