Saturday Apr 26 12:10 AM
New Delhi, April 25 (IANS) Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan's wit, exuberance and charisma carried through the first episode of Star Plus' much-awaited reality game show 'Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tsez Hain' Friday that saw a PhD scholar being bested by school children in answering teasers.
The show, a Synergy Adlabs production and formatted on US game show 'Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader', featured adult contestants facing questions picked directly from the textbooks of school kids.
Casually attired in a light blue shirt teamed with a black waistcoat and jeans, Shah Rukh played the school teacher to perfection on the first day of his 'tele-school'. As he entered the blue-coloured sets, the audience gave him an enthusiastic reception.
On the show, Shah Rukh said he had 'always wanted to be a teacher. In fact, I did become one in 'Mohabbatein', but today, my wish has actually come true'.
Five enthusiastic kids participated in the 'school' along with 39-year-old Vedula Ramalaxmi, an M.A gold medallist and a PhD in Hindi, the first contestant on the show.
Ramalaxmi, an Orissa-based lecturer, was left baffled at the very first question - 'The are nine edges in a prism - true or false' followed by a series of mind-boggling questions that she admitted having 'studied almost 30 years ago'.
In order to win the mega Rs.50 million prize money, contestants are required to answer a series of 11 primary-level questions. They can avail of three life saving options - 'taak-jhaank' (cheating), 'copy' and 'bachao' (save me).
According to the headmaster (Shah Rukh)'s rules, a person wishing to leave the game midway has to call himself/herself as 'bhagoda' (coward), and if the person loses, he/she should look straight into the camera and say 'Main paanchvi paas se tez nahin hoon' (I am not smarter than a fifth grader).
Ramalaxmi leaves the game after winning Rs.200,000, but only after Shah Rukh has made her squirm with embarrassment.
The second contestant, 29-year-old Pramod Tripathi managed to answer only one question before the 'school bell' rang, signalling the end of the show.
Shah Rukh ended the episode by narrating a 'Khan Ki Kahaani' (Khan's story), a value addition to his stint as headmaster on the show after gathering the young classmates - Sreeparna, Dheirya, Shriya, Milanjeet and Anubhav, who aide the contestants on the show.
The three 10-minute-long 'tiffin breaks' or ad breaks were too tedious for people watching the show.
The show will be aired every Friday to Saturday at 8 p.m. on Star Plus.