‘Raju banaiga crorepati’

IN Media Practice | 04/12/2006

Sevanti Ninan
 

Earlier this year Anil Ambani’s Adlabs bought most of Synergy Communications, Siddharth and Anita Kaul Basu’s software company, and  last month Star TV bought  some of Shah Rukh Khan’s time so that between them they could  revive Kaun Banega Crorepati, the show produced by Synergy for Star. That ensures that Adlabs will  have a grand first production as the new majority owners of Synergy.  

How grand of course depends on how janata in general will take to Khan in a role patented by Amitabh Bachchan. This is after all a little different from doing a remake of Don: anchoring a game show where the ordinary guy comes to compete with his wits for prize money is not the same as glamorising  a big time thug in a movie. Bachchan made his hosting of KBC memorable not just with his baritone but with an ability to put  the little guy at ease, while demurring at the awe each participant displayed at being in his presence. Bahut bahut dhanyavaad.  He was this incredibly empathetic,  gracious host. A tough act to follow without seeming to be me-too.  

For SRK the first step in getting there was a press conference in apna Dilli, his city, as he was at pains to emphasize. There was this huge Oberoi ballroom  filled with professed hacks, several from each publication. There was dramatic lighting, a promo he has already shot, and opening statements by the chiefs of Synergy and Star which only begged the question on everyone’s minds, ummm---why exactly is Khan replacing Bachchan when the latter is obviously in good enough health  to be up to his ears in show biz work?

 A husband and wife columnist duo, Coomi and Virendra Kapoor reported in snippets in their respective columns over the weekend  that Star TV turned to Shah Rukh Khan after talks with Amitabh Bachchan for a revival of the show broke down. The channel wanted him to first record the remaining episodes of the show for which he had already been given an advance before he fell ill, and a miffed Bachchan dashed off a  cheque for the unfulfilled part of the contract. Funnily, though lots of inane questions got asked at the PC, one on this did not.

Sameer Nair of Star and Siddhartha Basu of Synergy did their little number on how SRK is the superhost for Generation Next, how KBC was the show which took Star Plus from no. 3 to no. 1 in seven days and how the only person to carry the mantle forward could have been SRK.   Then we got the Khan himself, who, for the better part of an hour was his own moderator. He gamely fielded questions, often more than one from the same person, and repeats of what had already been asked because the Star organisers chose to take a backseat.

First the Badshah of Bollywood laid it on thick. "It is an honour to participate in a piece of history." Such a khubsoorat show. Such an "intelligent, smart, classy cool" team. Then he tackled the stepping into Bachchan’s shoes bit. "Very big shoes those, nobody is competing." ( Subtext: where is the competition you dummies, when I am being paid twice as much as the old man?) He was aspiring to be the host for the next generation, the one that is still their mother’s laps, he said, tongue firmly in cheek. Siddharth Basu added helpfully at this point that he had been a Generation Next alternative for the channel from six years back.

Every press conference tells you something about the guy who is being grilled and about the hacks who grill him. SRK was  falsely humble,  diplomatic, and witty by turn and the hacks were part-smitten, part-aggressive and obsessed with Bachchan. The opening question was from a correspondent from the Indian Express in Lucknow who chose to identify herself as "your Junior’s sister-- Roshan Abbas was your junior at CRC in Jamia." Khan did not miss a beat. "Wonderful to meet you, Roshan’s sister." And when she got in a second question later, it was again, "This is Roshan’s sister." 

Why, the hacks wanted to know, was he doing this? "Bachchan did it when his career was fading. What about you?" "Amitabh Bachchan brought his imprint to KBC with the phrase lock kar diya jai? What will be yours?" "What will be your style for this show?"  "The Tarzan look, " he deadpanned. How does it feel to shrink from 70mm to the small screen?  "I love being in everyone’s hearts in 70 mm."  Was he doing it for the money? "If you ask me my salary I’ll ask you your age."

He swung between exaggerated humility and smart-assed comebacks. "I am doing this show so that I can come close to the people who have  employed me all these years to entertain them."  He aimed to be a dost, rather than a host. Who would be his successor in  Bollywood?  "Till the last one abdicates you don’t get a new king and this one is going nowhere." And was occasionally genuinely funny. "Her lips are not moving" he said, when a woman stood up to ask a question. She’s a ventroquilist."

The announcement gave Zee News the excuse to run a half hour programme on him that night. "Raju Banaiga Crorepati," said the slug.