Salman Khan to get Rs. 75 crore to host Bigg Boss

At a lavish event organised at the Taj Land's End Bandra (suburban Mumbai), Salman Khan made a typical late entry but all was forgiven as he made it in style sporting a moustached 'Dabangg' look and dancing to the tunes of his popular numbers accompanied by a troupe of dancers. He answered questions in his characteristic style while evading the difficult ones with a lot of diplomacy and deadpan humour. The adorable superstar drew spontaneous claps even from journalists for his ready wit and natural charm. He said that he was petrified of being inside Bigg Boss house with 35 cameras staring at him 24X7!!! He even joked about being familiar with the plight of inmates probably referring to the time he had spent behind bars due to his numerous past indiscretions. He refused to name 5 people with whom he would like to be locked in Bigg Boss house saying that the others would be upset with him!!! But all was forgiven as he switched on his charisma to flirt with the enamoured audience.

With millions of fans impatiently waiting for the brand new season, Salman Khan is going to take the excitement even higher. He is going to be his spontaneous best, read, brutally honest and blunt with the inmates of the Bigg Boss house. Housemates, who used to eagerly await their face time with the host, will now pray to avoid their face off time with him. They would not know what they said or did will come back to bite them as the host surely doesn't believe in mincing his words.

Speaking about the new season and the new host, Rajesh Kamat, Group COO — Viacom 18 and CEO – Colors, said, "Bigg Boss is one show that cuts across both India as well as Bharat in popularity and appeal! The coming together of India's most wanted superstar with India's most wanted reality show only means one thing — entertainment extravaganza for Colors viewers."

Speaking extempore at the launch event held at the Taj Land's End, Bandra, Mumbai, Kamat said, "When Colors arrived on the general entertainment scene in India on July 21, 2008, we were the 10th player in a cluttered environment. Everyone was sceptical about our success. But we knew how the viewer taste was evolving and how the time was ripe for change. And we redefined the general entertainment space within no time. Differentiation was the need of the hour. We realised that people had enough of kitchen politics and pigeon players. The challenge was to break all existing rules and create our own set of rules. We had a dominant leader at that point of time and we decided to take the bull head on! Within eight months, Colors climbed to the No. 1 position."

"Today, Colors has the highest reach, category leadership with maximum market share, prime time leadership and the guts to go beyond the conventional drama. We entered at a time when there was a single dominant leader for nearly 8 years and soon there was a scenario of multiple leaders. We also managed scale in programming, which was appreciated by the viewers who had never seen anything like that. Imagine having Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Priyanka Chopra and Shilpa Shetty amongst others in amazing domestic and international locales," Kamat said.

Kamat added, "Colors has dared to be different and blurred the lines between television and Bollywood. It has also given viewers filmi blockbusters within weeks of their big screen release. We just screened 'Raavan' and there is 'Khatta Meeta', 'Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai' and 'Dabangg' waiting in the ranks. We have extended our footprint to the US and the UK as well as have syndicated content for different markets."

"Colors has started the second phase of its illustrious lifetime and transition is one of our key pillars. 'Balika Vadhu' has got a TVR of 6.9 (TAM) since the transition and India's Got Talent has opened strongly as per AMAP data. We have Priyanka Chopra doing daredevil stunts in Khatron Ke Khiladi."

Talking of his association with Bigg Boss, Salman Khan commented, "From all the reality television shows I have seen, Bigg Boss has always intrigued me the most. It is amazing to see how people react under unique circumstances and to what levels they can go to win in a competition. I am a very straight-forward person and am clear as the show's host as well that I will not take any hypocrisy and politics lightly. For those who play clean, they will always find their best friend in men… those who don't be ready to expect the worst." He added, "I have always been very good with 'inmates' and this time, I want to enjoy from the inside view as well as the outside ring side view. However, I don't think I have the guts to stay inside for such a long time with cameras watching me all the time. I loved watching Vindoo Dara Singh cry. I cannot take the names of people I would love to be locked in with as the others will be offended. I shall try my best to match the good work done by Shilpa Shetty but I firmly believe that Amitabh Bachchanji is in a league of his own. As far as I know, my Bigg Boss is my dad, Salim Khan." He refused to be drawn into a controversy when asked about Claudia Ciesla (who was linked to him before she appeared in Bigg Boss 3) and whether he would give a wild card entry to her.

http://www.indianshowbusiness.com/?p=17368