KBC 3: Kaun Banega Comedian?

The much-anticipated Kaun Banega Crorepati Tritiya (if you can call that!) started airing yesterday with Shah Rukh Khan in the anchor’s chair in place of Amitabh Bachchan. And I immediately took a dislike to one of my favorite shows! Now, I am no SRK-lover…as much as I like some of the movies he has acted in (DDLJ, Karan Arjun, Darr etc) his knack of going overboard at the most inopportune moment irritates me no less. Also, in the past few years, he has tried to take his acting and mannerisms to another level – maybe in order to woo the NRI’s and the yuppie junta - and has failed miserably IMO. My lack of any respect towards SRK aside, I feel that no one could have made a worse quiz-show compere than him! I know it is harsh to be judgemental of him after just one episode, but ain’t first impressions the best impressions?

SRK is all that Amitabh Bachchan is not on the show. He is sarcastic, laconic and downright comical. One can sum up his ineptitude when one sees him ask the wife of the contestant to say I-love-you to her husband! It could have been All-the-best or play-well or even good-luck but no! I somehow can’t help feeling that he has this air of laaitt when he does the show….and that is detrimental to the keen quizzing spirit of the serious viewers out there. Agreed that it is more of a game-show rather than a quiz-show but the seriousness ought not be relegated to the back! And pray, what is this Freezing? Where has the immaculate and to-the-point lock kiya jaaye? gone off to? Another of SRK’s maneuvers to step out of the shadows of the Big B? Maybe! IMHO, Siddhartha Basu would have made a far better host than the comical Khan!