Mega Star Show

Are you sure? Pucca? Should I lock it?
These might look like weird questions to people who haven’t tuned into the latest mega show Kaun Banega Crorepati on STAR Plus.

How to reach the hotseat? If you want to be on the hot seat, here’s what you got to do. Call on the numbers flashed in the show. If you are lucky and give the right answer to the question posed to you, your name will be randomly selected by the computer. Then out of hundred names thrown by the computer, the channel will shortlist ten people, all of whom will be called and asked another question; like what is the distance between the earth and the moon? If your answer is nearer to the correct answer, you make it to the first round. Ten participants are invited on the show. Each participant is allowed to bring a companion. The channel either flies the participants to Mumbai or if there isn’t an airport close to the place of participant’s residence, they are given first class AC fare. The first round which is fastest finger first will have Amitabh asking a question with multiple choice answers put before you. Whoever gives the accurate answer in the fastest possible time gets to sit on the hot seat with Amitabh who will then ask fifteen questions. Once you successfully pass through the first five questions you will be winning Rs. 10,000. From here on, the amount starts doubling with each correct answer. If you go wrong you’ll lose whatever amount you have earned but retain Rs.10,000 in any case. The next benchmark is 3,20,000 which is at the tenth question. And with the 15th question you can pocket a crore.

But for those who have watched the show, these are the new buzz words. Hosted by superstar Amitabh Bachchan, the gameshow has just completed a week on air but it is ‘the’ topic of discussion everywhere, whether it’s office, train or college. Like it or not, everyone has something to say about the money making show.

“The first day of the show was very exciting. I liked the way Amitabh Bachchan anchored the show. The following day, however, I found it a bit boring as Amitabh seemed to be repeating himself. Also I feel, the show is too long,” says Sathej.

“I found the game show very interesting the first time I saw it. Must say Amitabh Bachchan looks fresh and good in the show. But watching it daily is tedious, all the same I have become an addict to it,” is Vinod’s reaction.

“I just love the way Amitabh is conducting the show. Even the sets are great. I make it a point to watch the show everyday,” says Lopa, a college student.

“Since the show has started, I can remember only one number and that is 6358888,” says actor Rohit Roy excitedly.

The verdict is clear. The show has opened to a big initial, as they say, in filmi parlance. The superstar’s charisma and magic has worked. Add to it the lure of big bucks and you have hit the jackpot. For STAR Plus, the show is a potential gold mine. Having already roped in four sponsors, the show with four breaks has ample commercial time which is going at exorbitant rates. Earlier, the 9.00 pm slot belonged to STAR News which was the biggest grosser for STAR Plus and its spot rates were higher than any other show on the channel. Sameer Nair, VP, programming, STAR Plus, admitted that “ad rates for the show have been hiked big time.” As per their rate card it is Rs 9 lakh INR per 30 seconds.

The channel has spent approximately Rs 70 lakhs on the lavish set built at Filmcity, which is an exact replica of the one situated in London. The studio has been booked for one whole year. Besides this, around Rs 17 lakhs are spent on the shooting of one episode which includes the prize money and talent cost. In total 130 episodes of 45 minutes each are to be shot and telecast four days a week. With so much at stake, is it any wonder then, that the channel chose the Big B himself to host their show. “The show is full of high drama. We needed someone of some stature for the spectacular show,” avers Sameer Nair. For Siddharth Basu who is producing and directing the show, “this kind of show is unprecedented. The size of the prize money, the megastar hosting the show, the sets, everything is large. It’s the biggest interactive show on television.”

Was Amitabh Bachchan their first and last choice? Had they thought of someone else in case Bachchan refused the offer? “There was no need to. We knew we could persuade him to host the show,” informs Sameer. Initially, Sameer Nair himself met the superstar and briefed him about the show. Later, other officials from the channel did the follow up. They showed him the tape of the international show which has created millionares in 29 countries. It took three months for the Big B to give his consent.

At what price, no one’s willing to divulge. Needless to say, it must be a BIG amount. Possibly enough to help him pay off his debts to all his creditors!

When Amitabh Bachchan got a call from STAR Plus, he jokes, he was dumbstruck for a few days. “But they were very persistent. They provided me a lot of literature, lots of books on the show. I went to London to see the original set and was impressed. We decided that we should make an exact replica of the set, down to its millimetre,” says the actor turned host. Is he enjoying his new job? “Very much. The entire floor is air-conditioned, my make-up room is big and luxurious. I never had such a lavish setup in my enitre film career,” he smiles. And no, the Big B doesn’t take his new job lightly. “Unlike acting, anchoring is a tough job. There’s no prepared script and there are very few possibilities of retakes,” he quips in his inimitable voice and adds that though he’s on the other side of the hot seat his endeavour is to make the participant comfortable and win more money.

Even as participants are clamouring to become crorepatis, the channel is looking at increasing its TRPs. With the show, STAR Plus which has turned into a all-Hindi channel from July 3 has played a big gamble. Kaun Banega Crorepati is a major crowd pulling show through which the channel hopes to sustain viewers for its other new programmes started simultaneously.

Though it’s too early to comment, going by the TRPs for the first four days of the show, it looks like the channel has got a winner on its hands. A ratings chart sent by the channel shows STAR Plus cornering 61 percent share of viewing in Kanpur, 55 per cent share of viewing in Delhi and 39 per cent share of viewing in Mumbai.

Chaya Unnikrishnan