SRK's youthful effervescence on KBC clouds memories of Big B

New Delhi, Feb 2 (UNI) He may modestly consider himself ''too small to step into the shoes of the Shehanshah of Bollywood'' but King Khan's youthful effervescence and his disarming candour have made him a more than worthy successor to the "seemingly irreplaceable" Amitabh Bachchan as the host of the popular game show Kaun Banega Crorepati'.

The royal elegance and the "larger-than-life" aura that marked the stint of the Big B as host of the KBC is all set to be relegated into obsolescence with the current heartthrob Shahrukh Khan leaving television audiences all over the country floored over the last few days with his "youthful irreverence" and "tongue-in-cheek" humour as the new "friendly host" of the show.

The past week has given the contestants on the hot seat of KBC experience "first hand" the famous charm of the 'King Khan', which has made him the most loved Indian across the globe.

To those who have grown up on the larger-than-life persona and the tremendous grace of the Big B, it may come across as a shock to witness the 'King Khan' do things like massaging a contestant's shoulders, giving the computer a nickname ('Compaq Da' or 'Compaq Garu'), gift his personal Tag Huer watch to Navraj from Muzaffarpur who was feeling dejected after coming down from Rs 3,20,000 to just Rs 20000, romancing a lady from Delhi on-screen and accepting her marriage proposal, giving flying kisses to the mother of a lecturer from Jind and giving many a warm hug to the participants.

But for the contestants on the show as well as TV viewers across the country, it is precisely this energy, enthusiasm and youthfulness that Shahrukh brings to the show that have endeared him to one and all and smitten them by his infectious charm.

It is perhaps a reflection of Shahrukh's ability to put the contestants at ease with his infectious effervescence and friendly banter that even stern looking and serious contestants on the hot seat like Navraj from Muzaffarpur and a teacher Padmaja Limaya from Maharashtra have been seen to open up in no time due to the 'King Khan's enthusiastic, warm, magnetic and approachable demeanor.

This was apparent as Navraj, who appeared on the show on January 29, was barely audible in the beginning but soon enough was laughing and excitedly participating in the show. For the stern and serious teacher Padmaja Limaya, too, being on the KBC hot seat would have been a memorable experience. In fact, Shahrukh had even the otherwise somber Padmaja open up in no time due to the disarming candour displayed by the King Khan and his witty repartees like "I have always wanted to make a teacher nervous. Here is my chance".

Shahrukh seems to have given an altogether new identity to the show, till now considered synonymous with Mr Amitabh Bachchan, with his childlike innocence and use of common man lingo that mark his interactions with the contestants on the hot seat.

Paving the way for the transformation is the fact that words like 'Computerji', 'Lock Kiya Jaye' and 'Sure, Confident", which had become embedded in public psyche over the past few years during Big B's stint as show host, are being fast replaced in realm of public consciousness with an altogether new vocabulary comprising of words like 'Computer Da' or 'Computer Garu' (depending on the background of the contestants), 'Freeze kar Do', 'kachcha Kachhca' or 'Pakka Pakka' and 'Gale Mil Le'.

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