Sameer Nair is the brain behind two of Indian satellite television’s game changers Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) and Kyunki Saab Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi (KSBKBT) in the year 2000. He looks back at KBC and KSBKBT with some amount of satisfaction. “With KBC I was absolutely sure that it was going to be Mr Bachchan as the host. Only he had the clout to enter every household. At that point of time, nothing else was certain. Would the concept work in India? Mr Bachchan himself was advised by everyone not to get into television. I left the VHS with him urging him to ‘Push Play’. After three months of indecisiveness, I flew to London with Mr Bachchan to witness the shooting of Who Wants to Be A Millionaire (the original version of KBC) firsthand. That clinched it. On the flight back, Mr Bachchan finally said yes and we were on. We erected a set for KBC, identical to the one for Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? We didn’t cut any corners.”
KBC resurrected the Big B’s career, Star went on to become the number one channel in India. “For KBC we had a viewership of 25 million in 2000. It went up to 90 million on 2010. What KBC did was to reinvent Mr Bachchan’s image. It made him the household favourite in every family. He was the hero of the father and the mother. They introduced their hero to the son and the daughter of the family. Not too many people remember that Kyunki Saas… and KBC began telecast on the same day.”
As the CEO of Applause Entertainment Sameer Nair has built the company from scratch to its current position as a leading content provider. Revealing his formula for success, the media maverick says, “The purpose of a storyteller is not to tell you what or how to think and feel, but to give you something to think and feel about. This is what we strive to do. Building a scalable creative business requires art, science, and magic blended with considerable fiscal discipline. It has been a dramatic yet rewarding ride and the love has been definitely worth all the risk. Heading into the future, we are excited to continue telling stories that are intensely local, but also aspire to resonate with diverse audiences across the globe.”
