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You have been insisting that the show is not about you but the contestants. So have the contestants changed from the last time you hosted KBC in 2005?
I have always felt very strongly that for some peculiar reason a certain section of our country has always been alienated when Kaun Banega Crorepati has been played on TV. Now, because of the advancement of technology and convenience of communication, mobile communication and Internet, there are large sections of people from smaller cities and even rural areas who have become conversant with what’s going on in the rest of the world. There is a great effort on their part to try and improve their condition. Now having shot for quite a few episodes on the new show, I have discovered that quite a few contestants have come from small towns and villages. They have all been very enthusiastic and very knowledgeable and they have gone on to win 3 lakh, 7 lakh… one of them won 25 lakh. They all have the ability of knowledge but sadly they have not been able to carry on their education beyond a certain level because of their financial condition. For people like them a show like this is a godsend… they can win the money with the knowledge they have earned themselves and then use the money to go further in life. All of them have such ideals. One of them said that with the winning money he would like to open more schools back in his village.
What was it like on the first day on the sets?
There’s always the feeling of having been here before. But every day is so new here on KBC. The contestant, his back story, how far will he go… all that makes every day so exciting. As I said, the contestant makes the show. Not me. Of course, the game has its own intrinsic value. But if you get an interesting contestant who has an interesting story to tell, nothing like it. I was reading on Twitter that a huge percentage of our country lives on Rs 20 a day. For such a person to win lakhs of rupees within minutes is really life-changing. One of the contestants actually said that ‘I have not seen so many zeroes in my life after 1 and my mind is not working’. These are very telling stories.
Back in 2000 you were the only movie star on TV. Now there are stars on every channel…
Yes, yes there’s Priyanka doing Khatron Ke Khiladi, Salman doing Bigg Boss, Akshay doing Masterchef. It’s wonderful. I think it’s fantastic, so many members of the film industry associating themselves with television. But I also believe that we don’t work on TV to compete with each other. That’s a wrong attitude. We are all happy doing what we are doing. And we should enjoy what we are doing. That’s what we are here for… to entertain as many people as possible.
Having done so many films, having done so many episodes of KBC itself, do you still feel motivated in every new episode that you shoot for?
You may think that having worked in 200 films and having worked for 41 years going in front of the camera is a cakewalk. It’s not. I still have butterflies in my stomach every night when I have to go to a shoot next morning. What is my role, whether I will be able to say my lines correctly, whether I will be able to give the correct performance, will the director like it and whether eventually the public will be able to appreciate it…. I like that. I think all artistes should have that kind of fire in them. I am doing something for the people and I should be able to give my best every time.
What’s new in KBC
The jackpot is now Rs 5 crore
The road to Rs 1 crore has become shorter — from 15 questions it’s down to 12
Fastest Finger First contestants get the entire week to take a crack at the hot seat
There is an Ask the Expert lifeline where an in-studio expert helps the contestant in his march towards a crore
There is a Double Dip lifeline which allows the contestant to give two answers for a particular question
In the Phone-a-Friend lifeline, the viewers get to see a photograph of the friend the contestant is calling for help
The timer clock — Ghadiyal Babu, according to AB — adds pace with the contestant having to answer questions 1 and 2 within 30 seconds and questions 3 to 6 within 45 seconds
The 50-50 lifeline is no longer there
