Ga onbeperkt met Magzter GOLD
Krijg onbeperkte toegang tot meer dan 9000 tijdschriften, kranten en Premium-verhalen voor slechts
Poging GOUD - Vrij
Silver Anniversary of a Marriage Made for TV
The New Indian Express Kochi
|June 22, 2025
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?
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.
Dit verhaal komt uit de June 22, 2025-editie van The New Indian Express Kochi.
Abonneer u op Magzter GOLD voor toegang tot duizenden zorgvuldig samengestelde premiumverhalen en meer dan 9000 tijdschriften en kranten.
Bent u al abonnee? Aanmelden
MEER VERHALEN VAN The New Indian Express Kochi
The New Indian Express Kochi
Constitution a guiding vision for India's rise, says Prez
PRESIDENT Droupadi Murmu and Vice-President C P Radhakrishnan reminded the nation on Constitution Day on Wednesday that India's democratic spirit, rooted in its people and its Constitution, continues to guide the country's ambitious journey toward becoming a developed nation.
1 mins
November 27, 2025
The New Indian Express Kochi
Reservation row in J&K as Open Merit gets 40% quota of finance dept posts
THE row over reservation policies in Jammu and Kashmir has flared up again after the Finance Department advertised 600 posts of Accounts Assistants, with only 240 of those allocated to the Open Merit (OM) category.
1 mins
November 27, 2025
The New Indian Express Kochi
Setback to global HIV response due to fund cuts
THE global response to HIV has suffered its most significant setback in decades, warns a new UNAIDS report released ahead of World AIDS Day 2025.
2 mins
November 27, 2025
The New Indian Express Kochi
India trashes Pak's Ram temple swipe
INDIA on Wednesday strongly rejected Pakistan's criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's participation in a ceremony at the Ram temple in Ayodhya, asserting that Islamabad, with its \"deeply stained record\" on minority rights, lacks the \"moral standing to lecture others.
1 mins
November 27, 2025
The New Indian Express Kochi
Lost empire: Gambhir times for India
AS soon as Marco Jansen ran behind and took the catch to condemn India to their worst Test defeat in history (in terms of runs), attention and the focus had turned towards multiple things.
1 mins
November 27, 2025
The New Indian Express Kochi
Rahul says will uphold federalism, 'won't allow attack on Constitution'
ON the 76th Constitution Day, several Opposition parties including Congress, Trinamool Congress (TMC) and DMK, reaffirmed their resolve to protect the Constitution and uphold federalism.
1 min
November 27, 2025
The New Indian Express Kochi
CJI says will 'consider' petition to revive NJAC, end collegium system
THE Supreme Court on Wednesday said that it will consider a plea to revive the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) to replace the current collegium system for appointment of judges in the higher judiciary.
1 mins
November 27, 2025
The New Indian Express Kochi
Hand-drawn lines of power
OHRAN Mamdani.
2 mins
November 27, 2025
The New Indian Express Kochi
Kharif season: Record production of rice, but oilseeds & pulse output down
THE agriculture ministry said the country's rice production during the kharif season that ended in October reached a record 124.
1 mins
November 27, 2025
The New Indian Express Kochi
Reimagining the AMERICAN DREAM
KARLA Murthy's documentary The Gas Station Attendant is an intimate and compassionate portrait of her migrant father, HN Shantha Murthy, and his incredible journey, as a child, from his village near Bengaluru to Texas.
3 mins
November 27, 2025
Listen
Translate
Change font size