Kaun Banega Crorepati Explained

Director:Arun Sheshkumar[1]
Presenter:Amitabh Bachchan (Seasons 1–2, 4–16)
Shah Rukh Khan (Season 3)
Composer:Keith Strachan (seasons 1–16)
Matthew Strachan (seasons 1–16)
Ramon Covalo (seasons 4–16)
Sawan Dutta (seasons 5–10)
Ajay–Atul (season 11–16)
Rohan-Vinayak and Amitabh Bachchan (season 15-Present)
Country:India
Language:Hindi
Num Seasons:15
Num Episodes:1,230
Runtime:38–96 minutes
Network:Star Plus (seasons 1–3)
Sony Entertainment Television (seasons 4–16)
Based On:Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?

Kaun Banega Crorepati (simply KBC; English: Who Will Become a Crorepati) is an Indian Hindi-language television game show. It is the official Hindi adaptation of the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? franchise. It is presented by actor Amitabh Bachchan, who has hosted the show for its entire run except for its third season, during which actor Shah Rukh Khan replaced Bachchan.[2] The programme aired on Star Plus for its first three seasons from 2000 to 2007, and was commissioned by the programming team of Sameer Nair.[3] [4] In 2010, it started airing on Sony Entertainment Television and was produced by BIG Synergy (under various names over periods of time) from season 1 till season 10. Afterwards, the credited production companies co-producing are Studio NEXT since season 10 and Tree of Knowledge (Digi TOK) since season 11 respectively.

The format is similar to other shows in the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? franchise: contestants are asked multiple choice questions and must select the correct answer from four possible choices, and are provided with lifelines that may be used if they are uncertain. Starting in season 7 in 2013, the top prize was ₹7 crore and was increased to ₹7.5 crore in Season 14 in 2022 to celebrate 75 years of India's Independence.

Season overview

Season 1: 2000–2001

KBC premiered on 3 July 2000 and was hosted by Amitabh Bachchan, his first appearance on Indian television.[5] KBC initially offered contestants the chance to win Rs. 1 crore. The declining ratings of KBC paved way for reformatting the series immediately as Junior KBC with kids as contestants which started airing from 6 May 2001.[6] [7] The season ended on 31 December 2001.[8] The show was well received in its premiere season.[9] [10]

Season 2: 2005–2006

On 5 August 2005, the show was restarted after a four-year hiatus, and renamed Kaun Banega Crorepati Dwitiya or KBC 2.[11] During this season, the top prize amount was doubled to Rs. 2 crore. It was abruptly ended by STAR Plus after Amitabh Bachchan fell ill in 2006 after he shot his last episode on 13 January 2006.[12] Bachchan had shot 61 of the 85 scheduled episodes when he fell ill.[13] He announced he would return after he recovered, but when his health prevented him from filming the remaining 24 episodes, Star TV took the decision to stop production.[14]

Season 3: 2007

Star Television recruited Shah Rukh Khan to host the third season of the show when Bachchan declined.[15] The grand prize remained Rs. 2 crore. The third season of the show began airing on 22 January 2007 with the first contestant as Prasenjit Sarkar who was the last contestant dropped from season two midway owing to Bachchan's health.[16] The show started well but the show's ratings dropped significantly due to the change of the host.[17] The season ended on 19 April 2007 with a special finale.[18]

Season 4: 2010

The show was restarted after a three-year and half hiatus. The fourth season (called KBC 4) was hosted by the returning Amitabh Bachchan and started on 11 October 2010. This season was telecast four days a week, Monday through Thursday evenings. The tagline of the season was "Koi Bhi Sawaal Chota Nahi Hota" (; literally: No question is small). The show moved from STAR Plus to Sony TV. The new logo designed for the fourth season incorporated the new Indian Rupee symbol, which was unveiled earlier in the year. The contestant tryout for the fourth season opened on 2 August 2010 at 9 PM IST.[19] The total prize money for this season was ₹1 crore, and a jackpot question for ₹5 crore. The fourth season of the show was highly successful due to the return of former host Amitabh Bachchan.[20] The season ended on 9 December 2010.

During this season, much like its international counterparts, there were various rule changes made to the show. The number of questions was reduced from 15 to 13 and, as in the United States version of the show, a timer was added to each question.[21] There was a 30-second time limit for questions 1 and 2, and a 45-second time limit for questions 3 to 7. Questions 8 to 13 were not timed. Any time not used was voided and not banked (unlike the United States version which banked the time for the final question).[22] [23] Much like other countries' version of the game, the clock stops whenever a lifeline is used and if the time limit expired, the contestant was forced to walk away with their current winnings. This season introduced the "Double Dip" and "Ask the Expert" lifelines (similar to the United States counterpart from the Millionaire clock format). Also from this season onwards, Fastest Finger First Contestants earlier who used to come for one episode has now been allowed to stay for one week.

Hot Seat

This Hot Seat version was started at the Diwali time from 1 to 4 November 2010. All contestants were celebrities on this version. This version was just like Millionaire Hot Seat. For questions 1–5, 30 seconds were available. For questions 6–10, 45 seconds were available. For questions 11–15, 60 seconds were available. It had only one lifeline, named Pass.

Season 5: 2011

Amitabh Bachchan returned to host the fifth season which premiered on 15 August 2011 on Indian Independence Day and ended on 17 November 2011. It was again aired four days a week. Compared to the previous season, there was only one major gameplay change: there was only a single milestone (the Padao) that the contestant chose. The tagline used for the season was "Koi Bhi Insaan Chota Nahi Hota" (Literally: No person is inferior). This season was generally viewed as the most popular show on Indian television in 2011.[24]

This season introduced a play at home segment called "Ghar Baithe Jeeto Jackpot". This contest allowed home viewers to send an answer to a question via SMS during the show, with 1 Lakh Rupees going to the randomly picked winner, who can double or triple this amount by correctly answering further questions.

Season 6: 2012–2013

The registration (contestant tryout) for the season started on 28 May 2012. This sixth season (labeled as KBC 6) was also hosted by Amitabh Bachchan and premiered on 7 September 2012. It aired from Friday to Sunday evenings on Sony TV. The season ended on 26 January 2013.[25] The tagline used for the season was "Sirf Gyaan Hi Aapko Aapka Haq Dilata Hai" (It is only knowledge that gives you your right). This season retained the 13 question format of the previous season.

This season, KBC started a new tradition of giving an advantage to socially excluded people, known as "Dusra Mauka" (Second Chance). Sonali Mukherjee, a victim of acid throwing, appeared along Lara Dutta in the first such special. On 13 January 2013, another special aired in which Manoj Kumar, a Mahadalit was accompanied by Indian actor Manoj Bajpayee. The winner of season 6 was Sunmeet Kaur.[26] [27]

Season 7: 2013

Rehearsals for the show began on 26 June 2013.[28] Registration started from 8:30p.m. on 27 May 2013.

The seventh season (called KBC 7) was also hosted by Bachchan entitled "Seekhna Bandh Toh Jeetna Bandh" (or simply: Learn to Win) was used as the tagline for the season. The total prize money was increased to 7 crore, and the number of questions increased from 13 to 15. The season was commenced on 6 September 2013.

The season had a few changes, including a new lifeline called Power Paplu. This lifeline allowed the contestant to reuse a lifeline that was already used on a previous question (but not one that was used by the contestant in attempting to answer the current question). Double Dip and Ask the Expert were discontinued while 50:50 and Flip the Question (also known as "Switch" or "Switch the Question") were revived. The Phone-a-Friend was extended to 45 seconds. The prize for the jackpot question was increased to 7 crore. The Kaun Banega Crorepati 2013 set was a 360-degree multimedia stage. The final four questions were a part of Sapta Koti Sandook . The system of Fastest Finger First was also altered. Instead of playing one question, the winner of the leader board formed at the end of three questions sits on the Hot Seat. (i.e. the player who answered the most questions correctly in the shortest amount of time). Prashant was about to become a 5 crore winner of 2013, but he answered the jackpot question incorrectly and gone down to ₹ 3,20,000.

Season 8: 2014

The highest winning prize of this season was also 7 crore. The registrations of KBC 8 were commenced on 22 July 2014 and the shooting started on 2 August 2014.[29] Shooting of some episodes was held in Raipur and other in Gujarat, Surat[30] at The Surat International Exhibition and Convention Centre (SIECC) in Sarsana,[31] photography was done by Ashvin Borad.[32] [33] [34] This was the first time that KBC was shot outside Mumbai.[35] The format underwent minor changes for the season, with the number of questions reduced to 14, the Double Dip replacing the 50:50, as well as the Flip being replaced by the Triguni (Three Wise Men) lifeline. The Phone-a-Friend was shortened down to 30 seconds and the original Fastest Finger First system (as used for seasons 1 to 6) was reinstated.The grand premiere episode of the series premiered on 17 August 2014 (Sunday) at 8:30 PM IST for 3 hours. The season aired from Monday through Thursday evenings. Initially running for 1.5 hours, the program reduced to an hour. The season ended on 6 November 2014 and aired its two grand finale episodes on 9 November and on 16 November 2014. The tagline for the season was "Yahan Sirf Paise Nahi, Dil Bhi Jeete Jate Hain" . Special guests appeared in the grand premiere episode: television comedian, Kapil Sharma[36] from Colors TV's television series Comedy Nights with Kapil; Shivaji Satam, Dayanand Shetty and Aditya Shrivastava from Sony TV's television series CID; and finally Rajput hero, Maharana Pratap a.k.a. Faisal Khan from Sony TV's television series Bharat Ka Veer Putra – Maharana Pratap gave a stellar dance performance.[37] Among others the Shillong Chamber Choir led by Neil Nongkynrih performed a medley of evergreen songs of Bollywood followed by a patriotic song at the opening ceremony of KBC8.[38]

Season 9: 2017

After a gap of 3 years, KBC returned to the air with Bachchan resuming hosting duties as it premiered on 28 August 2017 airing on Sony TV. The tagline of this season was "Jawaab dene ka Waqt aa Gaya Hai" . The show aired from Monday to Friday at 9:00 pm and the Friday episode has been titled as Nayi Chaah Nayi Raah . The season introduced a 16 question format, where the first 10 questions are timed (45 seconds for the first five questions and 60 seconds for the following five questions). The 50:50 lifeline replaced Double Dip and the Three Wise Men lifeline was replaced by the Plus One (from the United States version). Phone-a-Friend (now sponsored by Jio) introduced video calls. In case the contestant reaches the 16th question (Jio Jackpot Question), then the contestant cannot use the remaining lifelines. The last episode of the show was aired on 7 November 2017 titled as Abhinandan Aabhar.

Season 10: 2018

The show started registration on 6 June 2018 and started airing on Sony TV from 3 September 2018. The tagline for the tenth season is Kab Tak Rokoge .[39] In this particular season, the Phone-a-friend lifeline was replaced with the Ask The Expert lifeline.

Season 11: 2019

Season 11 of KBC premiered on Sony TV on 19 August 2019, with Bachchan resuming hosting duties. The show aired on weeknights from 9:00 p.m. to 10:30 pm IST, with Karamveer Special episodes airing every Friday until 11 p.m. IST.[40] The show's tagline for the season was "Ade Raho" ("keep standing"). In this season, the Plus One lifeline was replaced by Switch, with optional categories for the switched question. The final episode of the season aired on 29 November 2019, which featured Sudha Murthy as the Karamveer Special contestant. The series Beyhadh 2 took over KBCs timeslot beginning on 2 December 2019.

Season 12: 2020–2021

On 2 May 2020, Sony TV released a short video via social media featuring Bachchan, stating that the audition process for season 12 will run from 9 to 23 May.[41] [42] [43]

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, filming and airing was delayed. Filming began on 7 September. Bachchan posted the first look of the updated set on his official Twitter handle.[44]

Season 12 premiere was aired on 28 September, with the tagline "jo bhi ho, har setback ka jawab comeback se do" (Hindi: जो भी हो, हर सेटबेक का जवाब कमबेक से दो). Aarti Jagtap, a resident of Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, was the first contestant of the season.[45]

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, filming occurred without a studio audience. Consequently, the Audience Poll lifeline was replaced by the Video a Friend lifeline, which is similar to the Phone a Friend lifeline, except via video call.[46]

Mrinalini Dubey became the first contestant to win Rs. 25 lakhs in KBC 12.

For the first time in KBC history, a contestant (Runa Saha from Kolkata) came to the hot seat without playing Fastest Finger First, as there were no other contestants left.[47]

During a Karamveer episode, Padma Shri Phoolbasan Bai Yadav and Renuka Shahane became the first contestants of the season to win .[48]

On 11 November, Nazia Nasim became the season's first winner.[49]

On 17 November, Mohita Sharma Garg became the second winner.

The final episode of the season aired on 22 January 2021.[50]

Season 13: 2021

Registration for season 13 began on 10 May 2021. The format of digital auditions was continued, and the entire process was divided into four parts: registration, screening, online auditions, and personal interviews.[51] The show's promos were titled Sammaan and were directed by Nitesh Tiwari.[52] They were released in three parts with the last part revealing the show's air date and time. The show premiered on 23 August on Sony TV and the SonyLIV app. The Friday special episode was titled Shaandaar Shukravaar.[53] The studio audience returned for this season; consequently, the audience poll lifeline was reinstated.[54] However, the Fastest Finger First was removed and the Triple Test was introduced, in which contestants took three general knowledge questions with four options similar to the season 7 version, and the contestant answering all three in the shortest time headed to the hot seat.[55] The timer was named "Dhuk-Dhuki ji".[56]

On 31 August, Himani Bundela became the season's first ₹1 crore winner and the first ever blind contestant to win a crore.[57] On 21 October, Sahil Aditya Ahirwar became the season's second winner of ₹1 crore.[58] The 1000th episode of the show aired on 3 December. The final week of season was titled Shaandaar Shukriya, and the final episode was aired on 17 December.[59]

Season 14: 2022

The first episode of Season 14 was premiered on Sunday, 7 August 2022. The "Triple Test" was continued for this season and the lifelines were reduced from 4 to 3. The "expert advice" and "flip the question" lifelines were removed, and video call a friend replaced these lifelines. The number of questions has increased to 17. On account of India's 75th year of independence, the final amount was increased to ₹7.5 crore, an increase of, ₹50 lakhs and a new threshold at ₹75 lakhs was added preventing the player from going down if they misattempted the ₹1 crore question, which is the value of the 16th question and the penultimate question.

The timer was renamed "DJ Wale Babu".

Kavita Chawla was the only 1 crore winner.[60]

Shashwat Goel is the first and only contestant to have attempted the Question 17 worth ₹7.5 crores.[61] After winning INR 1 crore, he had very logically explained the rationale that if he got it right then it would be an increment of 650% to INR 7.5 crore vs getting it wrong would reduce his prize winnings by 25% only, back down to INR 75,00,000. Goel answered the final question incorrectly and won ₹75,00,000.[62] The final episode aired on 30 December 2022.

Season 15: 2023

Sony Entertainment Television announced the 15th season of KBC on 18 April 2023. The promo for registration was also released on the same day. Registration started on 29 April 2023 at 9:00 PM IST.

The first episode aired on 14 August 2023. A new rule was introduced wherein when the player crosses the first threshold, a question would be asked from a person from anywhere in India and the audience would answer it using their voting devices; the audience member who answered correctly in the least time would be given a prize. Another new mini-game called "Super Sandook" was introduced: after crossing the second threshold, players attempt a rapid-fire 10-question round lasting 90 seconds, with each correct answer giving them ₹10,000. If they won ₹50,000 or more, the contestant could either bank the amount or revive a lifeline used earlier. The 50:50 lifeline was replaced with the Double Dip. The Triple Test was replaced with Fastest Finger First. The Double Dip and Video Call a Friend lifelines were replaced by Flip the Question and Ask the Expert during the Kids Week specials.

Jaskaran Singh, a man aiming for the Indian Administrative Service, became the first Rs. 1 crore winner of the season on 5 September. Jasnil Kumar became the second Rs. 1 crore winner on 21 September. The final episode aired on 29 December.

Season 16: 2024

Sony Entertainment Television announced the 16th season of KBC on 16 April 2024. Registration began on 26 April. The season premiered on 12 August.[63]

Gameplay

Qualification

Similar to the original series in the United Kingdom, members of the public completed a qualification quiz which opened at the start of each series at various times in the year (also known as "registration period"). Applicants would send a premium-rate SMS to a designated number, and answer a question by responding.[64] Contestants would c a series of interviews before being randomly selected from a pool of other hopeful contestants and appearing on the set in Fastest Finger First. In order to be eligible, contestants must be residents and citizens of India and at least 18 years of age.[64] Even if the contestants are below 18 years of age (only in the junior special episodes), the prize money they will earn will be called points and deposited in their fixed deposit but will be converted to rupees whenever they cross 18 years of age.

Fastest Finger Contest Winner

The selected contestants are then brought to the studio to play Fastest Finger First where they will be asked to arrange four answers into the designated order in the shortest amount of time. In Season 7, contestants would play three questions and the one who answered the most correctly in the shortest amount of time will get selected to sit in the hot seat. In the 13 & 14 season, Triple Test replaced Fastest Finger Contest in which contestants have to answer three of 4 questions questions with four options like the ones in the game. One who has the most correct answers in the least time (added for the three questions) came in the hotseat.[65] Fastest Finger Contest was re-introduced in Season 15.

Main gameplay

After determining the winner of Fastest Finger First, they would join the host in the "Hot Seat" to start answering a series of multiple-choice questions on their way to win the top cash prize as outlined in the table below. Along the way, the contestant is free to walk away from the game with their winnings but if they got a question wrong, they would walk away with nothing unless they correctly answered a milestone question (highlighted in yellow) that would guarantee some winnings.

To help them along the way, much like its counterparts, the contestant had a set of lifelines available for them to use. Which lifelines were available was dependent on the format being used.

Additionally, starting in season 4, the contestant would have to answer these questions within a certain amount of time. Contestants were allotted 30 seconds to respond up to and including the first threshold question (in 2017, this was increased to 45 seconds).[68] The following question up to and including the next threshold contestants were allotted 60 seconds to give their "final answer". For the final set of questions (the question following the second threshold) the questions were not timed. Using a lifeline paused the timer temporarily until it resolved. If the contestant used Flip The Question, the timer would restart from the base value of the question.

The total number of questions varied over the multiple seasons of the show's run. As the number of questions changed, so did the total prize money available. In 2017, KBC introduced a jackpot question. For the Jackpot Question, the contestants were not allowed to use any of the remaining lifelines.

In seasons 5 and 6, the contestants had to select a threshold or "Padao" themselves. They were allowed to choose any one question on the tree and designate that as a threshold amount, meaning that if they cross the threshold, they were guaranteed that amount of cash winnings. Getting a question wrong before the Padao is reached would result in zero winnings.

Question numberPayout Structure
Season 1
(2000–01)
Seasons 2 & 3
(2005–2007)
Season 4
(2010)
Seasons 5 & 6
(2011–2013)
Season 7
(2013)
Season 8
(2014)
Seasons 9–13, 15-16
(2017–2021, 2023,2024)
Season 14
(2022)
17
16₹1 Crore/-
15₹1 Crore/-₹75,00,000/-
14Rs. 50,00,000/-Rs. 1 Crore/-₹5 Crore/-₹50,00,000/-₹50,00,000/-
13Rs. 25,00,000/-Rs. 50,00,000/-₹3 Crore/-₹3 Crore/-₹25,00,000/-₹25,00,000/-
12Rs. 12,50,000/-Rs. 25,00,000/-₹1 Crore/-₹1 Crore/-₹1 Crore/-₹1 Crore/-₹12,50,000/-₹12,50,000/-
11Rs. 6,40,000/-Rs. 12,50,000/-₹50,00,000/-₹50,00,000/-₹50,00,000/-₹50,00,000/-₹6,40,000/-₹6,40,000/-
10Rs. 3,20,000/-Rs. 6,40,000/-₹25,00,000/-₹25,00,000/-₹25,00,000/-₹25,00,000/-₹3,20,000/-₹3,20,000/-
9Rs. 1,60,000/-Rs. 3,20,000/-₹12,50,000/-₹12,50,000/-₹12,50,000/-₹12,50,000/-₹1,60,000/-₹1,60,000/-
8Rs. 80,000/-Rs. 1,60,000/-₹6,40,000/-₹6,40,000/-₹6,40,000/-₹6,40,000/-₹80,000/-₹80,000/-
7Rs. 40,000/-Rs. 80,000/-₹3,20,000/-₹3,20,000/-₹3,20,000/-₹3,20,000/-₹40,000/-₹40,000/-
6Rs. 20,000/-Rs. 40,000/-₹1,60,000/-₹1,60,000/-₹1,60,000/-₹1,60,000/-₹20,000/-₹20,000/-
5Rs. 10,000/-Rs. 20,000/-₹80,000/-₹80,000/-₹80,000/-₹80,000/-₹10,000/-₹10,000/-
4Rs. 5,000/-Rs. 10,000/-₹40,000/-₹40,000/-₹40,000/-₹40,000/-₹5,000/-₹5,000/-
3Rs. 3,000/-Rs. 5,000/-₹20,000/-₹20,000/-₹20,000/-₹20,000/-₹3,000/-₹3,000/-
2Rs. 2,000/-Rs. 3,000/-₹10,000/-₹10,000/-₹10,000/-₹10,000/-₹2,000/-₹2,000/-
1Rs. 1,000/-Rs. 1,000/-₹5,000/-₹5,000/-₹5,000/-₹5,000/-₹1,000/-₹1,000/-

Celebrity guests

Season 1

Guest(s)YearAmount wonNotes
Sonali Bendre2000Rs. 25,00,000/-Played In The Diwali Special
Aamir Khan2000Rs. 50,00,000/-First Celebrity Guest To play the game, played during the Diwali special
Rani Mukerji2000Rs. 50,00,000/-Played in the New Year special.
Shah Rukh Khan2001Rs. 50,00,000/-Played in the New Year special.
Sanjay Dutt2001Rs. 25,00,000/-
Anil Kapoor2001Rs. 50,00,000/-Played KBC host in Slumdog Millionaire
Sachin Tendulkar, Madhuri Dixit2001Rs. 50,00,000/-Won Rs. 50,00,000/- each in a special episode to raise funds for victims of the 2001 Gujarat earthquake
Amar Upadhyay, Smriti Irani2001Rs. 50,00,000/-To celebrate the first anniversary of the show
Sakshi Tanwar2001Rs. 3,20,000/-

Season 2

Guest(s)YearAmount wonNotes
Kajol, Ajay Devgn2005Rs. 1,00,00,000/-Biggest celebrity winners on KBC with Bachchan
John Abraham, Bipasha Basu2005Rs. 25,00,000/-
Sania Mirza, Lara Dutta2005Rs. 50,00,000/-Appeared on Children's day.
Saif Ali Khan, Preity Zinta2005Rs. 50,00,000/-To promote their film "Salaam Namaste"
Smriti Irani, Sakshi Tanwar2005Rs. 6,40,000/-Second Time On The Show

Season 3

Guest(s)DateAmount wonEpisodeNotes
Arbaaz Khan, Malaika Arora14 February 2007Rs. 12,50,000/-Valentine's Day
Farhan Akhtar, Zoya Akhtar14 February 2007Rs. 25,00,000/-Valentine's Day
Karan Johar, Farah Khan14 February 2007Rs. 25,00,000/-Valentine's DayJohar's Second Appearance on the ShowThe first time he appeared in the audience with Bachchan in 2000 to support Shahrukh Khan
Preity Zinta, Rani Mukerji27 February 2007Rs. 50,00,000/-Holi SpecialBoth Zinta and Mukerji's second time on the show
Sanjay Dutt, Boman Irani29 March 2007Rs. 50,00,000/-Dutt's second time on the show
Priyanka Chopra, Kareena Kapoor19 April 2007Rs. 50,00,000/-Series Finale
Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif19 April 2007Rs. 50,00,000/-Series Finale

Season 4 Hot Seat

Guest(s)Qualified Guest(s)DateAmount wonNotes
Aditya Roy Kapoor, Vipul Shah, Neha Dhupia, Rannvijay Singh, Shefali Shah1 November 2010₹50,00,000/-For the promotion of Action Replayy
Leander Paes, S. Sreesanth, Niket Kulshreshtha, Jwala Gutta, Ashwini PonnappaManoj Kumar2 November 2010₹25,00,000/-Diwali Special
Pooja Gor, Aashka Goradia, Bharti Singh, Aishwarya SakhujaRagini Khanna3 November 2010₹12,50,000/-Diwali Special
Arshad Warsi, Shreyas Talpade, Rohit Shetty, Tusshar Kapoor, Kunal KhemuAjay Devgan4 November 2010₹25,00,000/-For the promotion of Golmaal 3. Devgan's second time on the show.

Season 5

Guest(s)DateAmount wonNotes
Deepika Padukone, Saif Ali Khan18 August 2011For the promotion of AarakshanBoth Padukone And Khan's Second Time On Show.
Shahid Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor1 September 2011₹12,50,000/-For the promotion of MausamBoth Sonam & Shahid's First Appearance on the Show.
Imran Khan, Katrina Kaif8 September 2011₹12,50,000/-For the promotion of Mere Brother Ki DulhanKaif's Second Time On The Show KBC
Ranbir Kapoor15 September 2011₹12,50,000/-For the promotion of Rockstar
John AbrahamOctober 2011For the promotion of Desi BoyzJohn's Third Time On The Show.
Shahrukh Khan20 October 2011₹50,00,000/-For the promotion of Ra.OneShahrukh's Second Time On The Show As a Participant.
Ram Kapoor, Sakshi Tanwar[69] 27 October 2011₹25,00,000/-In Diwali Special Episode.Sakshi Tanwar 3rd Time On The Show KBC
Vidya Balan10 November 2011₹12,50,000/-For the promotion of The Dirty PictureBalan's First time on the Show.
Harbhajan Singh15 November 2011For The promotion of Pepsi Ad
Ranveer Singh, Anushka Sharma16 November 2011For the promotion of Ladies vs Ricky Bahl.

Season 6

Guest(s)DateAmount wonNotes
Sridevi, Gauri Shinde7 October 2012₹6,40,000/-For the promotion of English VinglishBoth Sridevi And Shinde's First Appearance on the Show.
Karan Johar, Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan, Sidharth Malhotra14 October 2012₹6,40,000/-For the promotion of Student of the YearJohar's Third Appearance On Alia Bhatt, Dhawan & Malhotra's First Appearance on the Show.
Falguni Pathak20 October 2012For Giving Special Performance during Navratri
Shahrukh Khan, Katrina Kaif4 November 2012₹25,00,000/-For the promotion of Jab Tak Hai JaanShahrukh's Third while Kaif's Third Time on the Show.
Ajay Devgn, Sonakshi Sinha18 November 2012₹3,20,000/-For the promotion of Son of SardaarDevgn's Third while Sinha's First Time on the Show.
Ram Kapoor, Sakshi Tanwar, Amrita Mukherjee16 December 2012₹12,50,000/-For the Christmas Special EpisodeSakshi's Fourth while Kapoor's Second Time on the Show.
Sharad Kelkar, Kritika Kamra16 December 2012₹6,40,000/-For the Christmas Special EpisodeBoth Kelkar and Kamra's First Appearance on the Show.
Anil Kapoor20 January 2013For the promotion of Race 2

Season 8

!Guest(s)!Date!Amount won!Notes
Rani Mukherjee21 August 2014-For the promotion Mardaani[70] Rani's second time on the show.
Aditya Roy Kapoor and Parineeti Chopra28 August 2014-For the promotion Daawat-e-Ishq[71]
Priyanka Chopra4 September 2014₹12,50,000/-For the promotion Mary Kom[72] Priyanka's second time on the show.
Fawad Khan and Sonam Kapoor18 September 2014-For the promotion Khoobsurat
Shahrukh Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Boman Irani, Sonu Sood, Vivaan Shah, Farah Khan21 October 2014₹12,50,000/-For the promotion of their film Happy New YearShahrukh's fourth time on the show.
Ajay Devgn, Sonakshi Sinha and Prabhu Deva9 November 2014-For the promotion of Action JacksonDevgn's fourth and Sinha's second time on the show.
Govinda, Ranveer Singh, Ali Zafar and Parineeti Chopra16 November 2014₹12,50,000/-For the promotion of Kill Dil

Season 10

Guest(s)DateAmount wonEpisodes
Ayushmann Khurrana, Sarbani Das Roy26 October 2018-Episode no 40
Aamir Khan2 November 2018-Episode no 45

Season 11

Guest(s)DateAmount wonEpisodes
Sonakshi Sinha20 September 2019-Episode no 25
Sudha Murthy29 November 2019₹25,00,000/-Episode no 75

Season 13

Guest(s)DateAmount wonEpisodes
Sourav Ganguly and Virender Sehwag3 September 2021₹25,00,000/-Episode no 10
Farah Khan and Deepika Padukone10 September 2021₹25,00,000/-Episode no 15
Neeraj Chopra and P. R. Sreejesh17 September 2021₹25,00,000/-Episode no 20
Jackie Shroff and Suniel Shetty24 September 2021₹25,00,000/-Episode no 25
Pankaj Tripathi and Pratik Gandhi1 October 2021₹12,50,000/-Episode no 30
Riteish Deshmukh and Genelia D'souza8 October 2021₹25,00,000/-Episode no 35
Hema Malini and Ramesh Sippy15 October 2021₹25,00,000/-Episode no 40
Shaan and Sonu Nigam22 October 2021₹25,00,000/-Episode no 45
Rajkumar Rao and Kriti Sanon29 October 2021₹25,00,000/-Episode no 50
Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif and Rohit Shetty5 November 2021₹25,00,000/-Episode no 55
Sonu Sood and Kapil Sharma12 November 2021₹25,00,000/-Episode no 60
Saif Ali Khan, Rani Mukherji, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Sharvari Wagh19 November 2021₹25,00,000/-Episode no 65
John Abraham, Divya Khosla Kumar and Nikkhil Advani26 November 2021₹25,00,000/-Episode no 70
Shweta Bachchan Nanda and Navya Naveli Nanda3 December 2021₹25,00,000/-Episode no 75
Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah - Cast10 December 2021₹25,00,000/-Episode no 80
Ayushmann Khurrana, Vaani Kapoor and Abhishek Kapoor13 December 2021₹25,00,000/-Episode no 81
Manish Paul, Disha Parmar, Chandni Sharma and Additi Gupta14 December 2021₹25,00,000/-Episode no 82
15 December 2021₹25,00,000/-Episode no 83
Neena Gupta and Gajraj Rao16 December 2021₹12,50,000/-Episode no 84
Irfan Pathan and Harbhajan Singh17 December 2021₹25,00,000/-Episode no 85

Season 14

Guest(s)DateAmount wonEpisodes
Aamir Khan, Major D. P. Singh, Col. Mitali Madhumita7 August 2022₹50,00,000/-Episode 1
Mary Kom, Sunil Chhetri₹12,50,000/-
Nikhat Zareen, Mirabai Chanu5 September 2022₹25,00,000/-Episode 22
Neena Gupta, Anupam Kher, Boman Irani7 November 2022₹25,00,000/-Episode 67
Kajol, Revathi, Sujatha Kolvenu5 December 2022₹6,40,000/-Episode 87
26 December 2022₹12,50,000/-Episode 102
Prakash Singh, Akshay Kumar27 December 2022₹25,00,000/-Episode 103
Anupam Mittal, Piyush Bansal, Vineeta Singh, Aman Gupta, Amit Jain, Namita Thapar28 December 2022₹25,00,000/-Episode 104
Vicky Kaushal, Kiara Advani29 December 2022₹12,50,000/-Episode 105

Season 15

Top prize winners

Harshvardhan Navathe (19 October 2000)

Harshvardhan Navathe became the first top prize winner of KBC when he won Rs. 1 Crore/- on 19 October 2000.[73]

Vijay Raul and Arundhati (2 May 2001)

Vijay Raul and Arundhati appeared in Season 1 and won Rs. 1 Crore/- on 2 May 2001.

Ravi Mohan Saini (14 May 2001)

Ravi Mohan Saini appeared on Kaun Banega Crorepati Junior at 14 and won Rs. 1 Crore/- on 14 May 2001.[74]

Sushil Kumar (2 November 2011)

Hailing from a small village in Bihar, Sushil Kumar, who appeared in Season 5, is the first contestant to win ₹5 Crores/-. He was a computer instructor under MNREGA earning a meagre ₹6,000/- (roughly $121) per month before his entry to KBC. For this reason, Kumar has been dubbed as the real "Slumdog Millionaire".[75]

Sunmeet Kaur Sawhney (12 January 2013)

Sunmeet Kaur Sawhney appeared in Season 6 and won ₹5 Crores/-.[76] She was the second ₹5 Crore/- winner.

Achin and Sarthak Narula (9 October 2014)

Achin and Sarthak Narula appeared in Season 8 and won ₹7 Crores/-, making them the first and, as of now, only ₹7 Crore/- winners. They are one of the biggest winners in Asian WWTBAM franchises.

In popular culture

Danny Boyle's 2008 film Slumdog Millionaire was loosely based on the show.[77] The movie's host, based loosely on the actual host Amitabh Bachchan, was portrayed by Anil Kapoor. Kapoor himself has appeared on a celebrity version of the show.[78]

KBC - The Game, a mobile video game developed by Vroovy (a joint venture of Hungama and Gameshastra) was developed as a tie-in release for the show.[79]

Indiagames has also released a mobile video game based on the film.[80]

Production

Development

After Sameer Nair became the programming head of StarPlus in February 1999, he came across a clip from Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? in July 1999 through Steve Askew, the Australian programming head of the region and got the rights to produce here from ECM who had the Asian version rights.[81] Then, Siddhartha Basu who earlier worked in the show A question of answers was roped to produce the show with his company Synergy communications. The show was then titled Kaun Banega Lakhpati with the maximum price amount decided to be Rs. 1 Lakh/-. In January 2000, Nair had a choice for Amitabh Bachchan to host the show. Rupert Murdoch, chairman of Star TV's parent firm News Corporation, in the next month, ordered to change the maximum amount to Rs. 1 Crore/- and the series was accordingly retitled Kaun Banega Crorepati.[82] Bachchan who was initially skeptical later agreed to host it. The sets were constructed in Mumbai's Film City in June 2000 and the series was launched in July 2000 during the time when the channel was in a revamp along with conversion into a full Hindi language channel from Bilingual English and Hindi language channel.

Reception

Impact

The series which aired on StarPlus for three seasons is the first show that took the channel's viewership to a greater height, being one of the tops viewed Hindi GEC show in that time.[83]

On 27 April 2007, Delhi High Court on becoming suspicious in the amount won by the actors and VVIPs (Very very important persons) being high unlike ordinary KBC contestants and ordered Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Commission (MRTPC) to investigate into it. However, Star denied it and stated, "KBC-2 is purely a game of skill and not a game of chance; each and every question posed by KBC-2 requires certain ‘thinking’ and ‘exercise of intellect’ to win any sum of money." The case was soon stayed by the Supreme Court.[84]

During the third season, in 2008, Star Plus and the show sponsor Airtel were penalized with Rs. 1 Crore by the National Consumer Commission on violating the Consumer Protection Act when they charged R.2.5 per SMS rather than R.1, earning a huge profit.[85]

In 2010, after the third season, the show was shifted from Star Plus to Sony Entertainment Television who held the format, as the former did not renew their contract.[86]

An FIR was filed against the host Amitabh Bachchan and the channel Sony Entertainment Television for a question asked in the quiz, stating it hurting Hindu religion sentiments, in an episode of season 12 aired on 30 October 2020.[87]

Ratings

The overall average rating of the first season was 14.1 TVR while the second and third got 11.1 and 6.8 TVRs.[88]

The first season started with 22% of viewership garnering 8.96 TVR in the debut week and soon increased to 54% in the last week of July 2000 making it most watched television program and pushing the position of StarPlus to number one for the first time then and also reinvented Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan's career.[89] [90] The following seven days it gradually increased and got 9.57, 11, 12.6, 12.4, 12.9, 13.2 and 14.7 TVRs.[91] Maintaining the viewership with around more than 10 TVR until November 2000, it dipped to 8–9 TVR in December 2000 and further to 6–7 TVR in January 2001 while in week ending 3 February 2001 it garnered 7.2 TVR, despite continued to hold its number one position throughout.[92] The highest rating ever achieved by the series in that time was 27.13 TVR during October 2000.[93]

The second season opened with 19.75 TVR in the launch day occupying the top position.[94] In analysis of its viewership in specific regions of India, it had the highest viewership from Madhya Pradesh with 38 TVR during the premiere.[95]

The third season hosted by Shah Rukh Khan received ratings lesser than the previous seasons which were hosted by Amitabh Bachchan and declined through its progress. The season opened with 12.33 TVR on 22 January 2007 with a reach of 23 million while the following days it declined to 10.44 and 7.36 TVRs.[96] On 25 January, it increased to 9.24 TVR however not being able to match like previous seasons of Star Plus. The following week after premiere it improved and got 8.8, 9, 8.4 and 10 TVR from Monday to Thursday.[97]

The fourth season which began airing on Sony Entertainment Television opened with 6.24 TVR while it averaged 5.2 TVR in the debut week and ended with an average rating of about 4 TVR.[98] [99]

The fifth season opened with 5.2 TVR and averaged 4.52 TVR in the week.[100] [101] In week 35, it was at the second position with 5.2 TVR.[102] The highest rating of the season was 7.2 and 8 TVR for the two episodes aired on 1 and 2 November 2011, where contestant Sushil Kumar won ₹5 crores, being the highest rating achieved in last two years by any Hindi GEC.[103] [104] The overall average rating of the series was about 4 TVR.[105]

The first episode of sixth season became the most watched Hindi GEC garnering 6.1 TVR making it the best television launch of the year and garnered 5.3 TVR the following day.[106] [107]

The launch episode of season eight had 8.96 million viewers and that week it averaged 5.2 million viewers.[108]

The ninth season opened with 6.2 million impressions being second most-watched Hindi GEC in urban.[109] Overall, the season was the most-watched Hindi GEC occupying first position for months.[110]

Notes and References

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  2. Web site: Kaun Banega Crorepati mesmerises people as STAR TV bets Rs 75 crore on Amitabh Bachchan. India Today. 9 August 2020. 2 October 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211002162919/https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/cover-story/story/20000717-kaun-banega-crorepati-mesmerises-people-as-star-tv-bets-rs-75-crore-on-amitabh-bachchan-779071-1999-11-30. live.
  3. Web site: KBC reinvented Mr Bachchan's image. Rediff.com. 14 August 2020. 25 April 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230425180714/https://www.rediff.com/movies/special/kbc-the-first-20-years/20200708.htm. live.
  4. Web site: The Way We Were: A screen test for a new India. Hindustan Times. 19 July 2020. 28 July 2020. 4 August 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230804222418/https://www.hindustantimes.com/more-lifestyle/the-way-we-were-a-screen-test-for-a-new-india/story-ufxKFFsv5vRCa5JpTkd0BO.html. live.
  5. Web site: I'm just one anchor: Amitabh. Hindustan Times. 13 August 2005.
  6. Web site: Zee TV, Sony rejig program in bid to win back viewers they lost to rival Star TV. India Today.
  7. Web site: Junior KBC has what it takes. Indian Television dot com. 7 May 2001. 9 August 2020. 23 January 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220123100531/https://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k1/may/may10.htm?amp. live.
  8. News: Star to relaunch KBC soon. Business Standard. 9 August 2020. 22 April 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230422083845/https://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/star-to-relaunch-kbc-soon-105021701077_1.html. live.
  9. Web site: Arora . Siddharth . Five crore question: What makes KBC work? . . Hindustan Times . 24 November 2011 . 19 November 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20111122034514/http://www.hindustantimes.com/Entertainment/Television/Five-crore-question-What-makes-KBC-work/Article1-771297.aspx . 22 November 2011 .
  10. Web site: Mega Star Show . . 13 November 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20000819000144/http://www.screenindia.com/jul14/tele2.htm . 19 August 2000.
  11. News: And the winner is... KBC 2. Business Standard India. 8 August 2005. 23 July 2020. 23 July 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200723111045/https://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/and-the-winner-is-kbc-2-105080801050_1.html. live.
  12. Web site: New KBC's first man faced Big B too. CNN News18. 18 January 2007. 9 August 2020. 22 April 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230422083844/https://www.news18.com/news/india/new-kbcs-first-man-faced-big-b-too-256504.html. live.
  13. News: India scraps millionaire TV show . BBC News . 25 January 2006 . 7 May 2010 . 4 February 2006 . https://web.archive.org/web/20060204185226/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4648470.stm . live .
  14. News: No lifeline, Star pulls KBC-2 off air. The Times of India. 24 January 2006 .
  15. Web site: KBC: Big B out, Shah Rukh in. Rediff.com. 9 August 2020. 23 January 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220123020001/https://m.rediff.com/movies/2006/nov/26kbc.htm. live.
  16. Web site: Last with Big B, first with Shah Rukh. Hindustan Times. 18 January 2007.
  17. Web site: Should Bollywood's Charmer-in-Chief stick to films? Why Shah Rukh Khan can't crack TV game shows - IBNLive . ibnlive.in.com . 17 January 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140806033354/http://ibnlive.in.com/news/should-bollywoods-charmerinchief-stick-to-films-why-shah-rukh-khan-cant-crack-tv-game-shows/490232-8-66.html . 6 August 2014 . dead.
  18. Web site: It's a question of crores.... Hindustan Times. 3 July 2011.
  19. News: Amitabh Bachchan-hosted KBC 4 to go on air from Oct 1. DnaIndia. 3 August 2010. 20 August 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100820233215/http://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/report_amitabh-bachchan-hosted-kbc-4-to-go-on-air-from-oct-11_1418189. live.
  20. Web site: KBC 4 beats Bigg Boss 4 in its final episode . https://archive.today/20120714010039/http://entertainment.oneindia.in/television/top-stories/news/2010/kbc4-beats-bigg-boss4-131210.html . dead . 14 July 2012 . One India . 13 December 2010 .
  21. Web site: KBC to give away Rs 50 MN in 60 minutes. Business Standard. 28 September 2010. 28 September 2010. 10 April 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160410012753/http://www.indiantelevision.com/mam/headlines/y2k10/sep/sepmam82.php. live.
  22. Web site: KBC 4 Will Be Presented in a Changed Format. India Server. 14 July 2010. 19 July 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100719214922/http://www.india-server.com/news/kbc-4-will-be-presented-in-a-changed-30071.html. live.
  23. News: KBC: Waiting for a facelift . Business Standard . 26 July 2010 . 26 July 2010 . Chakraborty . Swarup . 29 July 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100729003330/http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/kbc-waiting-forfacelift/402440/ . live .
  24. News: Television KBC 5 ends, leaves behind poignant memories. https://web.archive.org/web/20111119195618/http://www.hindustantimes.com/Entertainment/Television/KBC-5-ends-leaves-behind-poignant-memories/Article1-770946.aspx. dead. 19 November 2011. Hindustan Times. 18 November 2011.
  25. Web site: 42 kids perform at KBC 6 finale. Hindustan Times. 23 January 2013.
  26. Web site: Archived copy . 26 March 2018 . 22 April 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210422202622/https://auditionsdekho.com/sony-tv-kaun-banega-crorepati/ . dead .
  27. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Web site: KBC 6 - Sunmeet Kaur Sawhney 5 Crore Winning Moment... . YouTube.
  28. Web site: 'Kaun Banega Crorepati' rehearsals begin. Badhil. 27 June 2013. 28 June 2013. https://archive.today/20130628041328/http://badhil.com/kaun-banega-crorepati-rehearsals-begin/. live.
  29. Web site: Kaun Banega Crorepati to shoot an episode in Surat!. Indian Television. 25 July 2014. 25 July 2014. 29 July 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140729164820/http://www.indiantelevision.com/television/tv-channels/gecs/kaun-banega-crorepati-to-shoot-an-episode-in-surat-140725. live.
  30. Web site: Amitabh Bachchan in Surat Gujarat for Shooting of KBC 2014 - Kaun Banega Crorepati Season 8 . In Gujarat . 21 July 2014 . 16 November 2023 . 14 November 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231114093724/http://ingujarat.net/amitabh-bachchan-surat-gujarat-shooting-kbc-2014-kaun-banega-crorepati-season-8/ . live .
  31. Web site: Kaun Banega Crorepati to shoot an episode in Surat! . www.indiantelevision.com . en . 25 July 2014 . 16 November 2023 . 16 November 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231116115016/https://www.indiantelevision.com/television/tv-channels/gecs/kaun-banega-crorepati-to-shoot-an-episode-in-surat-140725 . live .
  32. Web site: Sarkar . Prarthna . 'Kaun Banega Crorepati 8': Big B Thanks Kapil, Says he Made the Show Look Incredible . www.ibtimes.co.in . en . 4 August 2014 . 16 November 2023 . 9 December 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231209094859/https://www.ibtimes.co.in/kaun-banega-crorepati-8-big-b-thanks-kapil-says-he-made-show-look-incredible-606056 . live .
  33. Web site: Amitabh Bachchan arrives at Surat by road for KBC shooting . DeshGujarat . 1 August 2014 . 16 November 2023 . 16 November 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231116110031/https://deshgujarat.com/2014/08/01/amitabh-bachchan-arrives-in-surat-by-road-for-kbc-shooting/ . live .
  34. News: KBC 8: Amitabh Bachchan to shoot launch episode in Surat. IANS. 2014-07-25. India Today. 2023-03-08. 8 March 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230308103244/https://www.indiatoday.in/television/top-stories/story/kbc-8-amitabh-bachchan-to-shoot-launch-episode-in-surat-201688-2014-07-25. live.
  35. News: Amitabh Bachchan to start shooting for KBC 8. 2 August 2014. Patrika Group. 2 August 2014. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20140804114004/http://www.patrika.com/article/amitabh-bachchan-to-start-shooting-for-kbc-8/48193. 4 August 2014.
  36. Web site: Amitabh Bachchan, Kapil Sharma's Jugalbandi on KBC 8 . NDTV.com . 16 November 2023 . 16 November 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231116122137/https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/amitabh-bachchan-kapil-sharmas-jugalbandi-on-kbc-8-641540 . live .
  37. News: Bigger, better and deep-rooted – KBC Season 8!. 5 August 2014. Adgully. 12 August 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140812212707/http://www.adgully.com/bigger-better-and-deep-rooted-kbc-season-8-58545.html. live.
  38. News: Shillong Chamber Choir performs at Kaun Banega Crorepati – season 8!. 2 September 2014. India-North-East.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20140905234406/http://www.india-north-east.com/2014/09/Shillong-Chamber-Choir-performs-at-KBC-8.html. 5 September 2014. dead.
  39. News: Kaun Banega Crorepati 10: What's new in Amitabh Bachchan's game show. 4 September 2018. The Indian Express. 3 September 2018. 3 September 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180903082417/https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/television/kaun-banega-crorepati-10-whats-new-amitabh-bachchan-5336752/lite/. live.
  40. Retrieve on 11 July 2019
  41. News: Kaun Banega Crorepati 12 registrations to begin from 9 May. The Indian Express. 3 May 2020. 4 May 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200504055719/https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/television/kaun-banega-crorepati-12-registrations-to-start-from-may-9-6390920/lite/#referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&amp_tf=From%20%251%24s. live.
  42. News: अमिताभ बच्चन लेकर आ रहे हैं KBC 12, जानें कबसे शुरू होंगे रजिस्ट्रेशन. hi. Hindustan. 3 May 2020. 8 May 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200508205557/https://www.livehindustan.com/entertainment/story-kaun-banega-crorepati-12-registration-for-kbc-12-begins-from-may-9-auditions-to-be-done-online-watch-promo-3190132.html. live.
  43. News: KBC 12 : फिर आ रहा Kaun Banega Crorepati, 9 मई से शुरू होगा रजिस्ट्रेशन, जानिए पूरी प्रोसेस. hi. www.naidunia.com. 3 May 2020. 10 May 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200510182744/https://www.naidunia.com/entertainment/television-kbc-12-kaun-banega-crorepati-registration-to-start-from-9-may-know-the-process-5530904. live.
  44. News: Amitabh Bachchan begins shooting Kaun Banega Crorepati 12; shares glimpses of the first day on set. timesofindia.indiatimes.com. 8 September 2020. 9 September 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200909032712/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tv/news/hindi/amitabh-bachchan-begins-shooting-kaun-banega-crorepati-12-shares-glimpses-of-first-day-on-set/articleshow/77990846.cms. live.
  45. Web site: 3 crorepatis till now, why KBC 12 seems phenomenal for women. India Today. 26 April 2021. 26 April 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210426110255/https://www.indiatoday.in/television/reality-tv/story/3-crorepatis-till-now-why-kbc-12-seems-phenomenal-for-women-1744246-2020-11-26. live.
  46. Web site: 20 years,12th Season: Kaun Banega Crorepati makes a comeback on Sept 28 - Exchange4media. 2 October 2020. Indian Advertising Media & Marketing News – exchange4media. en. 22 October 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201022041655/https://www.exchange4media.com/media-tv-news/20-years12th-season-kaun-banega-crorepati-makes-a-comeback-on-sept-28-107784.html. live.
  47. Web site: KBC 12: Runa Saha is first contestant ever to reach hot seat without playing fastest fingers first, all thanks to Amitabh Bachchan. Hindustan Times. 16 October 2020. 3 November 2020. 18 October 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201018230536/https://www.hindustantimes.com/tv/kbc-12-runa-saha-is-first-contestant-ever-to-reach-hot-seat-without-playinkbg-fastest-fingers-first-all-thanks-to-amitabh-bachchan/story-Py6AGc6BFFf1PhgAdZyDoK.html. live.
  48. Web site: KBC 12 Karmveer Phoolbasan Bai Yadav and Renuka Shahane answered this Rs. 50 lakh/- question. Can you?. India Today. 3 November 2020. 1 November 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201101084356/https://www.indiatoday.in/television/reality-tv/story/kbc-12-karamveer-phoolbasan-yadav-and-renuka-shahane-answered-this-rs-50-lakh-question-can-you-1734658-2020-10-24. live.
  49. News: It was a Slumdog Millionaire moment for me: KBC 12 winner Nazia Nasim. Indian Express. 12 November 2020. The Indian Express. 12 November 2020. 12 November 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201112011248/https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/television/kaun-banega-crorepati-12-winner-nazia-nasim-7043893/. live.
  50. Web site: Kaun Banega Crorepati season 12 final episode to air on 22 January, pay tribute to Kargil war veterans. Firstpost. 20 January 2021. 26 April 2021. 26 April 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210426110255/https://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/kaun-banega-crorepati-season-12-final-episode-to-air-on-22-january-pay-tribute-to-kargil-war-veterans-9220601.html. live.
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