Neena Gupta

She set a new benchmark for television with Saans and although her last major outing on the small screen, Kamzod Kadi Kaun, was a dud, there’s no denying the brand value Neena Gupta brings to a show.

Kisko Milega Cash (Monday to Thursday, 10pm on STAR One) has Neena choosing the fittest among three contestants to take home the Rs 5 lakh cash booty every week. “I liked the concept very much,” Neena tells t2. The show wants to “reward a huge sum of money to people who are in actual need of it”.

The contestants have been pre-selected by STAR One’s creative team. Viewers will SMS their chosen winner in a three-way race every week. Neena, as one the judges along with Anil Dharker, will guide the audiences to vote correctly. “I would call myself an opinion maker,” she says. “We grill the contestants, even grill each other and then give what is our opinion, which is definitely not the final opinion. And there have been episodes when I have been confused and I have simply said I don’t know whom to back.” Not everything on Kisko Milega Cash is a rags-to-riches story. “There are fun episodes also; it’s not like everyone is in a very sorry state and desperately needs money,” reveals Neena. “While I am not allowed to tell you the exact details, there may be someone who has always wanted to buy a piece of jewellery but not been able to gather funds for it. So for some contestants it is a desire rather than a need.”

Unlike other reality shows, there is nothing fake about Kisko Milega Cash, stresses Neena. “There are no pre-decided characterisations, it’s not that we have to fight on the show,” she says. “In fact, we don’t fight at all. Whatever we say, we say it nicely. The contestants fight sometimes. This is as real as it gets.”

What prompted Neena to return to the small screen? “So many things are happening on TV but this one, I felt, gave me an opportunity to decide somebody’s fate. It is very thought-provoking for the audience but for me it’s a lot of responsibility. I can change someone’s whole life and that’s a great feeling.”