Ronit Roy, often called the Big B of the small screen, is bringing back a familiar game show on a new channel in a new package. Deal or No Deal airs on Saturday and Sunday at 8pm on &TV.

Other than having a new host, in what way will Season 4 of Deal or No Deal be different?

This time, you will get to see the participant’s family being a part of the action. So instead of the models last time holding the briefcases indicating the amounts of money to be cancelled out on the score board, there will be 26 family members. That will add emotional drama to the show. The highest amount to win this season is Rs 1 crore.

While other reality shows promote talent, isn’t this one based on luck?

This is an Indian version of a Dutch game show and there is a nice story behind how this concept originated. A father used to give weekly pocket money to his daughter. To make the process more interesting, he started a game in which there would be similar looking packets with a little bit more or less money in them other than the one with the actual amount and the daughter would have to choose a packet. Call it a game of chance or probability but there are underlying emotions involved as a family spends time together.

You speak in shudh Hindi which is a rarity among today’s actors. Is that an influence of Amitabh Bachchan?

There is hardly anyone in the industry who is not influenced by Mr Bachchan. I am very close to the family. They are my clients (of his security agency called Ace Security and Protection). Also my aunt was a long-time friend of Jayaji’s. That’s why I call her ‘Ma’. But this desire to speak good Hindi dates back to the time I was doing a film called Khatron ke Khiladi (2001). Raj Babbar and Mithun Chakraborty were in it. They were good friends. One day when shooting was wrapping up, Raj Babbar was making fun of Mithun’s Hindi. If you have noticed, unki Hindi se Bangla nikla nahin. Mithun asked him what was wrong with his kind of Hindi. Babbar told him one should master the language one is working in. That left an impression on me. 

Why did you get into the personal security business?

Hunger. In 1999-2000, I was a written-off actor. I had nothing at the time. You need money to even open a shop. This was the only way to survive. This is one business you can start without money if you have manpower, expertise and contacts. Some friends introduced me to the right people. 

Are you happy with the way your career has panned out?

I regret the things I did not do, never what I did. Earlier I used to do whatever came my way. In recent years I have refused some big banner films. None of them were hits (smiles).

While talent shows have scripts written on prompter boards for anchors, how spontaneous will you be in this show?

I will be myself. I am not a good liar. There was a time when news anchors were supposed to keep a straight face no matter what the content of the news he or she read was. Mrinalini ji, a veteran anchor, had tears in her eyes when announcing the death of Rajiv Gandhi. She was criticised for it. But I fail to understand when people appreciate so much weeping in films, why they have a problem with anchors showing emotions. 

Do you get emotional while anchoring?

Yes. Some people have refused offers of Rs 7-8 lakh from the show’s banker to quit and left with as little as Rs 100. But they were from affluent families. But some, I can make out, need the money. When they fail to strike a good deal I share their disappointment. I also get inspired by people. The children of Indian Idol Junior, for instance, bring tears to my eyes. They are so talented that I feel inadequate before them. Inspired by them, I have started learning how to play the violin and the saxophone. I can already play the Western flute. Next I will learn singing. 

You have a longer surname, right? (His twitter handle is @RonitBoseRoy)

My family name is Basu. Roy is the title my family got from the Viceroy of India. So from Basu Roy it became Bose Roy. That is what I inherited from my father. 

Which viceroy?

No idea. My naani used to say saat pahar ke beech mein chaar gaon hain hamare. Woh saat pahar ki ek bhi nahin dekha humne!