‘Shah Rukh Khan thinks on his feet; Salman Khan’s bad boy image changed after Dus Ka Dum’, says Siddharth Basu

Shah Rukh Khan is a sharp and witty person who thinks on his feet, quizmaster Siddharth Basu has said. Siddharth worked with SRK on his most popular show Kaun Banega Crorepati. The 14th season of Kaun Banega Crorepati concluded last year and the registrations for the 15th season are currently on. (Also read: Amitabh reveals why he couldn’t be part of Kalki 2898 AD panel at Comic-Con)

Kaun Banega Crorepati began with Amitabh Bachchan as the host and he also did the second season of the show. In 2007, Shah Rukh stepped in Amitabh’s shoes for the third season. However, Amitabh was back in the fourth season and has continued in the role ever since.

Talking about his hosts on Kaun Banega Crorepati, Siddharth told The Lallantop, “Shah Rukh Khan is sharp, very witty. He thinks on his feet. Attitude ke hisab see.., log Amit ji paas aate the (folding his hands in a namaste) pairo mein… aur Shah Rukh ko khule arms ke saath (Attitude wise, people would fall at Amit ji’s feet and meet Shah Rukh with open arms). That was the attitude.”

Asked about Salman Khan, who was the host on Siddharth’s Dus Ka Dum, the quizmaster added, “Salman ka audience ke saath alag hi connect hai kyunki logo ka uske saath bada connect hai. Humne jab Dus Ka Dum kiya, uska image public mein ekdum badal gaya. Usse pehle public mein uska image bad boy wala tha. Bada dildaar aadmi hai, he really takes care. To uska connection hi kuch aur hai and people accept him like that (Salman has a different connection with the audience….he has a connection with people. When we did Dus Ka Dum, his public image changed completely. Before that, he had the image of a bad boy. He is a very generous man and he really takes care (of the people around him). So, his connection is something different, and people accept him like that).”

Recalling the time when he looked at auditions for the job of the show host, Siddharth said that the makers were discussing names and auditions when he was told ‘What if we can get Amitabh Bachchan?’. He added that his ‘jaw dropped’ at that very moment.

Siddharth also said that Kaun Banega Crorepati has been a life-changing experience – not just for him or Amitabh Bachchan but for the TV industry and the audience as well.