Aamir Khan fails to beat Big B Amitabh Bachchan
The verdict is out. Aamir Khan’s much-talked about show Satyamev Jayate has clocked an opening TVR (Television Rating) of 3 on Star Plus, which is fair, but certainly not overwhelming.So, it’s time again to review who is the superstar of the small screen, now that most biggies of Bollywood have made their foray in tellyland as hosts.
Let’s start with the baap of them all. Amitabh Bachchan indeed changed the face of television with Kaun Banega Crorepati in 2000 and also changed the fortunes of Star Plus. When Shah Rukh Khan took over from Bachchan in the third season of the channel’s flagship show he too managed to generate good ratings.
But he failed to recreate that magic in his third innings as the host of Zor Ka Jhatka Total Wipe Out on Imagine TV. His frenemy, Salman Khan with his TV debut with Dus Ka Dum had viewers glued to the idiot box. But Big B’s return to KBC in the fourth season on Sony Entertainment Television, proved beyond doubt that he was the badshaah of the small screen.
Aamir’s debut TV show – which was awaited with bated breath – clocked an opening TVR of 3, which lags behind the many debut TVRs of shows hosted by his Bollywood counterparts. The expectations from SJ were huge because of the secrecy surrounding it.
No one knew what his show was about till the first episode aired. The immense curiosity coupled with catchy promos and a month-long publicity blitz had created a lot of hype. Khan’s fans and critics alike switched on their TV sets at 11 am on May 6 but the TVR was not record-breaking.
Perhaps because the subject is serious, or it’s the weekend morning slot that is to blame? One can analyse and debate that but for now it is the numbers that everyone is focusing on. Here’s a quick look at other actors’ report cards on TV.