Amitabh Bachchan’s association with Kaun Banega Crorepati was once considered a massive gamble. Former Star Plus programming head Sameer Nair recalled why the quiz show had scepticism before becoming a television phenomenon.
It is difficult to imagine Kaun Banega Crorepati in the absence of Amitabh Bachchan. But when the Indian version of the globally famous quiz show was being created in 2000, the casting of the legendary actor as the host was not a very intuitive decision. In fact, former Star Plus programming head Sameer Nair has revealed that the idea was initially dismissed by many as one of the worst ideas in television.
Based on the British game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, Kaun Banega Crorepati took a big departure from the format by putting a Bollywood superstar in the host's chair. The decision changed both the show's fortunes and Bachchan's image with television audiences.
Why Amitabh Bachchan was selected for KBC?
Amitabh Bachchan came out of nowhere because he speaks Hindi and English fluently, said Sameer Nair in The Hollywood Reporter India. However, there was another reason for the casting decision– his huge appeal in the family audience.
The makers believed Bachchan’s image would particularly resonate with mothers, who were considered to have a large impact on what the family watched on television, Nair said.
"Bachchan was the only actor with that kind of proficiency in Hindi and English," Nair said.
He also compared Bachchan’s appeal with Shah Rukh Khan, who at the time was viewed as a star with higher resonance among younger viewers. For a prime time programme that would go to homes across India, Bachchan was the safer choice despite the huge financial risk involved.
Why KBC Was Called The ‘Worst Idea’?
The concept of doing a quiz show in prime time was not quickly adopted by the television industry. Nair recalled the scepticism about the project, asking why people would watch a knowledge-based programme rather than traditional entertainment.
He remembered being asked, "Who puts a quiz show on prime time?" There were also questions about bringing Amitabh Bachchan to television, with some wondering whether Indian audiences would even accept the format.
The financial stakes made the gamble even more risky. And Nair said KBC was 10 times more expensive than other Indian television shows at the time. That meant the show had to attract a vast audience to justify its investment.
The production also retained some of the international format of its original setting and presentation style. For a television industry that is still creating its prime-time programming ecosystem, spending so much on a quiz show featuring a film superstar was an extraordinary decision.
How KBC got an Indian Identity?
While KBC was British in its style, the makers knew that just reproducing the original show would not work for Indian audiences. Bachchan was instrumental in giving the programme a distinctly Indian character.
His smooth movements between Hindi and English became one of the show's defining characteristics. His now-iconic interaction with the computer, including the famous "computer-ji" address, also became an inseparable part of the KBC experience.
The questions were similarly adapted to Indian viewers, covering Indian history, mythology, culture and general knowledge. This allowed the show to combine an internationally proven format with elements that felt familiar to audiences throughout the country.
The result was a programme that was clearly based on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? while developing an identity of its own in India.
KBC was a Turning Point For Amitabh Bachchan.
Amitabh Bachchan was at a very sensitive stage when KBC was in its prime. The actor was going through a very difficult time professionally and financially when the show arrived.
He was thus another gambler who chose to move to television. But KBC gave Bachchan the chance to engage viewers in a completely different setting. He wasn’t just a film star; he went to Indian homes every day as a host and got to know contestants and the audience.
His TV comeback was timed with the release of Mohabbatein later in 2000, which also had Shah Rukh Khan as the lead actor. Together, these developments brought back interest in Bachchan and cemented his position in the entertainment industry.
KBC became bigger than The Gamble
When Kaun Banega Crorepati was launched in July 2000, the fears of the programme disappeared so quickly. The show became a big television hit and Bachchan became an iconic game-show host.
Shah Rukh Khan later hosted one more season of KBC, but Bachchan's association with the programme was far more lasting. Over the years, his hosting style, catchphrases, and interactions with the contestants became just as much at the centre of the show’s identity as the quiz itself.
Kaun Banega Crorepati is one of Indian television’s most successful franchises and is now in its 18th season. What was seen as a costly and risky experiment turned out to be a defining part of Indian pop culture — and one of the most successful examples of a Bollywood superstar successfully making the transition to television.
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