"KBC" on "KBC"
SANGEETA BAROOAH PISHAROTY
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Sunil Grover aka Ruk Ruk Khan says viewers should watch "Kaun Banega Champu" on Filmy for its "great entertainment value".
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THE IMPRESSIONIST! Sunil Grover of `Lallan' fame in "Kaun Banega Champu" on Filmy.
It is just an episode old, and yet, claims Shailesh Kapoor, Marketing Head of Filmy channel, since last Sunday, "Kaun Banega Champu" has spread far wider through word of mouth. "The format is so humorous that it is sure to attract attention," Kapoor adds, though knowing quite well that the initial viewer interest in the half-hour weekend show is not just because of the humour, but because it is an attempt at spoofing a popular show like "Kaun Banega Crorepati."
The show's anchor is named Ruk Ruk Khan here. Doesn't take much to remind us of Shah Rukh. The mannerisms, voice modulation, language, the laughs, are all done to mimic King Khan. In fact, relates Kapoor, "We thought of doing the show only because we have Sunil Grover with us." Grover, as Lallan in the show "Lallan Chala Hero Banne" on Filmy, usually apes Shah Rukh and hence was picked to play Ruk Ruk Khan on "KBC".
Getting the pulse
Says Grover, "Like any other person, Shah Rukh was also difficult to mimic initially, but once I got the pulse of it, it became easy." To mimic the actor, Grover says he has not only watched his films but has also watched a few episodes of "Kaun Banega Crorepati" on Star Plus.
This young entertainer from Chandigarh has met the star actor only once, long before he started mimicking him.
Though the original "KBC" has common people on the hot seat, the spoofed version has actor Sunil Menon impersonating Bollywood celebrities, beginning with Amitabh Bachchan in the first episode. "This is because of the reason that we are primarily a movie channel, and so we can't always show things which have nothing to do with films. So the easiest thing to do was to ape Bollywood actors," explains Kapoor.
And, if "KBC" has three helplines, the Filmy version has three "pipelines" - "audience jhol", "kaun hai fiend" and "sexy 20". The show has two segments - "Jumma Ka Chumma", "Kholi No.420" and "Maa Ka Aashirwad". After every two segments, the participant loses and exits the show, paving the way for another celebrity spoof character to start playing with Ruk Ruk Khan.
Talking about the timing of the show, Kapoor says, "We didn't want to tamper with the three time bands for our movies, as viewers now more or less are familiar with them. So the time left to air the show was 7.30 p.m., not prime time, but just before the start of the Sunday evening movie." Kapoor is hopeful of picking good ratings as the first episode of Filmy's "KBC" was followed by Nagesh Kukoonor's much-acclaimed latest film, "Dor".
"Yet another new film we will show on Filmy is the Bhojpuri film starring Amitabh Bachchan, `Ganga'. It will be shown in March," he adds.
Meanwhile, Grover is ready to bet that viewers will get hooked to his "KBC" simply because "of its great entertainment value", adding, "aur Main Hoon Na... Ruk Ruk Khan!"
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