Karle Karle

Karle karle – tu ek sawaal
Karle karle – tu ek dhamaal
Aisa sawaal jo zindagi badal de

He came – Agreed. He saw – yep. He conquered – No comments. That’s how people reacted to Sharukh Khan when he came on the television screen after a real long hiatus as the host of Kaun Banega Crorepati 3. This was an eagerly anticipated season of KBC. Comparing Sharukh and Amitabh – weighing their pros and cons – perfect entertainment (?????) – if you say so. Witty jokes - mundane quips - frequent puns – interesting questions - that’s what KBC promised to be in its first episode of the third season. Whether the show lives up to the promise or not – that’s something only time can tell.

Sholay ka thakur nahata kaise hoga?
Doctor ke kaam ko practice kyon kehte hai?

I remember watching the first episode of KBC on 3 July 2001. Amitabh Bachchan – eloquent hindi – Computer Jee – popular guests – everything about the show became an instant hit. KBC had an entire generation quipping "Lock kar diya jaye" at the drop of a hat. GK became the buzzword. Knowing when the Battle of Buxar took place and where the Brabourne Stadium is, made one a cool kid on the block. The roads used to get deserted and people used to discuss a particular question from a particular show even after several days. KBC was magic for viewers, magic for sponsors and magic for Amitabh Bachchan’s career.

Table tennis ko hindi mein kya kehte hai?
Is a cool chic hot or a hot chic cool?
Mere angane mein tumhara kya kaam hai?

Come KBC 3 – Computer Jee became Compaq Da – "Lock kar diya jaye" became "Freeze it" and Sharukh replaced Amitabh. Sharukh – ho…hum…not as good as Big B – I watched an episode for 10 minutes and he could not hold my interest for long. His jokes seem forced, the effort to entertain people comes across way too blatantly and the spontaneity is not in sight anywhere. I can be very rightly blamed for acting like the president of the "I hate Sharukh" club (a post which I would love to accept – any time –any day – any where) but all prejudices apart, Sharukh is just no match to Big B. He can pull off a Don and take up all the endorsements, from ICICI to Dabur, but KBC – a different ball game.

Sharukh might find his niche audience, who will watch him do just about anything – sense or nonsense ignored - but the show is not the same anymore – the magic has disappeared – the audience is bored – the cult is fast disappearing. Amitabh was the USP of the show and without him, it’s just not the same. To put it succinctly, people simply prefer Sharukh crooning away in the Alps to a romantic number. Sharukh – the quizmaster – a tad bit too much to handle.

Meanwhile, karle karle - tu ek sawaal - karle karle - tu ek dhamaal - aisa sawaal jo zindagi badal de.