The great comedy show!

Kaun Banega Crorepati popularly known as “KBC” Indian television's biggest general awareness/knowledge show aired in India by Sony Television is based on the United Kingdom game show - Who wants to be a Millionaire?

Back with the ninth season that commenced late last month hosted by India’s biggest superstar, Mr. Amitabh Bachchan undoubtedly creates magic with the iconic phrases “Deviyon aur Sajjano” and “Lock kiya jaye”.

KBC over the years has become a platform where the common man’s dream finds its voice. A platform where one can make big money simply by general awareness and knowledge if selected. The selection process by the organizers is very thorough, stringent and cumbersome to draw the best brains to showcase to the world.

The show has scaled unimaginable levels of popularity among the Indian masses since its inception over fifteen years back with every season and episodes drawing high TRP (Television Rating Point) for the broadcasting channel.

Having said this, without prejudice to anybody, in lighter vein I feel this season of the KBC is turning out as a “Great Comedy Show”. It appears the KBC is eyeing to take the space of the recently off air The Kapil Sharma Comedy Show on the Sony TV Channel to entertain audience with humorous characters having extremely poor or no IQ level selected as contestants. It surprises beyond imagination seeing the low knowledge base of the participants that have appeared so far in this season. Needless to say but it speaks low of selection criteria as well. It is also difficult to digest how such low knowledge and IQ base candidates could clear the KBC's stringent and cumbersome tests.

This season has witnessed most of the contestants reaching the “Hot Seat” of the KBC to play the game with superstar Mr. Bachchan having poor general and basic knowledge with at times no clue of happenings around them.

Watching the KBC show with my family for the past two weeks since it started, we have been continuously amused to witness not one but many comic characters that have appeared in the game show for reason of their poor general knowledge, indifferent behavior, posing funnily, acting funnily and above all showing their silliness while answering questions.

I am sure many among you must have noticed this and got equally amused witnessing the programme. Seeing these characters one enjoy the moment but it definitely lower the show standards.

I could not resist writing this piece and sharing with all the September 12 episode of the KBC which was one of the unique ones of this season due to the absurd answers provided by a contestant not less than a comic character. While I enjoyed it thoroughly laughing my heads off, rolling with laughter and not feeling absence of Kapil Sharma Show it certainly has dented reputation of the programme in my eyes.

What surprised, the contestant almost illiterate (introduced to have just the basic education with absolutely no worldly exposure limited to just milking cows and working in fields as daily chores) grabbing the Hot Seat. How that contestant cleared all the stringent screening levels pre-event and selected by the KBC team to appear among the ten contestants of that day is questionable.

Stupidly giggle sitting before Mr. Amitabh Bachchan, the limits reached when that contestant asked to tell the shape of the Indian national flag i.e whether it was Rectangular, Square and other shapes as mentioned in the question. This preliminary question went off head. After, much thinking, funnily posing, the contestant appeared clueless of what the question meant though repeated in Hindi and English for the ease of understanding. To the surprise of all the answer pointed out to “Square” as the shape of the Indian national flag. Dazed with the reply and IQ the host Mr. Bachchan virtually thumped his head in utter dismay.

It is disgraceful that a citizen of this country does not even know the shape of the national flag and playing in the KBC.

Not wanting to end the game on a stupid note Mr.Bachchan coaxed the contestant to take a lifeline if the answer was not known. Stupidity did not end here, instead of heeding to the advice of the host of taking a lifeline the contestant then point on “Rectangle” to be the answer, which though correct was a mere fluke. The entire sequence of this was so hilarious that anybody watching would have broken into laughter.

On being later asked by Mr.Bachchan why the lifeline was not opted the reply was to save it from being wasted. How silly!

It appeared Mr.Bachchan too was in a dilemma on this issue. The perplexed host asked the contestant how the tough fastest finger first question to reach the Hot Seat answered that too first among all; the contestant was unable to give a proper reply. It was an obvious fluke!

The laughter show with this candidate did not end here; the next question posed was very basic and pertained to a game played by four players. The answers were Chess, Ludo, Kabbadi and Kho-Kho. Totally zapped once again with the question it was first pointed as “Kabbaddi” and later “Chess” as the answers. The exercise to give clue again began by the host. Annoyingly with unwanted courtesy smile on face Mr. Bachchan asked to opt for a lifeline in the event the answer was not known. At the last moment a life line though provided the right answer in “Ludo” the candidate was really unworthy of the place.

The question is if a contestant does not have the basic knowledge to even recognize the shape of the national flag or is unable to answer a question as easy as the game of Ludo it is an amazing thing how he/she got selected for a show of the caliber of the KBC? I hope the popularity of KBC does not diminish with such incidences in the future.