Bollywood Instyle

There was a lot of talk whether Shah Rukh Khan will be able to step into the big shoes of Big B when he decided to conduct Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) made so famous by Amitabh Bachchan. King Khan has gone on to win hearts through his spontaneity, panache and good humor. His unpredictability, warmth and genuine love for people actually shows. He loves to call people by names that he loves to give them; in that, Guggilla became Gugs for Shah Rukh, and nobody minded that. Creating a personal rapport and equation with candidates at the hot seat is what endears the superstar to the audience. His high fives and warm hugs, and accepting a woman participant’s marriage proposal (all in good humor, of course!) marks how unpredictable and fun-loving can the show get.

Where Amitabh Bachchan brought an air of dignity to the show, Shah Rukh has added a new dimension of fun and laughter to KBC. He even went ahead and parted with his big brand wrist watch presenting it to one of the spellbound participants. Gugs, the beneficiary, said that he would in return present the superstar with a gold watch that his wife had presented to him on their wedding. Such emotions are what Shah Rukh Khan is able to generate through his warmth and generosity.

There is no point in having comparisons between two top people belonging to different generations. Amitabh is Amitabh and Shah Rukh is Shah Rukh. Both are respected and loved for the jobs that they do. Amitabh did a colossal job with KBC, and Shah Rukh is doing his in his own inimitable way. So, leave them alone, and let them be.

Big Mouth Jade Goody had to bid goodbye to Big Brother after creating quite a furor by her racist comments on Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty. The Shetty girl, riding high on a sympathy wave, had millions gunning for her tormentor Jade. According to estimates, more than five million viewers voted out the illiterate former nurse.

The response was terrific and unprecedented with 82% votes confirming Goody’s eviction from the reality show. Goody did manage some sympathy votes after she cried on the show claiming she was not racist. After the results of eviction were announced, Jade hugged Shilpa and said: “I’ll be alright. I know why it is. It’s because of what I said the other day.”

Chancellor Gordon Brown, on a visit to India told Sky TV that there was strong support for Shilpa, and they were doing enough to get the message across. He said that showing solidarity to Shilpa’s cause was one way of demonstrating Britain’s tolerance and fairness.

Earlier, a major sponsor had withdrawn its support, which spread panic among the Channel 4 ranks. This prompted the Big Brother honcho to playact a rapprochement between the aggressor and victim. The executives went into damage control and in a 90-minute session they extracted a statement from Shetty saying that she did not feel a victim of racial taunts. They also forced Goody to apologize for her conduct. But, the damage had been done, and no amount of post-event sootheners was going to assuage the hurt sentiments.

Ratings shot through the roof, and to beat the accusation of profiteering from the sordid drama, the channel declared that money from the eviction vote in millions will go to charity.