TRPs are not my area of interest: Amitabh Bachchan

He’s back! The man who earlier quizzed you now returns to the small screen after four years in a completely different avatar. Amitabh Bachchan, who redefined TV viewing as host of Kaun Banega Crorepati, is set to host the third season of Bigg Boss. The actor isn’t exactly a host but he’s been designated as the ‘Pop philosopher’. Bachchan, who turns 67 on 11 October, spoke briefly to the media at the show’s press conference. Excerpts. What’s a ‘Pop philosopher? This word has been coined by the channel. Colors approached me to do Bigg Boss and before I gave the nod I asked myself as to what value, what uniqueness can I bring to it? You’re locked in a house for 85 days with absolutely no contact from the outside world. During this period an individual will go a through variety of emotions. Some behave angrily and you wonder why he/she is doing this? Individuals react differently to such situations. You can’t prevent them, but it’s important to bring out the essence of these situations and relate it with ourselves. This is my philosophy. The channel liked it and they framed it as ‘Pop philosophy.’ Doesn’t anchoring such a show require you to play a different role? I don’t look upon myself as an anchor here. Out here, I’m just more of an informer. I’ll be announcing the evicted every week and then I’ll be having a chat with the evictee on his/her stay in the house. The channel head says that you have been assigned the task of decoding the emotions of the inmates. For one who keeps his life very private, will you feel comfortable asking personal questions to the inmates? Decoding the emotions may not necessarily be personal. Certain behaviour can be talked about in general terms but it needn’t be personalised. If there is any barrier in any individual then we must respect his/her privacy. But for instance, if there are two inmates who become a couple during the show. Would you be comfortable in speaking about this behaviour? This is something which we’ll know once the show is on air. However, you can’t be asking whether you seeing someone. As I said before, you generalise a situation which may be taken individually but not necessarily cross the barrier. During such a situation if any social or moral issue can be brought up then we’d like to touch upon it. KBC was not just a popular show but it also raked in high TRPs. Do you feel the pressure to generate high numbers for Bigg Boss too? TRPs are not my area of interest. That’s for the channel. I’ve given a parameter and I have to work within it. The channel will alert me if I’m crossing my boundary. Doesn’t an edgy show like Bigg Boss go against your image? I’ll be lying to myself if I say that I’m doing this show to maintain my image. You don’t work for your image. I always do things which I feel is right. I’ve never bothered about what one thinks of it.