When Shotgun guards the jackpot!

IT would be nice for people to watch the Bhojpuri version of Kaun Banega Crorepati with the ultimate Bihari Babu as the quizmaster,” booms Shatrughan Sinha,before he chuckles at his own joke. The veteran actor and politician is gung-ho about his new role as a television quizmaster on Key Bani Crorepati. “I never imagined television would be such hard work,” he continues,“Right now,we haven’t even started shooting the actual episodes,and we’re already so busy with rehearsals and shooting promos and interacting with audience representatives. But it’s great fun.”

The show is going on air starting June 6 on Mahuaa Bhojpuri. “The makers of the show,Siddhartha Basu and BIG Synergy,were quite persistent and had been pursuing me for a long time. They told me I was the only one who could do it and if I didn’t agree,the show couldn’t take off. I was a little uncertain about taking it on though.” What finally convinced the actor was the opportunity to give the Bhojpuri language a boost. “Do you know that among the regional languages,Bhojpuri has possibly the largest number of speakers? Other languages such as Manipuri and Bodo have been listed in the Indian Constitution,and rightfully so,but why isn’t Bhojpuri there? It’s not only spoken widely in North India,but it’s also well-understood by people who understand Hindi. In fact,it’s not just people in India,but also many Indians settled in places like Mauritius and the Caribbean Islands,who understand Bhojpuri,” he asserts,in his impeccable Hindi.

One can understand where Sinha is coming from — the inclusion of Bhojpuri in the Constitution has long been a cause close to his heart. “It’s the language of my mother; it’s my mother tongue,” he says,a tad emotionally. However,he admits that his children — Sonakshi,Luv and Kush — have never really managed to pick up the language. “But they do understand it,” he says. Sinha is hoping that the show will give the language the public platform it deserves in order to be brought to the government’s attention. “I’m convinced that this show will touch the hearts of viewers and its popularity will get the government to take note of our request,” he says.

Although the show will mainly feature the aam janta,Sinha promises that there will be

a few prominent people who will also feature on the show. “We’ve already got former Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha’s confirmation,” he says.

Daughter Sonakshi too will be part of the show: this was a suggestion that came from the young actress herself. The celebrity wish list also includes actor Salman Khan,former Minister of Railways,Lalu Prasad Yadav,and Bihar Chief Minister,Nitish Kumar.

When asked what his hosting style will be,Sinha goes a little on the defensive,“Everyone brings their own special something to a show. Many are comparing me to Amitabh Bachchan and you can see where they’re coming from — we’ve both got imposing personalities,have deep voices — it’s really not a big deal. I hold him in high regard and am proud of him,although I’m not in awe of him,” he concludes.