When actors came calling

Hosting came of age when Shekhar Suman charted a different route for himself as a talk show host. He began to host hard hitting satirical TV Talk shows on entertainment and news channels. He introduced his particular brand of humour which was a heady mix of obnoxiousness, irreverence, and simple observations.

Movers and Shakers on the Sony Entertainment Network and Simply Shekhar on Zee Television were two of his much-watched shows. Modelled along the lines of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Suman did manage to carve a niche for himself via this show.

When Amitabh Bachchan crossed over to the small screen with the game show, Kaun Banega Crorepati he not only helped the channel's dipping fortunes but also helped himself get a new lease to life. The hugely popular show, characterised by Bachchan's baritone and personality is remembered today for the host rather than the crores earned by the contestants.

Though of course Bachchan was a household name, the show helped him widen his fan base and also helped him clean up the financial mess he was in.

But when superstar Shah Rukh Khan replaced Amitabh Bachchan as host on KBC Shah Rukh Khan said, "I was pleasantly surprised when the channel offered me the show. I was a participant in season one of KBC… and little did I know one day I would be hosting it. It is a huge act to follow, that of Mr Bachchan…but it also excites me that I am getting an opportunity to reach out (and) talk and interact with my audience through a medium where I began my career as an actor years ago."

And full marks to Khan for having taken hosting to new heights. Having come from the world of theatre Khan knew all the trade secrets and perfected the art so well that he had viewers swooning. It was rumoured then that audiences watched the show only to get entertained by SRK. He chatted, he danced, he sang and he joked. Damn the GK questions. He did all that was required of a successful host. His style, his wit, his intelligence was unmatched. Though one must add that SRK is a better host on live shows than on the small screen. Nonetheless, his TV hosting did set a benchmark.

Very recently actor Sunil Shetty crossed over to the small screen to host the Biggest loser jeetega on Sahara One. Unfortunately, the actor flopped in his new role. Veterans know that this is not an easy role to play.