‘Shah Rukh Khan was compared to Amitabh Bachchan’: Kaun Banega Crorepati producer on why season 3 didn’t work

Hit quiz show Kaun Banega Crorepati has been on air for 13 seasons and Amitabh Bachchan has hosted all but one season. In 2007, Shah Rukh Khan was called on board as the quizmaster after Amitabh declined the offer.

While the team was hoping for another successful season, television ratings were reported to have plummeted quickly. The audience seemed unwilling to accept Shah Rukh Khan as the new host and Amitabh was brought back to the show from the next season.

Now, in an interview with The Indian Express, the show’s producer Siddharth Basu has spoken about season three and why even a superstar like Shah Rukh could not guarantee a hit. “What didn’t work with SRK was the comparison with AB. I think SRK did KBC in his own way with charm and wit, and as far as I know, it garnered good ratings. We have done three shows with SRK, and I believe he is one of the most natural TV hosts who can think on his feet,” he said.

Siddharth added that Amitabh’s charisma is still hard to match. “But let’s face it, AB will always be the ABC of KBC, and on this show, those are very big shoes to fill,” he said.

Even Amitabh was not too keen on joining show when the first season was pitched to him. Because he had always been a film actor, he was skeptical about coming to television. However, the show’s team flew him to London to watch a taping of the original Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, which was when he got convinced to do the show.

When Shah Rukh was called to host the show, Shah Rukh had said, “I was pleasantly surprised when STAR offered me the show. I was a participant in season one of KBC… and little did I know one day I would be hosting it.”

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“It is a huge act to follow, that of Mr Bachchan… but it also excites me that I am getting an opportunity to reach out (and) talk and interact with my audience through a medium where I began my career as an actor years ago.”

Shah Rukh and Amitabh have shot for the show a few times together. They have also worked together in films such as Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Mohabbatein, Veer Zaara and others.