Just like 'Bhai ki movies', his TV shows too are about 'Salman, Salman and Salman'. Confused? True blue Salman fans and those who sat down to watch the first episode of game show Dus Ka Dum last night will second the thought. The bhaijaan of Bollywood, known for his wit and humour, is back on television screens. After six months (he was last seen hosting the eleventh season of Bigg Boss), Salman, with the same flamboyance and self-confidence, took the TV audience on a one and a half hour joyride as he asked them "Kitne Pratishat Bhartiye.." in the first episode of the third season of Dus Ka Dum. A power-packed entry, hearty laughter, a narration of personal experiences and a jibe at himself, Salman's performance as a TV host on the game show was spot on. He entered singing and dancing on the title track of the show which he followed up with a personal account of how his television debut with Dus Ka Dum in 2008 made him a household name. In his inimitable style, the Race 3 actor flirted with the studio audience and his interactive hosting made the flow of the game show effortless. With a decade-long experience as a reality TV show host, it appeared as if Salman knows it only takes his one wink or a sweet smile to set the TRP charts ablaze. Moving away from Salman Khan's charm for a while, what kept me hooked to the show was the game's concept and the questions asked. For someone who has broken all the ties with subjects like science, mathematics or social studies, the general questions like 'how many Indians speak their mother tongue at home?' or 'how many Indians like sleeping in their mother's lap?', just testing the observational skills, understanding and judgement of Indian sensibilities was engaging. Dus Ka Dum seems to be choreographed to keep up with the expectations of an 'aam aadmi' and efforts have been made to keep it real without playing much on the emotional drama, a common phenomenon in Indian TV reality shows these days. Questions were asked without dwelling deep into the personal lives of the contestants and anecdotes from Salman's life added to the reality factor of the show. For those households where television viewing is still synonymous with family time but are bitten by the saas-bahu drama bug, Dus Ka Dum can be your pick. Sony TV can rejoice as Salman Khan might just become its true saviour with the show. Hoping that the Salman Khan show will not succumb to silly, tried and tested sensationalisation of a contestants' emotions for TRPs and no more jokes will be cracked on Dabangg Khan's marriage plans, Dus Ka Dum in my view is a refreshing shift after the 'weekend ka vaar' of shape-shifting snake women. Also read | Dus Ka Dum: All you need to know about Salman Khan’s game show The third season of game show Dus Ka Dum aired on Monday.
