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The flashy glass stage is lit pale yellow from below, and from the ceiling come beams of piercing blue light. The audience is hushed as the spotlight falls on Amitabh Bachchan, a tall, dashing Indian movie star and heartthrob of yesteryear, standing at the stage entrance (see BW Online, 7/28/00, "A Talk with Amitabh Bachchan, the Regis Philbin of India"). The goateed Bachchan, wearing a formal blue suit (shades of Regis), puts his arm around a young lady and to thundering applause, they stride together onto the set. "Thank you, thank you," his deep voice resonates, switching between Hindi and English. "Welcome to Kaun Banega Crorepati. Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" He guides the young lady contestant gallantly to her chair opposite him and introduces her. It's showtime.
This scene, played night after night on Indian TV screens, has taken the subcontinent by storm. Ever since July 3, when Kaun Banega Crorepati -- the Hindi translation for the popular game show -- debuted, it has smashed all viewership records, capturing 40% of the 30 million satellite households. The show -- which the promoter, Hong Kong-based Star TV, spent an estimated $20 million to develop -- airs for an hour in prime time, four days a week.
The Indian version of Millionaire empties the streets of towns and cities, as millions stop what they're doing to watch. Movie theaters have changed their schedules, and towns with chronic power outages have made sure the juice is restored in time for the show. Wannabe contestants and audiences participants have been burning up the phone lines to Star's offices: Star has received 18 million calls since the show began. And ad spots are selling for $3,000 for 10 seconds, way above normal rates. On July 24, the craze hit such a fever pitch that, after receiving nearly 3 million calls in an hour, the phone lines crashed.
ENTRANCED AUDIENCES. Everyone is delighted. Execs at Star TV, the channel owned by Australian tycoon Rupert Murdoch, are ecstatic, enjoying its new popularity and anticipating healthy returns on its investment. "This is what we've been working towards," says an exultant Sameer Nair, head of programming for Star in India. The two state-owned telephone companies are happy, too: They've earned at least $7.5 million in three weeks and are looking forward to more. Bachchan will make about $3.5 million after recording 130 shows -- money he badly needs to help clear the debts of his failed entertainment company, Amitabh Bachchan Corp. And of course, there are the contestants vying for big bucks, and all the viewers who think they could win a million, too.
But in India, the prize is 10 million rupees, which is about $225,000. Still, that's an enormous amount in a country where annual per capita GDP is just $400. So far, 30 contestants have won a total of $227,000, way below Star's allocation of $60 million for prize money.
An equally big attraction is movie star Bachchan. His compelling personality and rumbling voice keep contestants and audiences entranced. Kajal Sharma, a middle-class housewife from Bombay who won $2,000 at a recent show, says she came because she idolizes Bachchan. "I came for him. The money comes second," says the starry-eyed winner.
SWEET REVENGE. The star himself is astonished at his huge success, and attributes it to the "intrinsic strength of the show. All you need is someone who reads English off the computer."
Maybe so. But for Murdoch, the hit show is sweet revenge: After six desolate years, his $150 million investment in Indian television has been vindicated. For years, Star has limped behind, a distant third to cable competitors Sony and the local Zee network. When Murdoch visited India in February, he warned his staff he "never wanted to see those sliding ratings again." For a while, at least, he won't have to worry.
By Manjeet Kripalani in Bombay Edited by Thane Peterson
Copyright 2000, by The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. All rights reserved.
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