/>Siddharth Basu On The Sesismic Change On KBC & Other Upheavals.

Q: How did you enjoy producing your first dance show Jhalak Dikhla Jaa?
A: It was great fun. I enjoyed doing it even at such a short notice. Sony is keen on a second innings. As for the ratings, Sony had their own reasons for putting it on at 10 pm. Personally I felt should've been put in an earlier slot. That made a key difference.

I'd have been pleased with higher ratings. I must say it was a far bigger talking point among urban viewers than was reflected in the TRPs. The highest viewership for Jhalak... was Category A who aren't necessary metred for TRPs but have great buying power.

Q: Big Boss?
A: Again numbers don't reflect its viewership. It's a demographic non-ecompassing rating.

Q: People expected bigger celebrities on Bigg Boss.
A: Frankly, I had reservations about the format per se. T.S Eliot was right when he said we've too much reality in India. We tend to look away. In the West looking into someone's window is a voyeuristic delight. However the success of Bigg Boss doesn't depend on celebrities in any part of the world.

Even out West they took on junior artistes and so on. Moreover the whole concept behind Bigg Boss is artificial. Contestants can't make phone calls, can't take a siesta, can't read or watch tv. So all sorts of bizarre things start happening.In Holland they start having sex. Here we can't have that.

Q: KBC ...and its dramatic change?
A: Shah Rukh Khan was always the most obvious alternative. And I've said that for a long time. However I was only informed by Star last week about the change. Having said so, I think it's great choice, though only as an alternative to Mr Bachchan. AB has been ambivalent about doing KBC again.

One part of him says he's done enough of KBC. But I kept urging him to do it. He achieved a certain effect that the show required. By the second innings he was really enjoying himself. I feel he was much more relaxed with the crew, etc the second time.

But after his sudden illness whenever I met him I kept asking him to do it again. I've heard he had other commitments. I'm also told that as far back as July he had written to Star and told them he doesn't want to do it. Once they got a fix on Shah Rukh, Star went ahead with it.

Q: So why Shah Rukh?
A: Because he's a smart and young people's person. He's charming and cheeky. He's very willing to prepare hard. A lot of reservations about being an anchor. Shah Rukh has none of the anxieties that most actors have about anchoring. The tone tenor texture will change with Shah Rukh.

Change at the anchoring level is inevitable on KBC. It's happened in 106 countries. But I still get goose pimples when I see what AB did on KBC. His not returning to KBC is just one of those things. It wasn't meant to be.

Q: But Indian viewers are a sentimental lot. To them KBC is synonymous with Mr Bachchan.
A: I suppose so. Even in his second innings the ratings were higher than the first innings. Look, that initial euphoria of the first innings when streets were empty, was missing in the second innings. But in terms of viewership the second innings was better.

However it took a knock when Mr Bachchan fell ill and the show had to be terminated. I think AB was awesome. If he wanted to continue, there was no question of looking elsewhere. Having said that, I must say the format has legs.

The essential drama of the drama plus Shah Rukh will carry it forward. At the press conference with Shah Rukh the girls were going crazy. It will have a younger zingy feel. And the viewership today is young...between 18 to 34.

Q: Is Reality tv the new high for home viewers?
A: For how long do you think truth will remain stranger than fiction? I strictly feel the unscripted format has a limited shelf life. The world over the deathly sameness of Santa Barbara and The Bold & The Beautiful was countered by reality tv.

But that's just one of the currents. Reality TV won't over-take anything. The glamour of the 'tit' and the 'grit' will run out. There'll always be room for soaps.

Q: What next ?
A: I'm sure you're aware our company Synergy has gone into collaboration with Adlabs for KBC. They own 51 percent of our company now. Let's see what happens. I've my fingers crossed.