From Surat with love: Jalebi ane fafda, Amitabh aapda!

Entertainment! Entertainment! Entertainment! Amitabh Bachchan and Kapil Sharma make sure Surat had a blast at the grand premier of Kaun Banega Mahacrorepati.

What happens when two of the most iconic names of television come together? They create history!

Superstar Amitabh Bachchan and King of Comedy Kapil Sharma regaled a live audience of 5,000 people at the Sarvana Convention Centre in Surat, Gujarat, on Saturday, August 2, as they shot for the first episode of Kaun Banega Mahacrorepati.

And they proved that every penny and every second that the people spent to attend the show was well worth it.

From romancing the young and the old women from Surat, to creating a scene that is as tense as a thriller with the participants of Kaun Banega Mahacrorepati, the Big B went on and on for almost five hours -- from 7.15 pm to midnight -- taking an odd break here and there.

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Rakesh Mewawala, a student from K P Commerce College in Surat, stood in the line for 80 minutes before he was allowed inside the venue.

“Bachchansaab is a true national icon,” said Mewawala, expressing how his entire family and he had been a fan of the Big B since their younger days.

While Mewawala had acquired a general pass to gain access into the venue, Haresh Mistry -- a high level executive of the sponsors -- had a VIP pass but he too had to stand in a long queue.

“I don’t mind standing for whatever time it takes to see Bachchanji performing live,” Mistry, accompanied with his wife, said.

Inside the convention hall, a placard best expressed the mood of the audience -- Jalebi ane fafda, Amitabh aapda (Like Jalebi and fafda -- the favourite snack of Gujaratis -- Amitabh Bachchan also belongs to us).

Perhaps, taking cue from this message, Amitabh Bachchan -- who dressed up nattily in a white suit and blue denim torn jeans -- made an entry through the audience, shaking hands, blowing kisses and waving at his fans, as cellphones caught the action.

Women, more than men, lined up the aisle to get a closer look of the superstar, and get his attention.

Looking at this wild frenzy, Kapil Sharma observed later in the show that for all their lives these women must have imagined themselves instead of Big B’s lead heroines whenever the latter romanced them on screen with a huge applause from the women.

That, in fact, was how Kapil Sharma showstopped the event.

Much to the surprise of the ladies in attendance, Sharma, at the end of the event, handpicked six women to come on stage and dance with the Big B.

More than the actual show, where Surat girl Deepa Jagtiani won Rs 640,000, it was the dancing and singing that enthralled the Surtis.

Women, irrespective of their age, bent down to touch Bachchan’s feet and seek his blessings.

Every one of them wanted to romance the man of their dreams.

Big B, like a great host that he is, rose to the occasion with remarkable grace and did whatever was asked of him. He danced, he sang, he proposed and he hugged the ladies. The women (and the audience too), teary-eyed, blushed every time Bachchan spoke or sang to them.

The chemistry between Amitabh Bachchan and Kapil Sharma was a double treat for the audience. Kapil, with his hilarious one-liners, and Bachchan with his charismatic presence and raw energy, made sure that the audience had the time of their lives.

In the new season, KBC will have yet another lifeline called Triguni, where the contestant gets help from three previous KBC winners (Manoj Sharma, Sunmeet Kaur Sawhney and Vikram Joshi).

The first episode of KBC will be telecast August 17 on Sony Entertainment Television.