Why’s Shah Rukh Khan not charming the tube?

Heis one of the biggest crowd-pullers in B-Town when it comes to films, and yet actor Shah Rukh Khan has not been able to translate the same kind of adulation on to his small screen outings. He did generate a lot of hype when he first stepped on to the tube as the host of the hit show Kaun Banega Crorepati made popular by superstar Amitabh Bachchan, however reportedly couldn’t really match the TRPs generated by the original host.

SRK’s next TV outing saw him experiment with a completely untouched genre on Indian television as the host of Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hai?  Though he wasn’t laden with the burden of comparisons this time around, the show (which had kids match their intellect with adults), industry gossip has it, failed to live up to expectations. Ditto with Khan’s third and latest brush with television as the host of Zor Ka Jhatka, an adaptation of another popular international show, Wipeout.

Each tube outing has reportedly fetched him more dismal ratings than the previous, making one wonder why his magic touch failed him on television.

Throw this question to quiz-whiz and producer Siddhartha Basu, the man who roped in SRK for both Kaun Banega Crorepati and Paanchvi Pass, and he says, “For me, Shah Rukh was a total star on KBC and Paanchvi Pass. He’s a natural host, one of the best we have, because he’s smart, thinks on his feet, has the gift of wit, and is a compulsive charmer. And he usually gives it everything he’s got. He just needs to be matched to the right show and the right team,” says Basu adding, “Recently, it’s evident that he's on an assignment binge, whether on TV, ads, events or whatever — he must have his reasons. So the results are all over the place. I hope the stress eases off, because it’s really showing.”

Not one to mince words, trade analyst Amod Mehra says that hosting a television show is a different ball game. “Big banner films and established directors can camouflage an actor’s flaws, but that kind of a team effort is missing on TV. Also, a TV host cannot rely entirely on the script given to him. Take actor Salman Khan for example — he does his own jazz and that’s what appeals to the masses. And on Zor Ka Jhatka, SRK has nothing to do except make funny faces and that’s not funny,” says Mehra.

Film-maker Vikram Bhatt, who also has shows on TV, defends SRK saying, “A star guarantees you certain amount of eyeballs, but only for the initial few episodes. KBC was something Shah Rukh borrowed from Mr Bachchan who had made his mark by then. Paanchvi Pass was a novel initiative, but it wasn’t meant for the Indian masses. SRK just needs to wisen up with his choice of shows.”