When it comes to entertainment, few succeed like Amitabh Bachchan does.
The 69-year-old's popularity has not just expanded over the decades but sustained itself even in this day and age of instant gratification and disposal.
That alone suffices to make him an ideal candidate to host a game show that involves the common man's participation and interaction. And so, the Big B's back with yet another season of Kaun Banega Crorepati or like he says 'Panchkoti Gyankumbh.'
While our man continues to be delightful and distinct as ever, the sixth season has decidedly lost some of its novelty and fizz. There's no attempt to dazzle the viewers with exciting introductions or alterations into the game by way of lifelines, rules, prize sum or set design. The rules remain unchanged. Ditto for the format -- 13 questions lead to 5 crore with four lifelines -- audience poll, phone-a-friend, double dip and expert advice. Plus the viewer-friendly, Ghar Baithe Jeeto Jackpot. Instead of innovation, there is now extended focus on the participant's history summed up in an extremely personal video clip.
Season 6 kick starts with a crisply dressed Bachchan taking centre stage as KBC host for the fifth time (Season 3 was anchored by Shah Rukh Khan) delivering a dramatic rendition of Ekla chalo re-Gyaan hi aapko apna haq dilata hai mix accompanied by Indian Idol contestants Devendra Pal Singh, Vipul Mehta and Poorvi Koutish.
The theme, we gather from Bachchan's constant emphasis, is to realise the importance of education and ensure it advances beyond merely signing one's name. Such social gestures are fine if intermittent but it seems jarring on a game show if done repeatedly.
The opening episode also takes time to flaunt how participating in KBC has enriched the lives of its past winners like Dhaval Virani, Anita Panwar, Damodar Apte and Rs 5 crore recipient Sushil Kumar, through additional video clips. The Crorepati lad from Bihar appears on the show and jokes about putting on weight because of the prize money and wishes everyone wins as much as him.
Also on the menu is a lovely concert by AB and Chamber choir group of Shillong to a medley of Saare jahan se acha, Aashayein and Rang De Basanti.
If Day one maintains a cheerful, festive tone, Day 2 and 3 are devoted to rollover contestant Manoj Kumar Raina becoming earliest Crorepati of the season.
The serious-looking Kashmiri hopes to build a house in his hometown with the prize money. For Rs 1 crore, he's asked: In1860 which British official became the first auditor general of India? Without using any lifeline, Raina semi-confidently asks Bachchan to lock Sir Edmund Drummond, which, of course, is the right answer and leaves the man ecstatic and incredulous.
Other participants of this 'Gyaan, maan, samaan ka khel' are Amritsar's Surtej Singh. The bubbly Sardar who does a amusing mimicry of Sunny Deol, however, uses up his lifelines in quick succession calling Phone-a-Mom when asked, Which Sikh Guru's birthday is celebrated on Kartik Poornima?
The reliably diplomatic and politically correct Bachchan doesn't t judge. If anything, he reluctantly obliges the young man by breaking into a Bhangra against Sade naal (Mrityuadaata).
The Amritsar boy quits the show after nabbing Rs 6, 40,000 because he's not sure which river was set as the eastern boundary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh's kingdom by the treaty of Amritsar of 1809. (It's Satluj, by the way.)
There's also Manish Kumar Soni from Jaipur who hopes to set up an independent home with the amount he wins so that his wife returns to live with him. Hugely inspired by 3 Idiots, he hopes to pursue a profession of his choice instead of following the family business. The man has an initially comfortable run with Bollywood theme questions from films like Rowdy Rathore and Agneepath.
If someone's here to enhance his lifestyle, some aspire for the greater good of mankind. Like Uma Uttam, a teacher from Kanpur who wants to provide sports facilities in schools and adopt a child to give her a life of affection and privilege, something she was denied as a kid.
The 69-year-old's popularity has not just expanded over the decades but sustained itself even in this day and age of instant gratification and disposal.
That alone suffices to make him an ideal candidate to host a game show that involves the common man's participation and interaction. And so, the Big B's back with yet another season of Kaun Banega Crorepati or like he says 'Panchkoti Gyankumbh.'
While our man continues to be delightful and distinct as ever, the sixth season has decidedly lost some of its novelty and fizz. There's no attempt to dazzle the viewers with exciting introductions or alterations into the game by way of lifelines, rules, prize sum or set design. The rules remain unchanged. Ditto for the format -- 13 questions lead to 5 crore with four lifelines -- audience poll, phone-a-friend, double dip and expert advice. Plus the viewer-friendly, Ghar Baithe Jeeto Jackpot. Instead of innovation, there is now extended focus on the participant's history summed up in an extremely personal video clip.
Season 6 kick starts with a crisply dressed Bachchan taking centre stage as KBC host for the fifth time (Season 3 was anchored by Shah Rukh Khan) delivering a dramatic rendition of Ekla chalo re-Gyaan hi aapko apna haq dilata hai mix accompanied by Indian Idol contestants Devendra Pal Singh, Vipul Mehta and Poorvi Koutish.
The theme, we gather from Bachchan's constant emphasis, is to realise the importance of education and ensure it advances beyond merely signing one's name. Such social gestures are fine if intermittent but it seems jarring on a game show if done repeatedly.
The opening episode also takes time to flaunt how participating in KBC has enriched the lives of its past winners like Dhaval Virani, Anita Panwar, Damodar Apte and Rs 5 crore recipient Sushil Kumar, through additional video clips. The Crorepati lad from Bihar appears on the show and jokes about putting on weight because of the prize money and wishes everyone wins as much as him.
Also on the menu is a lovely concert by AB and Chamber choir group of Shillong to a medley of Saare jahan se acha, Aashayein and Rang De Basanti.
If Day one maintains a cheerful, festive tone, Day 2 and 3 are devoted to rollover contestant Manoj Kumar Raina becoming earliest Crorepati of the season.
The serious-looking Kashmiri hopes to build a house in his hometown with the prize money. For Rs 1 crore, he's asked: In1860 which British official became the first auditor general of India? Without using any lifeline, Raina semi-confidently asks Bachchan to lock Sir Edmund Drummond, which, of course, is the right answer and leaves the man ecstatic and incredulous.
Other participants of this 'Gyaan, maan, samaan ka khel' are Amritsar's Surtej Singh. The bubbly Sardar who does a amusing mimicry of Sunny Deol, however, uses up his lifelines in quick succession calling Phone-a-Mom when asked, Which Sikh Guru's birthday is celebrated on Kartik Poornima?
The reliably diplomatic and politically correct Bachchan doesn't t judge. If anything, he reluctantly obliges the young man by breaking into a Bhangra against Sade naal (Mrityuadaata).
The Amritsar boy quits the show after nabbing Rs 6, 40,000 because he's not sure which river was set as the eastern boundary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh's kingdom by the treaty of Amritsar of 1809. (It's Satluj, by the way.)
There's also Manish Kumar Soni from Jaipur who hopes to set up an independent home with the amount he wins so that his wife returns to live with him. Hugely inspired by 3 Idiots, he hopes to pursue a profession of his choice instead of following the family business. The man has an initially comfortable run with Bollywood theme questions from films like Rowdy Rathore and Agneepath.
If someone's here to enhance his lifestyle, some aspire for the greater good of mankind. Like Uma Uttam, a teacher from Kanpur who wants to provide sports facilities in schools and adopt a child to give her a life of affection and privilege, something she was denied as a kid.
![Old Old](http://images.frandroid.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/astuces-P8-1.jpg)
Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) is a licensed franchise of the British show Who. “phone a friend” and “audience poll” there is drama added to the show. More and more former quiz show contestants came forward to reveal how. And stylish, the suits were in deeper tones, and each suit had minor detailing work.
Another school teacher, Archana Harale from Nanded, Maharashtra wants to use the winning sum to support a deceased family friend's son.
As always, there's no shortage of the chatty and comical contestant. This time in the form of Kolkata's Koyli Roy who compares Bachchan's beard to a 'kadam ka phool.' Koyli wants to set up a museum of her 'memories' like the shampoo bottle and tooth brush she used at time of her marriage. It leaves a rather flabbergasted AB and, presumably, the viewer too.
The previous season of KBC also appeared to be less of a game show and more of a platform for charitable causes. While there's nothing objectionable about helping out, it definitely diminishes the competitive spirit of a quiz. Such sentiments are better suited to say, Aamir Khan's Satyamev Jayate, where the very premise is highlighting the plight and injustices of society and its victims.
Also, for all its jibber jabber on 'gyaan' and 'literacy,' the initial round of questions is highly simplistic with the very first question of the season being: Which of these is a title of a film directed by Rohit Shetty? Moreover, it doesn't seem fair that KBC generally sets its questions based on the region a contestant hails from.
When a show has someone as gifted with words and wit as Amitabh Bachchan and a game/format that was born to engage, the focus should be to merge the two as it so successfully did in the earlier seasons. Those who are internet-savvy already get a good dose of their favourite actor and his thoughts on social networking sites and blogs. But it's his raw, spontaneous interactions with the contestants, several of whom are die-hard fans, which made KBC so iconic in the first place.
Consequently, it would be nice if the show's creators uphold its much-adored vibrancy and stop harping too much on the social/financial limitations of a contestant. So that instead of feeling sorry for the player, we would root for what this season truly stands for: knowledge.
As always, there's no shortage of the chatty and comical contestant. This time in the form of Kolkata's Koyli Roy who compares Bachchan's beard to a 'kadam ka phool.' Koyli wants to set up a museum of her 'memories' like the shampoo bottle and tooth brush she used at time of her marriage. It leaves a rather flabbergasted AB and, presumably, the viewer too.
The previous season of KBC also appeared to be less of a game show and more of a platform for charitable causes. While there's nothing objectionable about helping out, it definitely diminishes the competitive spirit of a quiz. Such sentiments are better suited to say, Aamir Khan's Satyamev Jayate, where the very premise is highlighting the plight and injustices of society and its victims.
Also, for all its jibber jabber on 'gyaan' and 'literacy,' the initial round of questions is highly simplistic with the very first question of the season being: Which of these is a title of a film directed by Rohit Shetty? Moreover, it doesn't seem fair that KBC generally sets its questions based on the region a contestant hails from.
When a show has someone as gifted with words and wit as Amitabh Bachchan and a game/format that was born to engage, the focus should be to merge the two as it so successfully did in the earlier seasons. Those who are internet-savvy already get a good dose of their favourite actor and his thoughts on social networking sites and blogs. But it's his raw, spontaneous interactions with the contestants, several of whom are die-hard fans, which made KBC so iconic in the first place.
Consequently, it would be nice if the show's creators uphold its much-adored vibrancy and stop harping too much on the social/financial limitations of a contestant. So that instead of feeling sorry for the player, we would root for what this season truly stands for: knowledge.
Rediff Rating:
The Shahanshah is back on the tube with the seventh season of the popular quiz show Kaun Banega Crorepati. And the winning has already begun...
Amitabh Bachchan returns with the seventh season of Kaun Banega Crorepati in a slightly new avatar, with a few significant changes. As we had reported earlier, this time the show will have more lifelines, more questions and more moolah. The Fastest Finger First round includes three questions and the contestant who answers all the three in the shortest time makes it to the hot seat.The participants can win up to Rs 7 crore by answering not 12, but 15 questions.
Wider choice of lifelines
KBC 7 will have a wider choice of lifelines this year. Phone a Friend and Audience Poll continue to exist, while Flip the Question (Alat Palat) returns in the place of Ask the Expert, and 50:50 comes back to replace Double Dip. A brand new lifeline called Power Paplu has been introduced. This will aid those who seek to revive any already used lifeline. Though making it to the hot seat has become more difficult this time, once a contestant reaches that place, it's not very difficult to play the game. All this, thanks to the ease in the level of questions and a widened choice of lifelines. In fact, host Amitabh Bachchan has already found his firstcrorepati in the second week of the show itself. Now you know what we meant when we told you there were changes! Also, co-participants (hot seat contenders) can play on the side and the one who answers the most questions can win a sum of Rs 1 lakh.
New look and feel
The new set of KBC this year is also interesting. For the last six seasons, the set has been round; this year, however, it is constructed in a rectangular shape and has orange and blue LED lights.
Sonu Nigam performs on the opening episode
The opening episode of the show featured Sonu Nigam performing a medley of Big B's hit songs like Yamma yamma, Yeh dosti and Mach gaya shor, with the star actor joining in to shake a long leg. Last season’s crorepati winner Sammit Kaur Sahni paid a visit to the sets to express her gratitude to KBC. The show also featured a colourful dance to mark the beginning of the ten-day Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations. It was treat to watch!
Less drama, more knowledge
The previous seasons had a distracting tone which went over the top in trying to highlight the conditions of its deprived contestants. But this time, fortunately, the makers have skipped all this drama and focus on the game... and the game alone. They have finally realised that KBC is a knowledge based quiz and are treating it as one. The dramatic video clips are still shown, but only for a short span of time.
Though many aspects have been changed this year, what hasn't changed at all is Big B's charm and his interactions with excited hot seat contestants. Bachchan continues to make participants feel special, with genuine appreciation for the compliments they shower on him.
Kaun Banega Crorepati looks promising and we know it can get only better and better. So keep watching!
Rating:4 out of 5Reviewed by Vinod Talreja
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![Banega Banega](/uploads/1/2/5/8/125876375/494745085.jpg)
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