KBC Pratham ya Dwitiya : with Amitabh Bachchan, it’s adivtiya

Rk | Movies | November 23, 2006 at 5:05 am

Amitabh Bachchan recently gave hint that people could watch KBC again in near future.
Nothing can be better than to get paid to sit with biggest star/ actor of India. Really lucky are those who have got chance to enjoy a face to face chat with Mr Bachchan and along with this precious meet they get money too, for this event. When KBC was started 6 years ago then so many were suspicious about success of Amitabh Bachchan in TV world but he truly lived the saying ” He came, he saw and he won”. TV medium in India is not same as it was before the Amitabh’s entry into this medium. All of sudden it was wave of Amitabh all over. People used to wait for 9 PM from Monday to Friday so that they could watch interesting manners of Amitabh to present the KBC.
Several attempts were there to imitate the charisma of Amitabh on several other channels but no one could match the outstanding success of Amitabh. Amitabh is so humble when he says that format of this quiz show is so perfect that it should have been hit even without his presence on the quiz show. But its really ambiguous because his presence matters a lot otherwise if only winning the money was the case than other similar game shows aired on other channels should also have been equally popular but they were no where in comparison to KBC.
Amitabh’s humble saying and saying of so many others who say that format of this quiz show is so perfect and it should have been hit, could have been true If Amitabh was not on scene since the very beginning of the game on TV. If anybodyelse had presented this show than quiz show could have been bigger than the host but now with the entry of Amitabh scene has been changed and now host is far bigger than the show itself. Perhaps history is created by this way only when things just happened and they affect everything.
Atleast in India, this is the presence of Amitabh that has made KBC immensely popular. Certainly if anybodyelse was going to host it even then it was going to be a hit show because huge amount of money is associated with the quiz show. But it cant be said that even with all the interesting things associated with the show, it should have been watched by people so religiously if Amitabh was not present on the show.
People were just mesmerized during KBC-1. It was time when Amitabh was not doing many movies and Bade Miyan Chhote Miyan was the only obvious hit movie during second inning of Amitabh (Here also Govinda was given the credit for making this film a big hit though BO facts remain there that this is still biggest Govinda hit). AB had faced failure of Mrityudata, Major Saab, Lal Badshah, Suryavansham, Kohram etc. He was involved in clearing debts of his corporate effort ABCL, first of its kind in Indian hindi cine world, and then happened “Mohabatein” and KBC. If Mohabatein pushed ahead his filmi career, KBC washed away any doubt about his popularity among Indians.
KBC established a fact which still filmi people are unable to realise that people of India want classy thing from Amitabh and they are not ready to compromise on this point. Between KBC1 and KBC2 , there were several movies where Amitabh did not play significant roles and people just rejected such movies. They want presence of Amitabh in movie not just as guest or weak character artist but they want that now stories should be written in a way so that Amitabh can play the lead role. This is the high time for hindi cine world to recognise this fact and to exploit this opportunity. People dont want to see Amitabh coming in passive roles. He has to accept the reality that people expect a lot from him and they are happy if story revolves around his character. Guest appearances are fine like in Veer Zara, Pahlei but weak roles will not do like he did in films like Arman, Lakshya, Ab Tumhare hawale Watan Sathiyon etc.
Amitabh had hardly appeared in any interview on TV. Perhaps once or twice on DD during 70s or early 80s if host like Tabbasum were able to convince him? Otherwise he first came on TV to introduce TV serial “Subah” in mid 80s. Later he appeared in Simi Grewal’s TV show and once gave interview to Rajiv Shukla for ” Rubaru” during tough days when he was facing failure of ABCL.
Amitabh has always been painted as immensly private person who has reserved nature. He was depicted as unapproachable by media and some of the fellows belonging to cine world. Those who have seen his most successful days can recall how it was hysterical all over the India with his every new release. Every super star has his days but it seems days of Amitabh are never finished. Its entirely possible that there have been equally talented or perhaps more talented actors in hindi cinema but one fact cant be ignored that noone gave the more entertainment to people than Amitabh. He has entertained the people most and he is no less than any other actor ever worked in Indian cinema. People can be sad about length of role Amitabh did but not even harsh critic can say that he was not able to do this particular role which he accepted. He never gave bad performances, it does not matter film worked on box office or not. If he was criticized to play role against much younger actresses in Lal Badshah then its hard to ignore that he did his best, as ever, to fit into the role.
People had seen Amitabh only in movies and were knowing him through stories spread about him like his most successful days, his accident on set of coolie, his brief political life, Bofors charges and his efforts to come out clean, ABCL, his not so good comeback in movies etc etc. Critics were not ready to accept his comeback and then happened Mohabatein and he was declared successful again. People saw his life also went through different phases as life of any common man can go. There were stories that his home at Mumbai was sealed because he could not pay debt. He did struggle in real life and that stood him apart.
Came KBC and people got opportunity to see his real personality through TV. His demeanour, his way of presenting the show, everything was just watched by lot of mesmerisation. Not only common people participating in KBC as contestants but celebrities who appeared in special episodes looked completely mesmerised by the presence of Amitabh. Remember how Aamir Khan talked about Sync voice used by Amitabh in druken scene in Satte pe Satta Amitabh was astonished and he said to Aamir that he sees films with great depth.
Remember when Amitabh recited dialogues from his movie” Agnipath” for Vinod Kambli. Several touching and memorable events, people could watch through KBC. And one fine day KBC was stopped with promise of Amitabh that KBC w’d be back again. Cant recall if he said ” Dont go away, we will be back soon”? But he said that KBC w’d be back.
People did wait for more than 4 years and then he started appearing in promos of KBC2 . This time it was more shining Amitabh who was promoting the word” hope”. Amitabh again came, again saw and again conquered.
Like fragrance of kasturi, popularity of Amitabh is increasing and spreading all over. He has covered the population not only horizontally but vertically also. He has touched lot of people and so deeply that they looked almost overwhelmed in the presence of Amitabh. Its just pleasure to watch Amitabh handling these contestants of different age, different background, coming from different parts of India. Whenever contestant use life line- “phone a friend”, Its more interesting to see when Amitabh speaks on the phone and how person on other side reacts. Its same everywhere, anywhere in India. After watching KBC who can say that this is the actor who has been called super star of 70s and 80s. He is still super star as far as his popularity is concerned which is still increasing.
He makes jokes with contestants and their family members and friends come on set of KBC. Though people have been becoming more and more demanding with every episode. Somebody wants Amitabh to wish his son on his Bday so that he also gets success in his field as Amitabh has got in his area. Somebody wants Jadu ki Jhappi with every new round and Amitabh obliges the person. Somebody wants to listen poems of Late Dr Hari Vansh Rai Bachchan and Amitabh does not disappoint the contestant. A boy takes liberty to request Amitabh to act as he acted in the song” kajrare kajrare” and blushing Amitabh started asking next question. Boy did not forget and asked again that what happened to his request. A girl went so far that told Amitabh that whenever her family ask her to marry she says that she will marry Amitabh only and when they say he is married to Jaya Bachchan, she says she has no problem and if Amitabh proposes she will accept. Such things were never possible if Amitabh was not extra humble. People just go mad in his presence and do all sort of things in that moment. They all are fan and if they are not Amitabh fan then they become after spending some time there on KBC. People are becoming fan of Amitabh simply watching him on KBC. A full generation is there who has not seen his Deewar, Amar Akbar Anthony, Muqaddar ka Sikandar, Don, Mr Natwar Lal days and now they can realize what it was like to be an Amitabh Fan. It was not possible to watch hindi cinema and not to be Amitabh fan. Like its today, watching KBC and not becoming Amitabh fan, its simply not possible.
KBC will be aired again for rest of 26 episodes and one day KBC has to be finished but this charisma of Amitabh will never be finished.