Amitabh Bachchan back on TV with 'Bigg Boss 3'

He's going from `lock kiya jaye' to unlocking the minds of contestants in India's version of Big Brother. Amitabh Bachchan returns to the small screen in Season 3 of Bigg Boss, to play "pop psychologist'' to those in the house. The Big B's intention is to add "the human element'' to the reality show.

"We need to analyse the minds of those on the show and reach out to as many people as possible through it. On eviction day, I will discuss the thought process of that particular contestant,'' Amitabh Bachchan told TOI. "I don't claim to give gyaan or suggest that I can calm things down. My job is only to analyse why people behave in a certain manner in the house.''

About the celebrity inmates of the house, Bachchan only says, "The audience will vote for who they want to see inside the house.'' Shooting will take place every Friday in Lonavala. Family Bachchan, of course, is thrilled at the idea. "They are happy with whatever makes me happy,'' he says.

On why Bachchan was picked for this role, Colours CEO Rajesh Kamat said, " Bigg Boss last season was hugely popular. This time we wanted to make it more broadbased and pan-India so it appeals to people from the ages 4 to 64. Once we decided on Amitabh Bachchan, we worked out the pop-philosopher role for him. The idea was to deconstruct the emotions of those in the house and initiate discussions where we can keep the audience engaged.''

Rumour has it that Baby B Abhishek too has been approached to host a game show. According to industry sources, "Abhishek Bachchan has been offered to host a game show on the lines of American show Bingo. The matter is still under discussion and likely to finalised by the end of the year.''

More and more film personalities are looking at doing television programmes. While SRK did a season of KBC, Akshay Kumar has returned with Khatron Ke Khiladi and Salman Khans image got a makeover with Dus Ka Dum.

"It's the huge audience base and the ability of television to reach out to the lowest common denominator that is drawing big film stars to small screen,'' says reality TV writer Manoj Muntashir. "Also, television is no more inferior to cinema. The stars were wooed by some great money and the desire to do something out of the box. Get set to be surprised by many superstars turning to this most popular medium of entertainment in the near future,'' he adds.