Its going to be BIG BOSS for Colors and it was officially announced today to the media here at the Mariott Hotel in Singapore. The pictures below, give an idea of what the promotionals that I had been shooting for the show, are all about. This then is the decision taken. It starts in October and ends by December 2009.

Colors, a channel that started operations barely a year ago hosts the show and had been in meetings with me for a while to assess the possibilities of my being associated with BIG BOSS, the Indian version of the popular BIG BROTHER. I had been aware of the show and seen bits of it on and off, but when it came up as an offer for participation, I went into discussions with the management on how we could perhaps with my involvement, bring certain changes where my presence would compliment not just the concept but also in a sense those audiences that viewed it.

There has been an aspect of TV shows, ever since I got involved with KBC, that has intrigued me immensely - the science or the philosophy that goes into designing such concepts. I believe that no matter what the idea has been in the construct of such dimension, there is something that delves deeper, that thinks and reasons, that calculates and assesses the nature of human behavior.

‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire’ from where KBC emanated was the brain child of a very recognized psychologist. It was a remarkable feat to have studied how the human mind reacts to its intelligence quotient when threatened by the prospect of it being equated with material gain. Most intelligentsia is academic. To now bring it along and mix it with other inflammable elements inside a crucible and incarcerate it till the compounds melt together to form an object of competition and desire, was a work of art. At least to my mind.

It was this aspect that I debated over when discussing possibilities of my involvement in BIG BOSS with the Colors team. What does it do to the human mind or to an individual, when it is put into such severe circumstances as in the discussed program.

13 individuals, unknown to each other, watched and monitored closely by 35 cameras, put together for a period of 84 days without any contact with the outside world, into one house… how on earth did they devise such thought ?? Did they just get up one morning and start operations, was it it some ridiculous idea of a brain damaged person … what ??

I believe, that those that designed this show subjected themselves to a huge amount of research on what the human mind would react to if subjected to the rigors that BIG BOSS projects. And I believe the end result must have come about after believing that the possibilities of an interesting test to emanate from this needed to be considered.

How would you feel if you were deprived of your newspaper early in the morning. On days when the press shuts because of a National Holiday, our morning routine suddenly seems utterly disrupted. Imagine not being with a news paper for 84 days. Not having access to a mobile or any connectivity. No access to any form of entertainment through television or radio. No time pieces to ascertain what time it is.

And then …. when you come in after a week to assess why the inmates behaved the way they did, it becomes somewhat of a challenge. I felt if this ‘face’ for the show, could, instead of merely coming in there looking pretty to evict voted out contestant, be able to talk to the individuals and perhaps in his wisdom try to discover or unfold the reasons behind the behavior of certain inmates, it would go a long way in not only giving the participants an opportunity to re look at themselves for the following week, but also provide sufficient fodder to the audience that views the program. The idea is not to intellectualize the moment, not to become the messiah so to say, or an authoritative judge and jury, but a friendly philosopher, a ‘pop philosopher’ as nomenclatured by the channel, to leave something behind for perhaps a dining table discussion. For the contestants perhaps to consider what had been offered.

What is it that instigates temper, intolerance, assertiveness, emotion among us and how does it get related in a situation that the show exemplifies. Would it through debate and discussion elevate a situation or make it worse. Could it be possessing qualities of moral rectitude. Would it provide material that could induce an emulation of sorts. Fascinating !!

It was then this element of the show, the attention for which, the management needed to assure me of, before I would accept signing on. They appreciated the thought, assured all of their desire to take the concept to a higher level and got about the task of ensuring that it was brought into practice with renewed vigor.

From the look of the ‘face’, to the furniture within, to the modes of bringing in the contestants, all went through severe change. And I am happy to note that right from the start there has been a desire to make sure that what has been discussed is being executed.

The entire day therefore has been spent with the print and electronic media brought in here for the purpose. They have been pleasant and seemingly supportive. Ha ! They all look like that when in our presence. Its when they get back to office or home or wherever it is they file their stories from, that the journalist shall take over and the juice will start being poured in.

It was a pleasure to meet Poonam Saxena from Hindustan Times after a very long period. I think I last did something with her during the time of ‘Bade Mian, Chhote Mian’ or may be not, I cannot recollect. She had met up at one of the IIFA’s too. She writes an exclusive column on TV and I would imagine her next column would carry her interpretations of this Singapore visit. Bharti Dubey from Times, with a complete make over in hair and dress and glasses was difficult to recognize first, but when she started her questions, it confirmed to me that it was her indeed - edgy and with an intent to being naughty. I can almost read in my mind the quality of her content and the style with which it shall be presented. We’ve had a bit of a debate on her in one of the earlier posts, have we not !

I was unaware of the two magazines, Campaign and Impact. I found them to be extremely interesting in the sphere of marketing and advertising and branding. They contained very perceptive articles and write ups pertaining to the TV industry in particular and the communication market in general. They even had a few interviews of people that conduct interviews, which was most interesting to read. The questioner being questioned !

Rajiv Masand and Manish Dubey followed with their set of cameras for the electronic and as usual the questions very nearly tended to veer away from the reason they were there for. Manish’s hand held cameraman Sameer in particular seemed least interested in following our conversation and spent a major portion of his time focussing his lens on my shoes. It would be interesting to see how this could possibly form an important part of a story being done on BIG BOSS. Sarita from India TV shifted uncomfortably in her chair during her questioning and I knew why. She was more keen to talk about Aishwarya’s swine flu scare and what was transpiring in the life of Shah Rukh Khan, than BB ! The PR agency watching hawk like over every sentence spoken, jumped in and directed the lady to stick to the subject.

By tomorrow morning, the euphoria of me returning to TV shall have died down and instead what will now occupy most of the space, will be … why ? Merits and demerits of the show shall be rung in and the why’s shall prevail. In typical fashion after the acknowledgements are over, the daggers shall be pulled out …

No problems at all… we shall pull ours out as well … would we not ??

It is now closing on to 3 am on the Saturday. A gentle patter of rain is being heard on the windows, a steel door somewhere slides and shuts, slides and shuts…. slides and shuts, in most irritating manner…

Happy and prosperous wishes for ONAM …

And yes .. almost forgot .. ‘The Last Lear’ is slated to win the National Award for best film, English ..

My sincerest love and affection ..

Amitabh Bachchan