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STAR seeks a desperate fit for Shah Rukh in ‘KBC’
The second film promoting ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ traces Shah Rukh Khan’s life, highlighting his inquisitive attitude as a child, as a means to get people to participate on the much-hyped game show
Since the day Shah Rukh Khan was announced as the host of ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati—III’, replacing the hugely popular Amitabh Bachchan, speculation has been rife on whether Khan will be able to create the same magic as his predecessor.
| The kid questions, "Uncle, uncle, ye neechey karne se kya hoga?" |
Questioning a man, accompanied by a woman, at a party, “Ye doosri waali aunty hai na?” |
Asking another question in high school. |
Mumbai, the place where he arrives to get the answers to his questions. |
At the barber shop, amazed at the questions being asked of him. |
On the hot seat. |
“Kuchh sawaal zindagi badal saktey hain.” |
The film traces the journey of SRK’s life right from the time he was an inquisitive kid till he was stumped by even more curious people in the city. His questions emerged in the classrooms, in the lift, at parties and everywhere you could imagine. His questions always irritated, amused, embarrassed and perplexed everyone around him. But he almost never got the answers to his questions.
The film then depicts the second phase of his life, when he and his mass of questions sets foot in the city of dreams, Mumbai. And that’s when he discovers the questioning nature of the city, leaving him amazed, but not devoid of an opportunity.
In the next scene, Khan is seated on the hot seat, ready to question the world, implying that his questioning nature has paid off. “Kuchh sawaal zindagi badal saktey hain (Some questions can change your life),” he declares.
Ajay Vidyasagar, executive V-P, marketing and communication, STAR India, agrees that the film is aimed to strike an emotional connect between the viewers and Khan. But he adds quickly that the communication also announces the new season of ‘KBC’.
Vidyasagar believes strongly that with Khan as its host, the game show will be as endearing to the youth as it is for the family.
Sagar Mahabaleshwarkar, creative director, O&M, the agency which conceptualised the film, voices a similar view. “Yes, this film is SRK centric,” he says.
But it was a challenge for O&M to portray Khan in an interesting way while maintaining the essence of the communication. “Shah Rukh has brought different brand values to the show, whether it is through his style/persona or his fan followers,” says Mahabaleshwarkar.
The film takes further the first promo rolled out by STAR for ‘KBC’, ‘Aapki zindagi kis sawaal se badlegi (Which question will change your life)?’
This communication is remarkably different from the earlier ‘KBC-Singer’ commercial. Mahabaleshwarkar agrees, “We consciously wanted to change the communication while retaining the core values of the show.” He explains that unlike this one, the earlier TVCs were jingle based with complementary visuals.
This long commercial will be followed by another one, with a similar storyline but different situations, and then there will be a final communication featuring Khan talking to the viewers. The marketing activities, which are yet to roll out, will include press, on-ground activities and the Internet.
© 2007 agencyfaqs!