Siddharth Basu

Amitabh Bachchan has reinvented himself with Kaun Banega Crorepati.

What an amazing actor who has developed himself into a terrific anchor.

He doesn't need heavy direction. Like a Rolls Royce or a Stradivarius violin, he is responsive to the lightest touch. My job and that of my team is to provide thorough and detailed inputs and support.

HE is a very private, reserved, serious person. And our association is purely professional.

Kaun Banega Crorepati was the brainchild of Sameer Nair, programme chief of Star TV -- also a serious Amitabh Bachchan fan.

He voiced the idea out loud to me. I said, if you can swing it, great!

Because AB combines style and class with incredible mass appeal. His stature, sense of drama, bilingual eloquence and burnished baritone make for brilliant TV host.

The credit for persuading him to come on TV goes to Sameer and Star TV. All the Cassandras cried he would be diminished by the small screen.

Fact is, he has enlarged it. And how!

YES, he had his share of apprehensions as the host of the show. In fact, he was concerned about it to the point of anxiety.

An actor is used to his script, learning his lines. Here, he had to go online with a minimal script for introductions alone, orient himself with the technology of a multi-camera recording, get into the nitty gritty of the format and game, equate with individuals with widely varying backgrounds. It was understandably gruelling.

Thus before the first recording, he had prepared himself thoroughly with discussions and rehearsals. Again and again and again. He does not go to a single recording without being thoroughly primed and prepared. Nor does he wind up without a review, which is wonderful for a director.

Whether the show can exist without Amitabh Bachchan or not is something that he has answered best himself. He has gone on record several times to acknowledge that the format is strong enough to survive a change of host. This is a globally successful format. Everyone knows that.

But once he was in, I could not see the show without him. He is the consummate performer -- in sync with the show and an incredible force.

HE reads everything about KBC that comes his way. He registers everything said to him. Fortunately, it has been bouquets all the way. The brickbats have been few and far between.

We all share KBC anecdotes and jokes and take pleasure in them, as long as they're not malicious.

Talent tempered with discipline. And complete commitment. That is Amitabh the professional for me.

He brings to the show a very classy mass appeal.

In fact, when Jayaji and Abhishek are around, he acts the host and shows them around.

I see KBC in future -- I see it standing alone. Its magic is in its globally proven format.

It is not just the money. It is not just the host. It is the magic.

Siddharth Basu spoke to Nidhi Taparia