In The Time Of Change…

Again the time for comparisions. News of Kaun Banega Karodpathi 3(KBC 3) being up next on STAR’s agenda has been doing rounds for quite some time now. And this time host is different, King Khan of Bollywood. Big B’s success as TV show host from the previous two parts of KBC is evident. With his charisma having a magical effect still on the audience as well as the contestants, Shah Rukh Khan’s task is deemed to be a tough one. Already Radio One 94.3 has started comical series ‘KBC Ki Paathshaala’ on air with SRK getting tips from AB.

When an actor, host establishes a niche for himself in the mind of the audience and it is hard for the other person, if any, to get into the shoes of the originator. You just can’t get away with comparisions between the two which are inevitable. Thus when we think of KBC, Big B is always there in mind. This is even true with characters played by the actors. Sometimes the role played by actors becomes so popular that they become synonymous with their roles. For India, I think Nitish Bharadwaj who played the role of Lord Krishna in TV serial Mahabharath is the invisible god personified. After that, so many mythological TV serials have been there with Lord Krishna being one of the characters but it is hard to accept him in place of Nitish. Ditto the role of Swamy played by Manjunath in the TV serial Malgudi Days directed by Shankar Nag who is the perfect face for those who are looking for the visual picture of Swamy while reading RK Narayan’s Malgudi Days. And in recent times how can one forget the hugely popular role of Circuit played by Arshad Warsi in Munna Bhai MBBS and Lage Raho Munna Bhai. After that you don’t want to see any one else playing the role of Swamy or Circuit. Can we say it for the James Bond as well with new bond Daniel Craig not being well received in place of Pierce Brosnan?

Early advantage is always there. And when the character or role is played by the actor successfully, it becomes the bench mark for the rest to follow. That is what has happened in the KBC case. Audience expects the role to be better enacted than the previous one. Most of the times audience resist even the slightest change in the role and that is why most of the times sequels with role played by a different actor fails. But what I feel in the KBC case is that in SRK’s case, he should be left alone to don the role in his own way with his own charisma and not simply emulate anyone else.

What are your thoughts on it? Put them in your comments.