KBC is coming back, this time as the Maha Season. With the shehenshah to anchor, a tweaked format and a Rs 7 crore jackpot, it is bigger, better & brighter. Deebashree Mohanty reports from Mumbai
Answer this and win the Maha Crorepati jackpot:
What makes KBC a hot propertyIJ
It’s got to be the format combined with able work by the BigSynergy team. I don’t think my presence has anything to do with KBC’s immense popularity. In this format, anyone would do well
— Amitabh Bachchan, host
I would say the great platform. Apart from a host who needs no script and no takes, our channel has supported us very well. They have trusted us with their money. So, yes, they are responsible for the show being where it is
— Sidharth Basu, producer
KBC is our safest bet, the only show on my channel I am never worried about. Everything happens seamlessly and we are all happy. Kudos to Mr Bachchan and Mr Basu who have made a simple game show the most talked about one
— NP Singh, COO, Sony Entertainment Television
During the Season 7 launch of KBC in Mumbai, the three key members of the show — Amitabh Bachchan, Sidharth Basu and NP Singh — had no unanimous answer to explain its huge success. “We don’t know why it works, but it works,” Basu said simply.
Rewind 13 years and there was a Basu absolutely clear in his head — that he wanted his show on his favourite platform — at that point, Doordarshan. That was where the janata was. But today, the businessman in him thinks otherwise. “I don’t think KBC could have got better platforms than Star TV and Sony Entertainment Television. We have survived this long because they backed us. Why would Sony want to pay the winner Rs 7 croreIJ Because they know they will recover the cost and make a profit too. They know we have carved a niche. They break even pretty fast,” Basu says.
His host and dost Amitabh Bachchan feels the benchmark show can only spiral upwards. “Seventh season, Sapta Koti Mahadhani. What will they do when the show reaches Season 15IJ,” he asks a capacity audience. Ask him if he will be around to conduct the show then and Big B sports a big smile. “Agar aap logon ki aur upar wale ki yehi khwaish hai...,” he says.
Sitting light on his stupendous achievements, he gets exasperated if you ask him the secret of his success. “Who said I am successfulIJ I have not achieved anything yet. There are miles to go before I sleep,” he says, quoting his father’s favourite poet Robert Frost. He is modest about his presence on the show too, which, he says, is good enough to go on without him. The format and the prize money woos people, he insists.
Now. Here is a reality check Mr Bachchan. In the one season that he did not host (Season 3), the TRPs were slow and did not pick up even though a maximum number of stars were put into the hot seat. According to trade analyst Taran Adarsh, KBC 3 opened to a thanda response with a TRP of only 4.3 and managed to peak only during the festival season with a TVR of 6. But even that fizzled out. “This doesn’t mean Shah Rukh Khan was a bad host. He won the award for the best anchor at the Indian Telly Awards that year. But even he will agree with me that no one can replace Big B’s charisma on the chair. He becomes a different persona. People want to be in KBC just to shake Mr Bachchan’s hand,” Adarsh says, adding that he watches the show just for the host.
Basu concurs. He tells you he received more than a lakh letters inquiring why Big B was absent from Season 3. For Season 7, which kicks off on September 6, Friday to Sunday, there have been many irate mails. Fans want to know why the episodes have been curtailed from 52 to only 37. “They want to see more of KBC and much more of Big B. But it’s the channel’s decision. They wanted to wrap it up before Durga Puja,” Basu reveals.
Big B may not like to get too involved in projects he takes up but with KBC it’s a different story. “The show is a part of my life, like going for a morning jog. I enjoy interacting with people as much as they like meeting me. I take a lot of lessons from them and am honoured when they say I am their inspiration. That’s my prize for hosting KBC,” he says.
Considering that the format keeps changing, but the host is a constant, the success of the show can’t really be pinned on the former. “Times are difficult and the channel will have to pay a heavy price if we became complacent. Viewers are easily bored so we have to keep including new elements to add to the drama. The prize money is always considered but, this time, we have changed 360 degrees. We have toyed with game play as also the set structure. There is a change in wordings too,” Basu says, crediting his team of over 250 dedicated analysts for the relentless work they have put in.
Then there are the promotionals and the season theme which build up the hype. “The theme is the key to our success. It is apt and simple, something you may have wondered aloud but never given a serious thought. like, why does a round pizza come in a square box, or, why are French fries called so when they didn’t orginate in FranceIJ So, yes, seekhna is our existence. The moment we stop learning, we stop breathing. The promotions have been so designed that they bring out the essence of our brand,” NP Singh of Sony Entertainment Television tells you.
But what makes this show workIJ “It is an ideal mix of everything in right proportion. Kuch to hai KBC mein ki our international licensers are keen to know what’s new in IndiaIJ,” Basu says.
Here’s what’s new
Rapid Fire with Big B
Your favourite questionIJ
Thank God, I forget the questions when I leave the shoot. Imagine remembering 500 questions and their answers!
Your favourite contestant on the hot seatIJ
A blind girl from Bhopal who won Rs 10 lakh and a Kashmiri teacher who saw her family being slaughtered. She won Rs 25 lakh.
Why Tukur TukurIJ
Because Sui Mui was Ghadiyal Babu’s padosan and Babu would look at her tukur tukur.
Best part about being KBC’s hostIJ
I get to learn a lot about life through experiences of people I meet. These form the crux of my blog and that is something that interests me a lot
An autobiography soonIJ
I will never write one and wouldn’t even want a biography.
A life lesson you will never forgetIJ
love and respect your parents, they are Brahma and Vishnu, the reason for your existence. Everything else falls into place
A film you would want to save if it was the last day on the EarthIJ
I am no pessimist so I would not like to think of last days. I am very bad at saying byes!
How was working with Prakash Jha againIJ
I love shooting with him. He is an intelligent filmmaker who understands what he is doing. Aarakshan was a learning experience. Satyagraha was no different
Your longtime wishIJ
Jaya and I have been wanting to build a literary foundation in the memory of my father which will store his poems and other documents.