From introducing the new lifeline Jodidaar, a play-along feature through which viewers play live alongside, converting phone-a-friend to video-a-friend and bringing the real superheroes on the hot seat, KBC this time is shorter with just 30 episodes and very slick. SANGEETA YADAV reports from Mumbai
From making people’s dreams come true to becoming a crorepati, to inspiring millions of people to never stop learning, Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) been a big change-maker in the society. After a three-year hiatus, the show is back with legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan as the host and a new tagline ‘Abb jawaab dene ka waqt aa gaya’.
“This year will reflect the India of today which is exciting and pulsating and where the young generation is breaking stereotypes by doing things right and getting results with the help of knowledge,” Siddhartha Basu, Creative Producer, KBC says, adding that the show will be aired every Monday to Friday at 9 pm on Sony.
For Big B, KBC is a family and not a commercial proposition. “The show has been a life changer for many contestants and it has been a great life changer for me as well. Back in 2000 when KBC was first conceptualised in India, my personal circumstances were such that I had to take up this show. There was a lot of opposition from a lot of people who believed that this was the worst decision of my life that will leave me with regrets,” Bachchan recalled.
Talking about his first day on the sets of KBC, he said: “It was frightening for me but the love I got from people is beyond explanation. During pre-production, since the show is an adaptation of a UK games show Who Wants to be a MillionaireIJ, I asked the makers if it was possible to see the show in operation. We went to England and visited the set and I was awestruck. When I returned to India, I told the production team to re-create the same magic in India. Everybody envisioned the same for the show and it became such a big hit that production houses from other countries visited us to sample our show for research work,” Bachchan said.
looking back, he said: “The opportunity I get to meet the common people and listen to their stories of struggle and achievements is something I will not get anywhere else. The show gives me realistic and emotional moments. Despite all the social norms prevailing in society, these people fight back and come out of it. Sitting next to me, listening to their stories and building a connect is very inspiring.”
There are many contestants who have left a lasting impression in Big B, some through their struggles, some through achievements and many through their performance on the show. To cherish those memories, the show will take you to the flashback with 17 Saal Bemisaal tagline.
“I have seen many people’s life change through this show. There was a 20-year-old young woman who made her way to the hot seat. When she was eight years’ old, her parents discontinued her studies to get her married. She left home and went to her grandmother’s place but there also she faced a lot of oppression. She never gave up. When she won Rs 25 lakh on the show, I asked her what she would do with that money and she said: ‘I will show it to my father and say now I too have a value for myself and my knowledge’. To see these contestants coming thus far and what they are playing for is heart-warming and motivating,” Bachchan said.
This will be the shortest KBC season with 30 episodes spanning six weeks. Unlike previous seasons, the window for selection was reduced to seven days instead of 15. As many as 1.98 crore people from across India were screened. To bring the contestants to the hot seat, Ashish Golwalkar, senior vice-president and senior creative director of content, went through a rigourous selection process in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Bhopal.
“It was shocking to see so many people registering for KBC in just a seven-day window. They had to give a written exam for selection. Then we had multiple rounds of interviews for which people from outside the production house were involved,” Golwalkar said.
The format of the show has also been revamped. There will be 16 questions instead of 15, starting with Rs 5,000 and going up to Rs 7 crore. Taking the digital route, KBC has converted the ‘Phone A Friend’ lifeline into ‘Video A Friend’, for the first time in any gaming show. Apart from the 50-50, audience poll, video a friend, expert advice, the show has introduced a new lifeline Jodidaar in which the contestant can bring along a partner who can advice him/her on the show.
There will be no film integration happening this time. Instead, the show will pay tribute to change makers in society every Friday by calling a surprise guest to play the game. The upcoming Friday will have guests from the Indian women cricket team. “We are going back to the classic. We saw that every other TV show had the same celebrity promoting their movie on different channels. To maintain the integrity of the show, we decided to get the real life superstars and change makers in society,” Basu said.
Set is an arena style jewellery box and the stage has been reinvented to make it more sparkling. For increased interaction with viewers, KBC has collaborated with Jio to launch the ‘Play Along’ feature with which Jio subscribers will get to play live and match their knowledge with the contestants on the hot seat. The show will also have Ghar Baithe Jackpot Jeeto contest through which, every day, one winner will be selected for giving given the right answer and will win a Datsun redi-GO car.