A Day Around The Hot Set

The stage soon comes to life as members of the audience — “invitees only” — are filed into neat rows. “They come from across India,and are judged on two factors: they should be educated and must be big fans of Mr Bachchan,” reveals a member of the production house BIG Synergy. Their energy and excitement as they await the sight of their ‘hero’,is palpable. They are instructed regarding the rules of the game and also when they are needed to applaud. Siddharth Basu,the mastermind creator of the show,is actively involved with daily chores too. He hovers around the contestants,ensuring their comfort and,sometimes,double-checking processes.

And then,without any preamble,Bachchan is on the stage. Dressed in a dark grey fitted suit,he waves and greets all present. Soon,the production team’s lessons turn redundant as the audience allows their instinct to take over,resounding the set with applause fit for a stadium. And within minutes,the shoot has begun.

The winner of Fastest Finger First (FFF) round,Pankaj Sanwal,is called to the hot seat. Bachchan acquaints those present with a short bio of Sanwal. He turns out to be a rather talkative contestant who wants to buy a room in Bachchans’ bungalow with the prize money. Over the next 45 minutes,Sanwal entertains the audience and overwhelms Big B with information about his life and the world in general. “Do you know Peru exports bird droppings?” he counter-questions the quizmaster before revealing his “plans to interview Indian Prime Minister,Manmohan Singh and US President,Barack Obama”.

Out of nowhere the contestant produces photographs of Bachchan at various stages of life and demands that they be autographed. Bachchan humours him and invites him over to his residence if Sanwal gives up the idea of buying residence there. Unstoppable,Sanwal then reads out lines from Harivansh Rai Bachchan’s Madhusala to Bachchan and also offers to translate it in French or German.

Bachchan counters this overwhelming enthusiasm not with patronising words but with knowledge of Sanwal’s background to bring the show back on track. His wit,comfort with Hindi and English and personality as a respected gentleman,help. Says Shital Iyer,Executive Producer from Sony Entertainment,the channel that airs KBC,“Mr Bachchan is very particular about the show’s output. So he arrives two hours prior to the show,reads through the questions for the day and the script before getting dressed. Then,he likes to break for ten minutes after the FFF round to thoroughly go through the contestant’s video clips,forms,details and the feedback we have sought from friends and family.”

Not one to be satiated,Sanwal as he quits the game,shocks everyone with his decision to sign an autograph for Bachchan. The kind host laughs and assures him that it is an invaluable gift. “Whenever a fan’s heart-warming letter touches me,I frame it and hang it on the walls of my office. Your autograph will be there soon too,” he smiles.

Sanwal moves on,but Bachchan continues with the shoot. “He shoots an entire episode at one go,” Iyer explains.

The next winner of the FFF round is a petite,young and evidently-nervous Moumita Das. Elated and surprised with her luck,the 26-year-old from West Bengal,is a contrast to her predecessor and nearly faints as she is called upon the stage. The shoot is suspended and the standby doctor is called. The contestant is a case of nerves and is shivering as her BP has shot up. Senior members of the production team emerge from their work areas to calm Das. She is offered water,rest,a bar of chocolate and a warm drape. Basu and Bachchan too,reassure her and the show is soon back on track.

From a financially unprivileged background,Das represents KBC’s current season’s flavour that is an ode to the common man. Das is married but cannot live with her husband since her in-laws own a small room for a residence. She has completed her MA and conducts private coaching to run the household with mere Rs 1,000 for income. She is resolute to answer the first seven questions as that will win her Rs 3,20,000,the amount that will buy her a house. And with that need in her heart,she parks herself on the hot seat. Though language is a barrier and she needs a lifeline to get her past the very first question,the Rs 5,000 win has her joyous because she truly has nothing to lose.

Bachchan takes a backseat here and allows Das to enjoy the attention as audience cheers her every win and eggs her on to the next level. He relentlessly attempts to enthuse her and guide her,his age-defying energy truly holding the show on his shoulders.