Indian television witnessed a revolution when Kaun Banega Crorepati was launched in 2000. It came at a time when television was dominated by saas-bahu sagas, and no one expected a quiz show in Hindi to succeed. Quiz master Siddhartha Basu who has been a producer on the show, and also the creative mind behind it, has said many times that the main reason for the show’s success was that it appealed to the head and heart. Families have sat together for years completely invested in the fate of the contestants. The new season is back in September, and the KBC team along with Amitabh Bachchan addressed the media at their press conference.
Bachchan has been the beating heart of the show, and in Basu’s words is the best ‘fit’ for it. His gravitas, presence and immaculate diction in both English and Hindi have made him inseparable from the show. At the press conference, he had this to say.
The success of KBC has nothing to do with me. It has to with the format of the show and the contestants and their stories.Amitabh Bachchan
In response to Bachchan’s command over Hindi a reporter asked what he thought of the younger generation’s lack of fluency in Hindi.
I do agree that the younger generation is not as proficient in Hindi because English as a language has taken over. But if people are able to better their Hindi by watching KBC then I’m very happy.Amitabh Bachchan
Bachchan has been one of the main reasons why KBC has resonated so much with Indian audiences. This combined with the fact that ordinary people have a chance to better their life purely on the basis of their knowledge. The killer combination of Bachchan and the contestants is what lures millions of people to the show.
The show will retain its popular format in the tenth season but will now have the addition of augmented reality.
Another change is that the knowledge bar set for auditions of contestants has been raised and so there will be several people pursuing their Masters degrees, including one who is pursuing a PhD in Physical Education.
Over the years the show has seen a rapid growth in female contestants, with almost 700 of them over the ten seasons. When asked about who were the women from the film industry who inspired him, Bachchan mentioned Waheeda Rehman and Nutan.
I have been greatly influenced by Waheeda Rehman and Nutan from Hindi films and Savitriji from the south.Amitabh Bachchan
He also added that he finds the new lot of actors extremely inspiring and was amazed at their dedication whilst naming Alia Bhatt, Anushka Sharma, Ranbir Kapoor and Rajkummar Rao.
Bachchan was also asked if he’d venture into a fiction series and he replied in the affirmative.
Many KBC contestants have used their prize money to further social causes. Bachchan spoke about his work towards certain social causes.
The tenth season of Kaun Banega Crorepati will be on air September 3rd onwards on Sony.
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