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Silver Anniversary of a Marriage Made for TV

June 22, 2025

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The New Indian Express Vijayawada

AMEER Nair, the programme head of Star TV back in 2000, recalls Amitabh Bachchan being his first and only choice to be the host of the Hindi version of the popular game show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?

- NAMRATA JOSHI

AMEER Nair, the programme head of Star TV back in 2000, recalls Amitabh Bachchan being his first and only choice to be the host of the Hindi version of the popular game show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? The franchise was being launched in India as Kaun Banega Lakhpati—till Star TV's owner at the time, Rupert Murdoch, decided to add two zeroes to the figure in a matter of "seven seconds", as Nair puts it.

Most thought it was a bad idea for a larger-than-life superstar of the big screen to constrict himself to the idiot box. That it might make him lose his aura. But 25 years later, on the show's last episode of the 16th season telecast on March 11, the 82-year-old exuberantly arrived at the sets to open the proceedings of "Gyaan ka rajat mahotsav" (silver anniversary of knowledge). His appeal is, evidently, far from diminished after all these.

"Amit ji brought gravitas to the show... The deep baritone, magnetic eyes, dramatic pauses and booming laugh—all added to the magical entertainment," sums up Nair. Add to it Bachchan's impeccable enunciation and literary disposition and you have an idol for the aspirational Indian middle class.

المزيد من القصص من The New Indian Express Vijayawada

The New Indian Express Vijayawada

Delhi airport traffic in Apr-Oct falls 3.5% due to upgrade, airspace closure

GMR Airports Limited reported a 3.5% year-on-year decline in passenger traffic at its flagship Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) for the first seven months of the current fiscal due to year runway upgrade and airspace closure, according to a mandatory filing with the stock exchanges.

time to read

1 min

November 17, 2025

The New Indian Express Vijayawada

V-P hails 'guardian of the public purse' on 5th Audit Diwas

VICE-President and Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, CP Radhakrishnan, on Sunday hailed the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) as the \"guardian of the public purse,\" emphasising its crucial role in safeguarding public funds and promoting good governance.

time to read

1 min

November 17, 2025

The New Indian Express Vijayawada

Govt plans to take 'Incredible India' to newer markets with rebranding

THE Ministry of Tourism has launched efforts for rebranding one of its most successful campaigns-Incredible India-to target new markets.

time to read

2 mins

November 17, 2025

The New Indian Express Vijayawada

KERALA RISES IN REFORMS BUT GROUND REALITY LAGS

K ERALA'S achievement in improving the investment climate is laudable, considering it was long seen as business-unfriendly.

time to read

1 mins

November 17, 2025

The New Indian Express Vijayawada

The New Indian Express Vijayawada

BHU researchers revive timeless rice variety 'Adam Chini' with innovation

FARMERS in the eastern districts of Uttar Pradesh are seeing their dreams take flight with the revival of the aromatic black rice variety, Adamchini.

time to read

1 mins

November 17, 2025

The New Indian Express Vijayawada

Kremlin says Kyiv briefed on summit terms

A top Kremlin aide on Sunday said that the conclusions of the Alaska summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump were communicated to Kiev, adding that Moscow is maintaining contacts with Washington on the issue.

time to read

1 min

November 17, 2025

The New Indian Express Vijayawada

Zelenskyy spearheads bid to revive Russia prisoner swaps

UKRAINE is working to resume prisoner exchanges with Russia that could bring home 1,200 Ukrainian prisoners, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday, a day after his national security chief announced progress in negotiations.

time to read

1 min

November 17, 2025

The New Indian Express Vijayawada

Colour and song return to climate talks in Brazil

THE gypsies invariably brought colour and magic to the grey city of Macondo in One Hundred Years of Solitude. Belém is no Macondo living in isolation and innocence, neither are the indigenous people and climate activists who joined the \"Great People's March\"on Saturday at halfway point of the UN climate summit the wandering Roma.

time to read

1 min

November 17, 2025

The New Indian Express Vijayawada

Comorbidities and Impact on Seizure Control in Patients Over 65

In patients over 65, epilepsy is frequently accompanied by multiple comorbidities, most notably depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, and stroke, which together have a complex and significant impact on seizure control and overall health outcomes.

time to read

1 min

November 17, 2025

The New Indian Express Vijayawada

The New Indian Express Vijayawada

'The answer is us': Indigenous groups protest

HERE in Brazil, marchers revelled in their right to be heard, their voices rising in a city chosen precisely to focus the world's attention on the Amazon and its defenders.

time to read

2 mins

November 17, 2025

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