New Delhi: The popular quiz show Kaun Banega Crorepati has aired 13 seasons, with Amitabh Bachchan hosting 12 of them. Shah Rukh Khan was hired as the quizmaster in 2007 after Amitabh declined the offer.
Despite the team’s hopes for another successful season, television ratings were reported to have fallen quickly. The audience seemed unwilling to accept Shah Rukh Khan as the show’s new host, so Amitabh returned from the next season.
In an interview with The Indian Express, the show’s producer Siddharth Basu discusses season 3 and how even a superstar like Shah Rukh cannot guarantee a hit. ‘What didn’t work with SRK was the comparison with AB. I think SRK did KBC in his own way with charm and wit, and as far as I know, it garnered good ratings. We have done three shows with SRK, and I believe he is one of the most natural TV hosts who can think on his feet,’ he said.
Siddharth added that Amitabh’s charisma still stands out. ‘But let’s face it, AB will always be the ABC of KBC, and on this show, those are very big shoes to fill,’ he said.
The first season of the show did not appeal to Amitabh when it was pitched to him. He had always been a film actor and was skeptical about coming to television. Nevertheless, the show’s team flew him to London to watch a taping of the original Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, and that’s when he decided to do the show.
When Shah Rukh was asked to host the show, he said, ‘I was pleasantly surprised when STAR offered me the show. I was a participant in season one of KBC… and little did I know one day I would be hosting it.’
‘It is a huge act to follow, that of Mr. Bachchan… but it also excites me that I am getting an opportunity to reach out (and) talk and interact with my audience through a medium where I began my career as an actor years ago.’
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