Siddhartha Basu - 110 Crore Hindustani: Kaun Banega Crorepati

Edited and Complied by Siddhartha Basu Copyright 2waytraffic UK Rights Limited 2010 Exclusive Licensee: MSM Satellite (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. First Published 2010 Eighth Impression 2012 Published by Rupa Publications India Pvt. Ltd. 7/16, Ansari Road, Daryaganj New Delhi 110 002 Produced under licence from 2waytraffic, a Sony Pictures Entertainment company Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? and all associated logos, images and trademarks are owned and/or controlled by 2waytraffic, a Sony Pictures Entertainment company All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the MSM Satellite (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.

Edited and compiled by Siddhartha Basu Content Editor Bhaskar Jyoti Dey Copy Editor Debarati Sengupta Director, Consumer Product Licensing David Christopher Product and Brand Manager Lisa OConnell CONTENTS Foreword Ek Chidiya Chonch Mein Tinka Liye Jo Jaa Rahi Thi, Woh Sahaj Mein Hi Pawan Unchaas Ko Neecha Dikhati These lines penned by my father reiterate the spirit of the human nature. Kaun Banega Crorepati is not about the questions. It is not about the fame on national television and it is most definitely not about the money. The show is about fair play, sportsmanship and the people. People who have defied all odds to be on the show, are self-assured and determined to emerge as winners. They are convinced and will not let anybody make them believe otherwise.

Contestants I meet on the show come from varied backgrounds and it is most humbling to interact with them and listen to their stories. Some of these people inspire me in ways I wouldnt think possible. Over the last forty decades I have grown only because of the love of these people and it feels good to be on the show amongst them, to talk to them and to laugh with them. I love being the messenger of good fortune every time they win. If being a contestant and winning a crore is tough, then being the one who has to break that dream is definitely tougher. How does one muster enough courage to shatter hopes? And to tell a contestant that he has earned from the last ten levels but one wrong move and he has come crashing down, and that he hasnt played well enough to go ahead to the next round.

The world of questions is fascinating. The more questions I ask, the more it makes me realise how little we know and how important it is to travel, question, ponder and keep our minds open. For me, Kaun Banega Crorepati has been a learning experience. The teams at Synergy and Sony remind me that you do not always have to be the lead player to steal the show. The contestants I have met and the stories I have heard remind me always that everything we face in life only helps us build character and that most problems are only situations. And that if it is too difficult to laugh at these situations, there indeed is a problem.

Heres looking forward to many more fascinating years of answers. And like I keep saying koibhi sawaal chhota nahin hota.Amitabh Bachchan Preface Kaun Banega Crorepati was a communicators dream come true, to feel the pulse of the public in sync with the show for every micro second of its run. Nau baj gaye kya? was the common buzz as the hour approached. As the clock would strike 9, streets would empty, restaurants would lose business, night shows would take a beating, and people would scramble home to their telly with their families. You could hear the signature tune booming out of homes, as the rich, gravely voice of the host took over. Viewers hung on to every twist and turn of the contests journey.

The first contestant, the first lakhpati, the first to win 25 lakhs, 50 lakhs every milestone became front page news. And then came along the Crorepati. Ratings shot through the roof. Here was a landmark show, a rare, once-in-a-lifetime experience. All said and done, it was a game of questions and answers, thats what lay at the heart of the show. And setting questions for KBC posed a unique set of challenges.

The contestants came from everywhere, with widely varying levels of education, background, interests and awareness. The quiz had to be all things to all people. The key was to manage enough range to have a sporting set of questions for every contestant. Thats how Q&A became the vital plot device and title of Vikas Swarups book, which formed the basis of the multiple Oscar award winning Slumdog Millionaire. In a way, the movie was an ultimate tribute to the KBC phenomena, an acknowledgement and showcase of the impact it had in India, with its story of an underdog contestant on the show. The movie, in turn, has fuelled renewed interest in the show and energised it overseas. There are a number of innovations in format and presentation.

The ascent is now faster and more nerve wracking. There are just twelve questions. There is a timer. There are new lifelines. But the essence remains as ever, the magic is the same. Its in this new avatar that KBC is being reborn on Sony, who are sparing no effort in making it a vibrant and memorable experience for viewers, with Amitabh Bachchan at the helm as host.

All thanks to the entire team at Sony Entertainment Television for believing in the power of the show and bringing it back on air, most notably N.P. Singh and Ajit Thakur. Thanks too to Divya Morparia of Sony, David Cristopher and Lisa OConnell from 2waytraffic, in helping us come out with the first edition of the book based on the show. This book commemorates the return of KBC, even as it reprises moments of the much loved show, with questions culled from its past, designed to provide an accessible and rich gaming experience to readers, and will hopefully please, tease and tantalise. Id like to thank all the question-writers and contributors, too numerous to name, who pitched in with their imagination and labour to make this quiz pool. Id also like to thank each and every one otherwise involved in the making of KBC, most of all my co-producers, my wife Anita, and Karun Prabhakar.

Its a pleasure and privilege to be a part of a historic television show, and this is an invitation to readers and viewers to share that experience. Because once again its time for a celebration of knowledge and awareness, and to re-discover that koi bhi sawaal chhota nahin hota.Siddhartha Basu BIG Synergy How to Play Bite your nails, scratch your head and brace yourself for Kaun Banega Crorepati The Official Book. This book is sure to test you to your absolute limits! Earn yourself a place in the hot seat by making it quickest through the Fastest Finger First round and answer questions across twelve levels. You could challenge yourself or invite some friends and see who has got the brawniest brain! For 1 Player Just like the show Kaun Banega Crorepati, the aim of the game is to reach 1 Crore. Before you can even think about the twelve levels, you must first correctly answer a question from the Fastest Finger First section. You have just thirty seconds to put the letters in the correct order. When times up, follow the page reference at the foot of the page to find out if you can take your place in the hot seat and begin your climb!