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Kaun Banega Crorepati (Hindi: कौन बनेगा करोड़पति, literally: Who Will Become a Millionaire?), also Kaun Banega Maha Crorepati (Hindi: कौन बनेगा महा करोड़पति), KBC or KBC Hindi, is an Indian television quiz show, one of 9 Indian versions, based off from the British game show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? It first aired on Star Plus on July 3, 2000 until April 19, 2007, and from October 11, 2010, the show is aired on Sony Channel India. Hosted by Amitabh Bachchan and Shahrukh Khan.

In game show questions were shown in English (for English-spoken people as second language) and Hindi (for Hindi-spoken people only) languages. Also Kaun Banega Crorepati is one from eight Indian versions where English language are used.

The show played a significant role in the film Slumdog Millionaire, though it was portrayed slightly different than how the real show is. The film version uses the English name and has 10 questions with no milestones. The money values are in the standard Arabic numbering system instead of the Indian numbering system.

Lifelines[]

In this version, there are a total of 11 lifelines (they changed periodically):

Seasons[]

  • Season 1 (315 episodes, July 3, 2000 - December 31, 2001)
  • Season 2 (62 episodes, August 5 - December 24, 2005)
  • Season 3 (53 episodes, January 22 - April 19, 2007)
  • Season 4 (36 episodes, October 11 - December 9, 2010)
  • Season 5 (56 episodes, August 15 - November 17, 2011)
  • Season 6 (58 episodes, September 7, 2012 - January 26, 2013)
  • Season 7 (36 episodes, September 6 - December 1, 2013)
  • Season 8 (50 episodes, August 18 - November 16, 2014)
  • Season 9 (52 episodes, August 28 - November 7, 2017)
  • Season 10 (61 episodes, September 3 - November 26, 2018)[1]
  • Season 11 (75 episodes, August 19 - November 29, 2019)
  • Season 12 (85 episodes, September 28, 2020 - January 22, 2021)
  • Season 13 (85 episodes, August 23 - December 17, 2021)
  • Season 14 (106 episodes, August 7 - December 30, 2022)
  • Season 15 (100 episodes, August 14 - December 29, 2023)

From Seasons 1 - 14, 1,130 episodes aired.

Money Trees[]

03.07.2000 - 31.12.2001[]

Question
No.
Correct Answer
Value
Walk Away
Value
Miss Answer
Value
Amount Lost for a
Wrong Answer
15 Rs. 10,000,000 Rs. 5,000,000 Rs. 320,000 Rs. 4,680,000
14 Rs. 5,000,000 Rs. 2,500,000 Rs. 2,180,000
13 Rs. 2,500,000 Rs. 1,250,000 Rs. 930,000
12 Rs. 1,250,000 Rs. 640,000 Rs. 320,000
11 Rs. 640,000 Rs. 320,000 Rs. 0
10 Rs. 320,000 Rs. 160,000 Rs. 10,000 Rs. 150,000
9 Rs. 160,000 Rs. 80,000 Rs. 70,000
8 Rs. 80,000 Rs. 40,000 Rs. 30,000
7 Rs. 40,000 Rs. 20,000 Rs. 10,000
6 Rs. 20,000 Rs. 10,000 Rs. 0
5 Rs. 10,000 Rs. 5,000 Rs. 0 Rs. 5,000
4 Rs. 5,000 Rs. 3,000 Rs. 3,000
3 Rs. 3,000 Rs. 2,000 Rs. 2,000
2 Rs. 2,000 Rs. 1,000 Rs. 1,000
1 Rs. 1,000 Rs. 0 Rs. 0

05.08.2005 - 19.04.2007[]

Question
No.
Correct Answer
Value
Walk Away
Value
Miss Answer
Value
Amount Lost for a
Wrong Answer
15 Rs. 20,000,000 Rs. 10,000,000 Rs. 640,000 Rs. 9,360,000
14 Rs. 10,000,000 Rs. 5,000,000 Rs. 4,360,000
13 Rs. 5,000,000 Rs. 2,500,000 Rs. 1,860,000
12 Rs. 2,500,000 Rs. 1,250,000 Rs. 610,000
11 Rs. 1,250,000 Rs. 640,000 Rs. 0
10 Rs. 640,000 Rs. 320,000 Rs. 20,000 Rs. 300,000
9 Rs. 320,000 Rs. 160,000 Rs. 140,000
8 Rs. 160,000 Rs. 80,000 Rs. 60,000
7 Rs. 80,000 Rs. 40,000 Rs. 20,000
6 Rs. 40,000 Rs. 20,000 Rs. 0
5 Rs. 20,000 Rs. 10,000 Rs. 0 Rs. 10,000
4 Rs. 10,000 Rs. 5,000 Rs. 5,000
3 Rs. 5,000 Rs. 3,000 Rs. 3,000
2 Rs. 3,000 Rs. 1,000 Rs. 1,000
1 Rs. 1,000 Rs. 0 Rs. 0

11.10 - 09.12.2010[]

Question
No.
Correct Answer
Value
Walk Away
Value
Miss Answer
Value
Amount Lost for a
Wrong Answer
13 Rs. 50,000,000 Rs. 10,000,000 Rs. 320,000 Rs. 9,680,000
12 Rs. 10,000,000 Rs. 5,000,000 Rs. 4,680,000
11 Rs. 5,000,000 Rs. 2,500,000 Rs. 2,180,000
10 Rs. 2,500,000 Rs. 1,250,000 Rs. 930,000
9 Rs. 1,250,000 Rs. 640,000 Rs. 320,000
8 Rs. 640,000 Rs. 320,000 Rs. 0
7 Rs. 320,000 Rs. 160,000 Rs. 10,000 Rs. 150,000
6 Rs. 160,000 Rs. 80,000 Rs. 70,000
5 Rs. 80,000 Rs. 40,000 Rs. 30,000
4 Rs. 40,000 Rs. 20,000 Rs. 10,000
3 Rs. 20,000 Rs. 10,000 Rs. 0
2 Rs. 10,000 Rs. 5,000 Rs. 0 Rs. 5,000
1 Rs. 5,000 Rs. 0 Rs. 0

15.08.2011 - 26.01.2013[]

No. Question
Value
Amount Lost for a Wrong Answer (if safety net is set at...)
Rs. 5,000 Rs. 10,000 Rs. 20,000 Rs. 40,000 Rs. 80,000 Rs. 160,000 Rs. 320,000 Rs. 640,000 Rs. 1,250,000 Rs. 2,500,000 Rs. 5,000,000 Rs. 10,000,000
1 Rs. 5,000 Rs. 0 - - - - - - - - - - -
2 Rs. 10,000 Rs. 0 Rs. 5,000 - - - - - - - - - -
3 Rs. 20,000 Rs. 5,000 Rs. 0 Rs. 10,000 - - - - - - - - -
4 Rs. 40,000 Rs. 15,000 Rs. 10,000 Rs. 0 Rs. 20,000 - - - - - - - -
5 Rs. 80,000 Rs. 35,000 Rs. 30,000 Rs. 20,000 Rs. 0 Rs. 40,000 - - - - - - -
6 Rs. 160,000 Rs. 75,000 Rs. 70,000 Rs. 60,000 Rs. 40,000 Rs. 0 Rs. 80,000 - - - - - -
7 Rs. 320,000 Rs. 155,000 Rs. 150,000 Rs. 140,000 Rs. 120,000 Rs. 80,000 Rs. 0 Rs. 160,000 - - - - -
8 Rs. 640,000 Rs. 315,000 Rs. 310,000 Rs. 300,000 Rs. 280,000 Rs. 240,000 Rs. 160,000 Rs. 0 Rs. 320,000 - - - -
9 Rs. 1,250,000 Rs. 635,000 Rs. 630,000 Rs. 620,000 Rs. 600,000 Rs. 560,000 Rs. 480,000 Rs. 320,000 Rs. 0 Rs. 640,000 - - -
10 Rs. 2,500,000 Rs. 1,245,000 Rs. 1,240,000 Rs. 1,230,000 Rs. 1,210,000 Rs. 1,170,000 Rs. 1,090,000 Rs. 930,000 Rs. 640,000 Rs. 0 Rs. 1,250,000 - -
11 Rs. 5,000,000 Rs. 2,495,000 Rs. 2,490,000 Rs. 2,480,000 Rs. 2,460,000 Rs. 2,420,000 Rs. 2,340,000 Rs. 2,180,000 Rs. 1,860,000 Rs. 1,250,000 Rs. 0 Rs. 2,500,000 -
12 Rs. 10,000,000 Rs. 4,995,000 Rs. 4,990,000 Rs. 4,980,000 Rs. 4,960,000 Rs. 4,920,000 Rs. 4,840,000 Rs. 4,680,000 Rs. 4,360,000 Rs. 3,750,000 Rs. 2,500,000 Rs. 0 Rs. 5,000,000
13 Rs. 50,000,000 Rs. 9,995,000 Rs. 9,990,000 Rs. 9,980,000 Rs. 9,960,000 Rs. 9,920,000 Rs. 9,840,000 Rs. 9,680,000 Rs. 9,360,000 Rs. 8,750,000 Rs. 7,500,000 Rs. 5,000,000 Rs. 0

06.09 - 01.12.2013[]

Question
No.
Correct Answer
Value
Walk Away
Value
Miss Answer
Value
Amount Lost for a
Wrong Answer
15 Rs. 70,000,000 Rs. 50,000,000 Rs. 640,000 Rs. 49,360,000
14 Rs. 50,000,000 Rs. 30,000,000 Rs. 29,360,000
13 Rs. 30,000,000 Rs. 10,000,000 Rs. 9,360,000
12 Rs. 10,000,000 Rs. 5,000,000 Rs. 4,360,000
11 Rs. 5,000,000 Rs. 2,500,000 Rs. 1,860,000
10 Rs. 2,500,000 Rs. 1,250,000 Rs. 610,000
9 Rs. 1,250,000 Rs. 640,000 Rs. 0
8 Rs. 640,000 Rs. 320,000 Rs. 40,000 Rs. 280,000
7 Rs. 320,000 Rs. 160,000 Rs. 120,000
6 Rs. 160,000 Rs. 80,000 Rs. 40,000
5 Rs. 80,000 Rs. 40,000 Rs. 0
4 Rs. 40,000 Rs. 20,000 Rs. 0 Rs. 20,000
3 Rs. 20,000 Rs. 10,000 Rs. 10,000
2 Rs. 10,000 Rs. 5,000 Rs. 5,000
1 Rs. 5,000 Rs. 0 Rs. 0

18.08 - 16.11.2014[]

Question
No.
Correct Answer
Value
Walk Away
Value
Miss Answer
Value
Amount Lost for a
Wrong Answer
14 Rs. 70,000,000 Rs. 30,000,000 Rs. 320,000 Rs. 29,680,000
13 Rs. 30,000,000 Rs. 10,000,000 Rs. 9,680,000
12 Rs. 10,000,000 Rs. 5,000,000 Rs. 4,680,000
11 Rs. 5,000,000 Rs. 2,500,000 Rs. 2,180,000
10 Rs. 2,500,000 Rs. 1,250,000 Rs. 930,000
9 Rs. 1,250,000 Rs. 640,000 Rs. 320,000
8 Rs. 640,000 Rs. 320,000 Rs. 0
7 Rs. 320,000 Rs. 160,000 Rs. 10,000 Rs. 150,000
6 Rs. 160,000 Rs. 80,000 Rs. 70,000
5 Rs. 80,000 Rs. 40,000 Rs. 30,000
4 Rs. 40,000 Rs. 20,000 Rs. 10,000
3 Rs. 20,000 Rs. 10,000 Rs. 0
2 Rs. 10,000 Rs. 5,000 Rs. 0 Rs. 5,000
1 Rs. 5,000 Rs. 0 Rs. 0

28.08.2017 - 17.12.2021, 14.08.2023 - present[]

Question
No.
Correct Answer
Value
Walk Away
Value
Miss Answer
Value
Amount Lost for a
Wrong Answer
16 Rs. 70,000,000 Rs. 10,000,000 Rs. 320,000 Rs. 9,680,000
15 Rs. 10,000,000 Rs. 5,000,000 Rs. 4,680,000
14 Rs. 5,000,000 Rs. 2,500,000 Rs. 2,180,000
13 Rs. 2,500,000 Rs. 1,250,000 Rs. 930,000
12 Rs. 1,250,000 Rs. 640,000 Rs. 320,000
11 Rs. 640,000 Rs. 320,000 Rs. 0
10 Rs. 320,000 Rs. 160,000 Rs. 10,000 Rs. 150,000
9 Rs. 160,000 Rs. 80,000 Rs. 70,000
8 Rs. 80,000 Rs. 40,000 Rs. 30,000
7 Rs. 40,000 Rs. 20,000 Rs. 10,000
6 Rs. 20,000 Rs. 10,000 Rs. 0
5 Rs. 10,000 Rs. 5,000 Rs. 0 Rs. 5,000
4 Rs. 5,000 Rs. 3,000 Rs. 3,000
3 Rs. 3,000 Rs. 2,000 Rs. 2,000
2 Rs. 2,000 Rs. 1,000 Rs. 1,000
1 Rs. 1,000 Rs. 0 Rs. 0

07.08 - 30.12.2022[]

Question
No.
Correct Answer
Value
Walk Away
Value
Miss Answer
Value
Amount Lost for a
Wrong Answer
17 Rs. 75,000,000 Rs. 10,000,000 Rs. 7,500,000 Rs. 2,500,000
16 Rs. 10,000,000 Rs. 7,500,000 Rs. 0
15 Rs. 7,500,000 Rs. 5,000,000 Rs. 320,000 Rs. 4,680,000
14 Rs. 5,000,000 Rs. 2,500,000 Rs. 2,180,000
13 Rs. 2,500,000 Rs. 1,250,000 Rs. 930,000
12 Rs. 1,250,000 Rs. 640,000 Rs. 320,000
11 Rs. 640,000 Rs. 320,000 Rs. 0
10 Rs. 320,000 Rs. 160,000 Rs. 10,000 Rs. 150,000
9 Rs. 160,000 Rs. 80,000 Rs. 70,000
8 Rs. 80,000 Rs. 40,000 Rs. 30,000
7 Rs. 40,000 Rs. 20,000 Rs. 10,000
6 Rs. 20,000 Rs. 10,000 Rs. 0
5 Rs. 10,000 Rs. 5,000 Rs. 0 Rs. 5,000
4 Rs. 5,000 Rs. 3,000 Rs. 3,000
3 Rs. 3,000 Rs. 2,000 Rs. 2,000
2 Rs. 2,000 Rs. 1,000 Rs. 1,000
1 Rs. 1,000 Rs. 0 Rs. 0

Slumdog Millionaire[]

  • Dev Patel plays as contestant Jamal Malik and Anil Kapoor (who was a contestant in 2001 and in 2013) plays as the host Prem Kumar. Originally, Danny Boyle wanted Shahrukh Khan to play the host since he hosted only Season 3 of the actual show, but he decided to turn the role down.
  • The money tree in the film looks like the one shown below:
Question
No.
Correct Answer
Value
Walk Away
Value/Amount Lost for a
Wrong Answer
Miss Answer
Value
10 Rs. 20,000,000 Rs. 10,000,000 Rs.0
9 Rs. 10,000,000 Rs. 5,000,000
8 Rs. 5,000,000 Rs. 2,500,000
7 Rs. 2,500,000 Rs. 1,000,000
6 Rs. 1,000,000 Rs. 500,000
5 Rs. 500,000 Rs. 250,000
4 Rs. 250,000 Rs. 16,000
3 Rs. 16,000 Rs. 4,000
2 Rs. 4,000 Rs. 1,000
1 Rs. 1,000 Rs. 0

Winners[]

For all winners see: Kaun Banega Crorepati/List of Winners

Parodies[]

  • In 2000, when Kaun Banega Crorepati was in its first series, biscuit brand Britannia 50-50 launched three adverts based on the lifeline it shares its name with. In these adverts, a male contestant is asked one of these questions (note there is no C and D option, presumably because he used 50:50). The contestant then takes out a Britannia 50-50 and eats it.


? (? of ?) - Not timed
Gabbar to catch who dance?
⬥ A: Basanti ⬥ B: Dhanno
⬥ C: - ⬥ D: -
? (? of ?) - Not timed
You your sambhar how drink?
⬥ A: On the rocks ⬥ B: With soda
⬥ C: - ⬥ D: -
? (? of ?) - Not timed
On bald man's head hair how many?
⬥ A: more than one ⬥ B: less than one
⬥ C: - ⬥ D: -

See also[]

Trivia[]

  • The show was originally called Kaun Banega Lakhpati, with a top prize of Rs. 1,000,000. However, Star TV's majority owner at the time, Rupert Murdoch, suggested multiplying the top prize by 10.
  • The author and creator of the Indian version is Siddharth Basu.
  • The show is unusual for how it displays total amounts, in accordance with the Indian numbering system: the first thousand is separated by a digit separator (usually a comma), such as ₹ 1,000. The digit separator is then put after two extra digits beforehand, with another digit separator two more digits after that, and so on. For example: amounts like one hundred thousand rupees (100,000) written as ₹ 1,00,000, and is read as "one lakh rupees", one million rupees (1,000,000) written as ₹ 10,00,000, and is read as "ten lakh rupees", and ten million rupees (10,000,000) written as ₹ 1,00,00,000, and is read "one crore rupees". However, within the show itself, prize values greater than or equal to one crore are never displayed in numbers, rather, they are displayed in words preceded by a number. For instance, one crore rupees is not written as ₹ 1,00,00,000, but rather "₹ 1 crore" or "Rs. 1 crore". For the purposes of this wiki, the international notation and the Western short scale are primarily used in writing numbers, but the use of the Indian numbering system is still accepted when writing numbers in the various Indian versions.
  • At the end of the final episode of Season 14, Kaun Banega Crorepati has the highest value top prize in Asia, with ₹ 75,000,000 being equal to US$905,355.
  • In 2001, the best contestants on KBC appeared on Kamzor Kadii Kaun, the Indian version of The Weakest Link, in a special episode. The contestants were (with their KBC winnings) Kanthimathi C.S. (Rs. 640,000), Ganesh Shinde (Rs. 320,000), Prem (Rs. 320,000), Anu (Rs. 1,250,000), Sanjeev (Rs. 320,000), Janardhanan (Rs. 320,000), R J Sarma (Rs. 320,000) and Navin Dedhia (Rs. 1,250,000).
  • In the first season of the Indian version, unlike other versions of the show, from May 6 to November 18, 2001 on Sundays, there was a large children's tournament among schoolchildren from 10 to 18 years old. In all, 25 children's episodes were published.
  • According to British host Chris Tarrant, before the first show, Hindu priests were brought into the studio to "ring little bells" and bless the set. Everyone, even the Celador officials attending to guide the premiere, were given a bindi (a red dot worn on the center of the forehead).
  • At least in the original run, contestants came from all over India, so journey costs and times would vary greatly - the producers would, however, reimburse contestants for their journey costs. The contestants, including the rollover contestant, were put up in a five-star hotel: transportation to the studio and back was also financially covered by producers.
  • The show was such a success that absolutely no-one would miss an episode in 2000 and early 2001. The perfect combination of an extremely popular film star as host and an engaging format took the struggling Star Plus channel to dizzying ratings heights, even though Star Plus was a pay-per-view channel.
    • It is often said that anyone would know when KBC was on, as Mumbai's usually bustling streets would be almost deserted. Everyone would dive into the nearest house with a Star Plus subscription to watch the unfolding drama on TV or would join a massive KBC viewing party in the street. This happened for every episode daily, until the show's ratings started to decline in 2001; leading to its eventual axing.
  • In the September 24, 2005 episode, Aditya Singh left with nothing after answering the first question incorrectly, after 55% on Ask the Audience voted for the wrong answer. Later it was found out that Aditya was asked a question with two potentially correct answers. Once the error was realised, he was invited back into the Hot Seat to play a full second run without Fastest Finger First.
  • Prasenjit Sarkar appeared in the last episode of the second series and in the first episode of the third series. The interval in his run lasted a full year and remains the only KBC contestant to play with two different hosts.
  • Prashant P. Mannur (on 15 February 2007) is the only contestant to use all three lifelines on the second question.
  • In episode on 29 March 2007, an unusual case occurred. A couple of celebrities were asked the 6th question, to which they did not know the answer and used their Phone-a-Friend. When the contact picked up the phone, the presenter jokingly informed him that he would now be asked the final question for 20,000,000 rupees. The hider was given twice for 30 seconds.
    • Unfortunately, the contact gave them the wrong answer: the players agreed with him and answered wrong. After that, the presenter said that it was a joke question. Despite giving the wrong answer, they were asked another Rs. 20,000 question and the game continued.
    • During the first 5 series, 510 episodes were aired in total, in which 886 people played.
  • On October 12, 2011, the 500th episode aired.
  • The 2007 Valentine's Day episode, with Shah Rukh Khan, was also aired on Channel 4 in the UK, which has never broadcast the UK version, as part of its week celebrating India.
  • More than 27,000,000 people watched Sushil Kumar's game (rating at 7.2 TVR [Television rating] on 1 November and 8.0 TVR on 2 November, in two episodes respectively), in which he became the first winner of the sixteen-question format for 5 crore (₹ 500,00,000).
    • Prior to the KBC episode on 2 November which rated 8.0 TVR, only Rakhi Ka Swayamwar - Season 1 Grand Finale episode rated higher with 8.4 TVR on 2 August 2009. However, as a season average RKS averaged only 2.8 TVR compared to KBC's ongoing average of 4.7. RKS' opening episode rated at 4.1 TVR while KBC's opening episode rated at 5.2. The show, which went on air 7 September 2012, has registered a 6.1 television rating.
  • As of 20 December 2011, 520 episodes aired in which 886 contestants appeared.
  • In the September 8, 2014 edition, the 1,000th contestant, Syed Murtuza Hashmi, appeared in the show.
  • In the episode on October 7, 2014, during the game of the brothers Shubham and Anurag Sharma, there was castling of the host with the contestant. For a moment, the presenter sat in the contestant's hot seat next to his brother, and his brother sat in the seat of the presenter.
  • In the history of the Indian version there were cases when the "Ask the Audience" lifeline was used on the first question: Vineeta Gupta on September 25, 2000, Kaushik Saha in 2000, Aditya Singh on September 24, 2005, A.V. Sreenivasa Rao on February 8, 2007, Komal Ved on March 19, 2007 and Saroj Verma on August 28, 2017. And in two cases the audience failed on the first question.
  • As of November 14, 2021, 13 contestants have reached the 16th question, neither of them gave "final answer" to the 16th question and took 1 Crore.
  • For 9 seasons, only 716 episodes aired. Total duration is 855 hours.
  • Since November 2019, in the studio of the Hindi version, filming of the Malayalam version has begun. Earlier the studio was located in Kerala.
  • The December 3, 2021 episode is the 1,000th episode, although it was actually the episode number 1,013. On that episode, Amitabh's daughter and granddaughter, Shweta Bachchan Nanda and Navya Naveli Nanda appeared.

References[]

Sources[]

Gallery[]

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