Actor Kamal Haasan might have donned many avatars in his long film career but on Sunday, he will be seen in a new one: as an anchor for the reality television show Bigg Boss on Star Vijay.
The first episode of the show, which will feature 14 celebrities from films and television living inside a custom-built house without contact with the outside world in any manner, will be a three-hour long show hosted by Kamal Haasan. The actor will introduce the participants in the show, whose names have been kept secret so far.
Explaining his role at EVP Film City, where the Bigg Boss house has been constructed, Kamal Haasan said he will play the role of ‘the first witness’. “It is a social experiment and I will be the first witness. Spontaneity is the rule of the show and the audience can expect the unexpected,” he said.
The right decision
Admitting that he did attract criticism from various sections of the industry after the announcement, he said, “But when we did a survey on ‘recall value’ of this show, it was clear that I had made the right decision. Surveys show 97% of the people welcome it. I can reach more people through television than through movies. It is already happening in Hollywood as actors such as Kevin Spacey are doing mainstream television shows successfully,” he said.
Many more stars will give television a try in the coming years, he said. “I don’t want to stop with the small screen; I want to be seen on mobile phones as well. We shouldn’t be afraid of change; we must embrace it,” he said.
Asked if Star Vijay is moving decisively towards using popular film stars to sell television shows, Kevin Vaz, CEO-South, Star India, said that the channel was striving to be a platform that creates talent. “Superior production values could be the star of the show. The channel has managed to create many stars — film actors, singers and comedians — through its shows. It is a question of providing a good platform and creating a strong franchise,” he said.
