Shah Rukh Khan to host TED talks in Hindi

WASHINGTON: Move over KBC; Hello TED. Indian viewers can switch mental gears from trivial pursuit exemplified in the TV quiz show Kaun Banega Crorepati ( a knock-off of Who Wants to be a Millionaire) to a weightier intellectual feat channeled through the popular TED talks. And what’s more, the Indian TED talks, in Hindi, will be hosted by Bollywood superstar ShahRukh Khan.
Titled ''TED Talks India: Nayi Soch,'' which translates to ''new thinking,'' the talks will feature speakers sharing big ideas in TED’s signature format of short, powerful presentations of 18 minutes or less to be broadcast on Star Plus later this summer. TED, which stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design, is keeping both the precise launch date and first speakers under wraps, except to say that it has already taped a pilot featuring female and male speakers and the initial episode will also feature a musical performance.
''I believe ‘TED Talks India-Nayi Soch’ will inspire many minds across India. It is a concept I connected with instantly, as I believe that the media is perhaps the single most powerful vehicle to inspire change,'' Khan said in a press release from the organization, attributing his association with the program to ''TED’s unequivocal drive to showcase simple but unique ideas in an effort to spark debate and conversation.''
In the series, Khan will be the sort of master-of-ceremonies who will introduce the speakers and engage with them before and after the talks, much in the same way as TED’s Mussoorie-educated (Woodstock) CEO Chris Anderson does at the TED Gala in Vancouver. The series is being produced by Juliet Blake, TED’s TV honcho who also co-produced the movie The Hundred-Foot Journey.
Dubbed the ''Davos for Optimists,'' the annual TED Conference (which move from Long Beach, California to Vancouver, Canada in 2014) generates dozens of inspirational talks that are seen by millions of viewers across the world. Although a few talks held in smaller TEDx’s across the globe make it to the main line-up, TED says this is the first time it is collaborating with a major network and mega-star to produce a TV series featuring original TED Talks in a language other than English.
TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Al Gore, Jane Goodall, Sir Richard Branson, Nandan Nilekani, and Sal Khan (the educationist) among others. Two people of Indian-origin Sugata Mitra(2013) and Raj Punjabi (2017), have won the annual TED Prize of $ 1 million for ground-breaking ideas.