Who is the real King Khan?
If TV ratings are anything to go by, it is Salman and not Shah Rukh! And Sallu has bested the Bollywood Badshah by a decent margin.
The game show he hosts on Sony, ‘Dus ka Dum’, was the numero uno on the first day, according to Amap’s six metro ratings. The show garnered an average TVR of 2.81 and a peak rating of 4.5. Shah Rukh’s show in Star Plus, ‘Kya Aap Paanchvi Paas Se Tez hai?’ came a distant second with an average rating of 1.37 TVR and a peak rating of 2.3. ‘Paanchvi Paas’, which had begun much earlier, got punched on the chin by the IPL cricket in the beginning and has now been mopped by a muscular Sallu. Amap, a TAM rival, is a widely followed TV-rating agency.
‘Dus ka Dum’ was launched on June 6. Hrithik Roshan’s ‘Junoon — Kuch Kar Dikhane Ka’, launched on the same day in NDTV Imagine, managed only an average TVR of 0.76; the peak rating was 1.1, much less than that of the one hosted by Shatrughan Sinha in Star One, ‘The Great Indian Laughter Challenge 4’. On day two of DKD, Salman Khan reigned supreme with an average TVR of 2.27 and a peak rating of 3.5 TVR. ‘Kya Aap Paanchvi Paas Se Tez hai?’ also picked up with the ratings.
What makes Salman’s show a success? Industry watchers say there is a novelty value in seeing him on the small screen, unlike Shah Rukh and Hrithik who have come on and off. Salman’s immense popularity with Indian households is also a factor.
His followers say it is the positive energy and cheer that he brings to the table that makes all the difference.Drawn on the lines of the US game show, ‘Power of 10’, ‘Dus ka Dum’ gives the contestants an opportunity to win Rs10 crore, the biggest prize money (to date) on Indian television, by answering just five questions. The contestant has to predict what would be the opinion of the Indian people. The prize money starts from Rs10,000. Thereafter wins grow by the power of 10 and losses shrink by the power of ten.
Salman Khan, it is believed, will cost Sony around Rs 90 crore. Akshay Kumar, though he is contracted for a single 16-episode season of 'Khatron Ke Khiladi’ (a ‘Fear Factor’ take-off) for Colors, the yet-to-be-launched channel, will be charging around Rs 15 crore-20 crore. Akshay will be starting off with 13 women celebrities.
Why are these channels running behind Bollywood stars? Aren’t they too expensive for the whims of the Idiot Box? Says Colours CEO Rajesh Kamat: “It is one way of cutting through the clutter and getting into Indian homes quickly.” That was just what happened to Star Plus, whose fortunes changed all of a sudden with Amitabh Bachchan’s mega hit ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’.
On the flip side, telly success has eluded most Bollywood bigwigs, including Anupam Kher, Manisha Koirala and Govinda. Shah Rukh-hosted KBC also had to flash a sad “The End”.
Source: India Syndicate
