IANS

Shah Rukh Khan Monday night strode into the millions of homes as new Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) host and charmed the audiences with his instant wit and warmth.

Proving sceptics wrong, Shah Rukh, clad in a black suit, comfortably stepped into Amitabh Bachchan's shoes as the anchor of the popular quiz show.

If the first two seasons of KBC were mega hit, with Shah Rukh it's set to scale new heights of success in its third season.

On day one of the show, he was at his hilarious best.

He said: 'I am going to unlock KBC - but before that I would like to answer a few questions. People asked me, 'Will you speak in Hindi?' I will talk more, rock youngsters and shock you with my jokes sometimes.

'I was also asked, 'what kind of coat you will wear?' Whatever you want me to wear I will wear it. I will even wear petticoat,' said Shah Rukh.

Said Virendra Popli, senior vice president (interactive) of STAR India PVt Ltd: 'We are loving it. It's a great show and initial response is phenomenal. And, of course, we are relived. As far as future plans go we are planning to build up on it.'

Fans' verdict was also positive.

'He is going to be super-hit as he is doing what he is best at. He is an intelligent conversationalist and he made it obvious on the show,' said Neeraj Kumar, a Delhi-based professional

They say the first impression is the last impression and Shah Rukh has surely started on the right note. Though his persona is different from that of Amitabh, he has managed to keep the spirit and essence of the quiz show intact.

If anything, you can feel the generation gap between the two superstars - Shah Rukh is wittier, livelier and more easy-going with his contestants.

He was very friendly with Sarkar, the first day's contestant, and even shared pleasantries with his wife as well.

Shah Rukh's official language is going to be 'Hinglish' and instead of 'lock kiya jaye' he says: 'Freeze kar diya jaye'.

Like his fans this is a big moment for King Khan too so he is rejoicing it at the Taj Hotel here with Samir Nair, Popli, and 400 STAR employees.

The show's launch was preceded by a stylishly shot hip-hop music video and, as usual, the king of Bollywood was at his best in it.