In 2000, when Kaun Banega Crorepati started airing, it redefined reality television for Indian households. After the entire day, every Indian family would be glued to the tv to watch Amitabh Bachchan play a game of 16 questions with contestants from all over the country for a prize money of Rs 1crore. The show also worked wonders for Big B’s stardom.
But did you know that the Bachchan family initially thought that for the superstar to do such a reality game show on television was a “huge mistake”? Here’s why.
As the show completed 25 years, Big B recalled the initial days of the show.
Looking back on the show, he said, “When I told my family about taking on this project, I won’t take names, but some people said, ‘You are making a big mistake.’ I asked, ‘Why?’ They replied, ‘People see you on the 70 mm big screen, and now they will watch you on a smaller TV screen. Moving from the big screen to the small screen will diminish your stature. It is a huge mistake.”
The actor did not listen to any advice and said yes to the show. But before saying yes, he had one demand – he requested the makers to take him to London as he wanted to see the original format.
He also recalled how nervous he was on the first day of shoot.
“The producers never noticed my heartbeat and the camera didn’t catch my legs shaking on the first day. I had no idea what would happen. I decided to just speak whatever I had to say,” Amitabh said.
25 years later, KBC is still one of the most watched and most followed shows on Indian television.
