New Delhi: Kaun Banega Crorepati has likely reached its end, nearly a quarter of a century after it first aired on Indian television. Fans are making this guess after the game show’s host Amitabh Bachchan delivered his farewell address and got a bit choked up. If these guesses are correct, then it’s the end of an era for people in their mid-twenties like me. KBC folds up the innocence of my younger years.
KBC is the liberal content on Indian television in an era dominated by saas-bahu daily soaps. Few would remember that KBC and Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi (KSBKBT) debuted on Star Plus on the same day in July 2000. TV sets in India were hijacked by mothers and grandmothers between 8:30 pm and 11:30 pm—when the serials would be aired, from Kyunki to Kausauti and Kahani. Barring the one-hour KBC break that you got between 9 pm and 10 pm when Bachchan roared.
Such was the impact of KBC, or rather the urge to participate in the show, that we kids launched our own version of it. On Sundays we gathered, sitting on those plastic chairs that we assumed were our hot seats. Questions came from our textbooks, sometimes also testing us if we knew our friends well. Like What is Rahul’s favourite food? Options and lifelines were there too.
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Beyond a game show
Like most kids these days who eat their food while remaining glued to mobile or tablet screens, for us it was KBC on TV. The whole family bonded over it, making guesses every time Bachchan asked a question and four options popped up. If one got the answer right, they would back it up with an explanation. ‘Fastest finger first’ would kick off a proud show of intelligence in our living rooms. It even gave the women in the house the moment to prove that they also know about the world outside—it could be a simple question about an old Bollywood song, something the new generation wouldn’t know of.
KBC was part of our daily discussions in schools where we relived every question Bachchan asked the night before and how the contestant on the hot seat still had a chance to be the crorepati if they continued their good run the following day. India invested in the dreams of the humble KBC contestants—be it their journey or the questions they got stuck at. The whole family guessed the answer before Bachchan said “Lock kiya jaye” (Should we lock the answer).
“I got four right answers, my brother couldn’t guess the answer to that question,” was a daily conversation.
KBC is not just a reality show where people come to change their lives. It’s a one-hour impeccable crash course in Hindi that is sprinkled with poetry recitations of Harivansh Rai Bachchan. The host, Bachchan’s way of talking in Hindi has everyone’s heart. He has given us so many moments in which we cried, laughed, and wondered.
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Jai ho KBC
Recently, Alolika Bhattacharya appeared on KBC and won Rs 12,50,000. It wasn’t only her intelligence that won people’s hearts. Her simplicity and rib-tickling humour made Bachchan say, “Mera ho gaya” (I am done). Mass audience related to her comments like—‘Jai ho KBC’.
KBC’s cult status can also be understood through the popular memes made on the show. So many of Bachchan’s one-liners are now meme material. The show is our language to communicate so much, every day. There is always a line that can fit in so many situations: Kya karenge aap itni dhan rashi ka? (What will you do with all this money?), Meri taraf mat dekhiye main apki koi sahayat nahi kar sakta (Please don’t look at me, I can’t help you); Samay aa gaya hai aapse vida lene (It is time to say goodbye to you).
Beyond the cash prizes, KBC tells stories of perseverance and determination, offering a glimpse into the dreams of ordinary individuals. The show’s ability to resonate with my aspirations and evoke a range of emotions makes it more than just a quiz show; it’s a celebration of the human spirit and the power of dreams.
Bachchan is 81 years old and it is one of the reasons why he may not return to a hectic KBC shoot. But the child in me will still wait for the phone lines to open.
Views are personal.
(Edited by Ratan Priya)