Feb 07, 2007 01:17 AM
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22 January 2007. 9 PM. KBC tritiya hit the screens of the television with Shahrukh khan as the quizmaster. And since then, one question has boggled the minds of almost every viewer- Who is a better host- SRK or Amitabh Bachchan? Both have a huge fan following. And it has become a challenge for Shahrukh to perform in Amitabh’s shoes. Supporters of Big B believe that SRK can never match the charisma and elegance of Mr. Bachchan who became the identity of the show and set the path which the show is still following.
But, Shahrukh has not lost the ground completely. He has changed the genre of the show through a music video, his cheeky humour, dimples and smile. He has also tried to give his own colour to the various popular phrases like Freeze in place of Lock, Kachcha kachcha pakka pakka instead of *Confident *and so on. Though these innovative ideas did not appeal to the psyche of the people at first but slowly, it is gaining popularity. Shahrukh has left all his stardom behind and is trying to connect to the masses. The hugs and kisses, gifting his Tag Heuer watch to a contestant because he cannot see anyone sad, prove the point. He has not completely followed the legacy of Mr. Bachchan but has given the show his own unique style unlike the earlier seasons of KBC which were sober and serious. The focus was on questions and the contestants instead of the trivial issues of their lives.
It certainly cannot have been a cakewalk for SRK. Beside the looming shadow of Big B and the viewer’s unshakeable reverence for him, he had had other hurdles to deal with. The format of the show for instance. The performance has to be within a given set of parameters like certain lines, certain kinds of formal suits. And all that got identified with the pioneer, Big B. So, Shahrukh had to do something different. So he is not trying too hard and just using himself as a performer and a crowd puller. He has introduced informality in the show. His formula is simple- talk more, rock the youngsters and entertain the viewers with jokes. He is acting like a friend rather than a father figure you are expected to respect. Shahrukh’s core constituency is youth and he has catered them well by choosing the music video as his entry.
But when it comes to choosing the winner among the two, I will certainly vote for Amitabh Bachchan. Not because he is an icon or he has been serving the film industry for 35 years but because he is the one who took the initiative and at the age of 55 years, made the show a super hit. He is the person who gave the programme a direction and status. Though the programme is an adaptation of ‘Who wants to be a Millionaire?’ but it is only due to Mr. Bachchan that the show was able to gain some ground among the Indian masses. Shahrukh still has a long way to go before he dethrones the Shahanshah. Till then, it’s an ongoing battle between the Badshah and the Shahanshah.
