“Who Wants to be a Millionaire” gets a third life in its largest market.
When Danny Boyle, director of “SlumDog Millionaire” was looking to cast the role of the host of “Millionaire” in the movie, the obvious choices were the two Indian film stars who had already hosted the Indian version of show, called Kaun Banega Crorepati . But neither Shah Rukh Khan (“the King of Bollywood”) nor Amitabh Bachchan (the Big B) would stoop to play in a low-budget movie with no signed distributor, never mind that the Boyle was already famous for Trainspotting. Both Bacchan and Khan were too big for this movie. That was then.
When Slumdog became a runaway hit and went on to sweep the Golden Globes, followed by the Oscars, one of the unintended beneficiaries were the owners of Millionaire, since the show played such a big part in the movie. They decided to bring back the show to life in several markets.
This week the Big B himself announced that he is returning to the show in India in its new incarnation.
“I’m here to confirm that I am indeed going to be doing Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC),” Bachchan told a packed press conference in Mumbai on Wednesday. “It’s a great honor, great pleasure,” he said.
“Kaun Banega Crorepati is a good television habit. It brings the whole family together and knowledge is shared in the most interesting and entertaining way.”
Last updated: December 26th, 2025
