Though the competitive quiz show ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ has been associated with Amitabh Bachchan for the longest time, the third season of the show, conducted in 2007, was hosted by Shah Rukh Khan, wherein he wowed the viewers with his wit and charm.
The actor, who graced the World Government Summit in Dubai on Wednesday, February 14, spoke at ‘The Making of a Star: A Conversation with Shah Rukh Khan’ wherein he revealed the reason why he turned down the 2008 Oscar-winning film ‘Slumdog Millionaire’: his love for KBC. He felt that it was “dishonest” and “disrespectful to the producers of KBC.”
At the panel, when a journalist from CNN, Richard Quest, asked the ‘Jawan’ actor about his time on the show and how he would feel when the contestant is at the peak of winning the prize amount, he replied, “I genuinely hoped that they won. There were so many people coming from different parts of the country. There were times when I wanted to help them, but you know, you can’t! The producers would keep shouting in your ears, saying, ‘You can’t say this!’ ‘You have already said enough!’ The last four or two questions were really tough.”
Despite his eagerness to help contestants in winning in whichever way possible, Khan confessed that there were moments when he found himself in a predicament, unsure of the right answers. He continued, “Suddenly, these difficult questions are thrown at you, and you’re like, ‘Oh my God, this person is not going to get the correct answer,’ and I felt really bad. I wished I had some hint. I didn’t want to mislead them because most of the time I didn’t know the answer.”
Having previously expressed his desire to continue hosting the show until he was 60 years of age, later, he acknowledged that he couldn’t envision anyone else taking on the role of the Quizzmaster except for Amitabh Bachchan.
KBC, which started airing back in 2000, successfully completed 15 seasons in December 2023.
