'I am a little nervous'
Excerpts from an exclusive interview with Amitabh Bachchan.
You are coming back to the small screen after four years…
I think for all creative artists, it is always valuable to be going into spheres you have never been before. Challenges for a creative artist are a must for growth; doing television again, albeit in a different format, is a challenge for me.
How difficult is this new challenge going to be?
I am a little nervous. Even now if I have to go for a film shoot or a photo shoot, I am apprehensive and so I am apprehensive about myself again on TV. Apprehensive because I do not know how I am going to get accepted. We are unsure of what the audience will think of us because eventually they are the ones who are going to decide whether we are good, bad or terrible.
It’s a judgment that they pass. Just like every Friday I used to wait for the outcome of my film release, from October onwards now on Bigg Boss-3 every Friday will be a judgment day for me because that’s the day I will be on air... (But) firstly I need to take care of my health to be able to do the show and make sure that I look presentable.
Has your contract with STAR Plus been completely dissolved?
Yes it has been. I had just a few episodes left. I could not continue because I fell ill. But all that has been sorted out amicably. The contract with Colors is an exclusive one for this season of Bigg Boss-3.
Can you demystify the concept of “Pop Philosopher” that you will be playing in Bigg Boss-3?
There is no mystery to it. The whole idea of the “pop philosopher” was something that I initiated during my several meetings with Colors. I thought it to be very interesting to examine why people behave the way they do when subjected to extreme circumstances. If this were to be assessed, analysed and fed back to them, what would be the result?
Would they come out as better humans, would we be able to project that to a larger section of the television viewers? Could we then expect a better understanding of their conduct? That is what we intend to incorporate in some ways in the show. While we cannot change the format of the show, we can try and incorporate some elements of introspection, which would, perhaps, be a novelty.
Just as things changed for STAR Plus when they signed you on for Kaun Banega Crorepati, do you think you can create the same magic for Colors as well?
I do not know. I don’t get into any venture with this intention that I am going to turn the fortunes of the channel. I would be very happy if it turns my own fortune around. I would just like to perform diligently and deliver the goods. And, if the goods perform well at the box office I will be happy.
