Posted:
MISTER GUESS AGAIN
As Kaun Banega Crorepati winds down for the season, Mintty Tejpal looks at what Shah Rukh Khan has done for the show
Question : What kind of TV show is Kaun Banega Crorepati?
Answer: A. Soap opera; B. Reality show; C. Quiz show; D. All of the above
So what's the correct answer then? Under the Big B's tutelage, one could safely lock 'quiz show', but ever since Shah Rukh Khan began playing host, option D seems the correct choice. Breaking through the reserve and distance with which the Big B used to host the series, Khan has brought in oodles of fun and laughter. He's dancing with celebrity contestants, hugging ordinary folks ad nauseum, cracking jokes with the audience, even joining them in song. Whew.
So I go to the kbc sets to find out how the magic works. It begins with the food. I walk into Set No. 7, Film City, Mumbai, the cordoned-off kbc compound; hordes of people are seated outside in the muggy heat, eating. It's the audience, carted in for the shoot. Elsewhere the contestants and their companions are being fed separately. You want to keep a group of noisy Indians under control, feed them extra oily food, specially designed to lull them into torpor. At one side, people are lined up in a ragged row, waiting to get their passes checked — they seem a bit pissed off. I wonder why. "Because Shah Rukh decided to have a press conference", a Star TV fellow tells me. Whaaat, where, I splutter.
I scurry inside the large airconditioned hall to find an army of over a 100 people crowded into the centre. They look like journalists, for they are armed with news cameras, popping flash bulbs and some very stupid questions. A TV reporter wants to know if SRK ever dreams of sitting in the hot seat and winning Rs 1 crore. Yup, right. Even SRK took time to understand that one, getting the reporter to repeat the question again. I mean the guy is earning that kind of money hosting a single show, so what kind of a question is that, hunh? But only I seem to be getting ruffled. The man of the moment sits in the middle, fending off ridiculous questions with a laugh.
SRK is wearing a cool T-shirt and jeans, his hair is slicked into place and nary a frown creases his fair forehead. Before him is not a pack of ferocious newshounds, but a bunch of lapping puppies, yipping gleefully at their master's voice. Khan artfully obliges, telling them what he wants them to know — "I am closest to being myself on kbc. But of course there is an individual style to what I've done — for better or worse. Like kachcha kachcha pakka pakka." Then, over the next half hour, SRK demonstrates his sense of humour and his talent for putting people at ease before leaving for his make-up rooms.
In a show where the audience is a prime component, getting them into the correct groove is critical. The Synergy Adlabs team has it down pat. The 200-plus audience is herded into the 130x95-foot studio floor, and seated on the smart, cozy set. Two floor managers take them through the drill — no prompting, clap loudly, keep smiling. Then the Fastest Finger First contestants are brought in, and the computer systems explained. An assistant reads them a set of dummy questions which they practice answering. Again and again and again. Importantly, they are shown which camera to look toward during introductions. The problem is that the camera is diagonally opposite the large off-set video screen in which they can see themselves waving. So that distorted perspective makes them wave their arms in that peculiar puppet-like fashion.
I have a specific question for Siddhartha Basu, the series' director-producer since its inception. Does the host know the correct answer when asking the question? No, says Basu, not till it's frozen. Then he takes me over to the host's computer and explains. As host, SRK has a number of clearly designed parameters on his screen — question, answer, options, prize money etc. Most importantly he has an empty space where Basu can prompt him from the control room. So there is an element of direction even after the host has asked the question.
Then suddenly SRK walks in, now looking dapper in a comfy suit and tie, and the audience breaks into squeals and cheers. I hear girls cheer: "Shah Rukh, you make us crazy" and "We love you Shah Rukh." SRK responds with an expansive air kiss and a wave, as he individually greets all the Fastest Finger First contestants. Then he takes his spot and the show kicks off. He is amazing to watch. In the three episodes I observed, he never made a single error, shooting as close to real time as possible. In between breaks, he continues to chat with the hot seat contestant, relaxing him or her. Pradeep Rana, a participant from Hisar in Haryana, is feeling awkward, so SRK eases him in by discussing wrestling in a Haryanvi twang. Another contestant is a closet poet and wants to recite a sher — SRK listens, claps, then admits he didn't understand a word. The audience loves SRK — he knows when to joke, when to plead, when to plug a sponsor. Plus his Hindi is flawless.
The other amazing thing about SRK is that he never sits still. Never ever. He is constantly twitching his fingers, licking his lips, scratching his nose, folding his tie, shaking his feet and swivelling his chair. That nervous energy one had heard about — well, it's for real. Post show, he has an equally gruelling routine. After each show, he shakes hands with all 10 contestants, then shakes hands with screaming members of the audience. A middle-aged lady wants to read him a poem — SRK obliges, even calling her down. Then he poses for photos with all the contestants with their companions. Then photos with persistent audience members, then more visitors. And he does all of this with a smile and a laugh. Wow.
I spend two days hanging around the set, observing the last two days of the shoot. Basu, bang in the middle of a tight schedule, graciously offers me five minutes with SRK. I regretfully decline. Five minutes is pointless. I am content to simply observe. The most startling thing I notice is that SRK has cheated us all along. In his films, he always plays a single character on screen — the goofy, stuttering lover boy — whereas in reality he is just the opposite. Sharp, intelligent and highly focused. That's ingenious. To ride a two-dimensional goofball image into superstar status, while actually being a super-smart genius.
Ajay Vidyasagar, Executive Vice President, Star TV, confirms that kbc is a hit. It opened with trps of 12, and then settled down between 7 and 10 trp points every week, ever since. It has been among the top three shows in India, with 40 percent more smss received than the last season. In all, over 150 million calls from landlines and mobiles have been booked in the last five months, making kbc the hottest telephony property in India. Though everyone is at pains to attribute it to team work, the crucial difference clearly is Shah Rukh Khan. He brings in a freshness and energy unlike anything Celador, the original format creators, could have ever imagined. As Siddhartha Basu, himself an iconic quizmaster, sums up: " Mr Bachchan wasdiligent and reserved, while Shah Rukh is playful and romantic, more of an entertainer. A bit like Bhishma vs Krishna." Quite.
Apr 14 , 2006
http://www.tehelka.com/story_main28.asp?filename=hub140407Mi ster_guess.asp
As Kaun Banega Crorepati winds down for the season, Mintty Tejpal looks at what Shah Rukh Khan has done for the show
Question : What kind of TV show is Kaun Banega Crorepati?
Answer: A. Soap opera; B. Reality show; C. Quiz show; D. All of the above
So what's the correct answer then? Under the Big B's tutelage, one could safely lock 'quiz show', but ever since Shah Rukh Khan began playing host, option D seems the correct choice. Breaking through the reserve and distance with which the Big B used to host the series, Khan has brought in oodles of fun and laughter. He's dancing with celebrity contestants, hugging ordinary folks ad nauseum, cracking jokes with the audience, even joining them in song. Whew.
So I go to the kbc sets to find out how the magic works. It begins with the food. I walk into Set No. 7, Film City, Mumbai, the cordoned-off kbc compound; hordes of people are seated outside in the muggy heat, eating. It's the audience, carted in for the shoot. Elsewhere the contestants and their companions are being fed separately. You want to keep a group of noisy Indians under control, feed them extra oily food, specially designed to lull them into torpor. At one side, people are lined up in a ragged row, waiting to get their passes checked — they seem a bit pissed off. I wonder why. "Because Shah Rukh decided to have a press conference", a Star TV fellow tells me. Whaaat, where, I splutter.
I scurry inside the large airconditioned hall to find an army of over a 100 people crowded into the centre. They look like journalists, for they are armed with news cameras, popping flash bulbs and some very stupid questions. A TV reporter wants to know if SRK ever dreams of sitting in the hot seat and winning Rs 1 crore. Yup, right. Even SRK took time to understand that one, getting the reporter to repeat the question again. I mean the guy is earning that kind of money hosting a single show, so what kind of a question is that, hunh? But only I seem to be getting ruffled. The man of the moment sits in the middle, fending off ridiculous questions with a laugh.
SRK is wearing a cool T-shirt and jeans, his hair is slicked into place and nary a frown creases his fair forehead. Before him is not a pack of ferocious newshounds, but a bunch of lapping puppies, yipping gleefully at their master's voice. Khan artfully obliges, telling them what he wants them to know — "I am closest to being myself on kbc. But of course there is an individual style to what I've done — for better or worse. Like kachcha kachcha pakka pakka." Then, over the next half hour, SRK demonstrates his sense of humour and his talent for putting people at ease before leaving for his make-up rooms.
In a show where the audience is a prime component, getting them into the correct groove is critical. The Synergy Adlabs team has it down pat. The 200-plus audience is herded into the 130x95-foot studio floor, and seated on the smart, cozy set. Two floor managers take them through the drill — no prompting, clap loudly, keep smiling. Then the Fastest Finger First contestants are brought in, and the computer systems explained. An assistant reads them a set of dummy questions which they practice answering. Again and again and again. Importantly, they are shown which camera to look toward during introductions. The problem is that the camera is diagonally opposite the large off-set video screen in which they can see themselves waving. So that distorted perspective makes them wave their arms in that peculiar puppet-like fashion.
I have a specific question for Siddhartha Basu, the series' director-producer since its inception. Does the host know the correct answer when asking the question? No, says Basu, not till it's frozen. Then he takes me over to the host's computer and explains. As host, SRK has a number of clearly designed parameters on his screen — question, answer, options, prize money etc. Most importantly he has an empty space where Basu can prompt him from the control room. So there is an element of direction even after the host has asked the question.
Then suddenly SRK walks in, now looking dapper in a comfy suit and tie, and the audience breaks into squeals and cheers. I hear girls cheer: "Shah Rukh, you make us crazy" and "We love you Shah Rukh." SRK responds with an expansive air kiss and a wave, as he individually greets all the Fastest Finger First contestants. Then he takes his spot and the show kicks off. He is amazing to watch. In the three episodes I observed, he never made a single error, shooting as close to real time as possible. In between breaks, he continues to chat with the hot seat contestant, relaxing him or her. Pradeep Rana, a participant from Hisar in Haryana, is feeling awkward, so SRK eases him in by discussing wrestling in a Haryanvi twang. Another contestant is a closet poet and wants to recite a sher — SRK listens, claps, then admits he didn't understand a word. The audience loves SRK — he knows when to joke, when to plead, when to plug a sponsor. Plus his Hindi is flawless.
The other amazing thing about SRK is that he never sits still. Never ever. He is constantly twitching his fingers, licking his lips, scratching his nose, folding his tie, shaking his feet and swivelling his chair. That nervous energy one had heard about — well, it's for real. Post show, he has an equally gruelling routine. After each show, he shakes hands with all 10 contestants, then shakes hands with screaming members of the audience. A middle-aged lady wants to read him a poem — SRK obliges, even calling her down. Then he poses for photos with all the contestants with their companions. Then photos with persistent audience members, then more visitors. And he does all of this with a smile and a laugh. Wow.
I spend two days hanging around the set, observing the last two days of the shoot. Basu, bang in the middle of a tight schedule, graciously offers me five minutes with SRK. I regretfully decline. Five minutes is pointless. I am content to simply observe. The most startling thing I notice is that SRK has cheated us all along. In his films, he always plays a single character on screen — the goofy, stuttering lover boy — whereas in reality he is just the opposite. Sharp, intelligent and highly focused. That's ingenious. To ride a two-dimensional goofball image into superstar status, while actually being a super-smart genius.
Ajay Vidyasagar, Executive Vice President, Star TV, confirms that kbc is a hit. It opened with trps of 12, and then settled down between 7 and 10 trp points every week, ever since. It has been among the top three shows in India, with 40 percent more smss received than the last season. In all, over 150 million calls from landlines and mobiles have been booked in the last five months, making kbc the hottest telephony property in India. Though everyone is at pains to attribute it to team work, the crucial difference clearly is Shah Rukh Khan. He brings in a freshness and energy unlike anything Celador, the original format creators, could have ever imagined. As Siddhartha Basu, himself an iconic quizmaster, sums up: " Mr Bachchan wasdiligent and reserved, while Shah Rukh is playful and romantic, more of an entertainer. A bit like Bhishma vs Krishna." Quite.
Apr 14 , 2006
http://www.tehelka.com/story_main28.asp?filename=hub140407Mi ster_guess.asp
