Meet Sushil Kumar, KBC winner who won Rs 50000000, then got bankrupt, lost all his money, got addicted to…, now works as…

After winning Rs 5 crore on popular TV show Kaun Banega Crorepati, Sushil Kumar experienced a dramatic downfall, which led him to a path of substance addiction and financial ruin.

Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) on Sony TV, one of the most watched television shows, has changed the lives of many. Countless contestants have won by answering questions correctly and rose to overnight fame. However, despite their initial success, their popularity diminished over time. One such contestant is Sushil Kumar, who became a household name after he won astonishing Rs 5 crore price on KBC.

Sushil Kumar’s historic win on KBC

He became the first contestant to win such a huge amount, garnering widespread appreciation and attention. Hailing from Bihar, his success became an inspiration to many, especially those from humble background. When KBC used to air in 2000, Sushil didn’t even own a TV. He would watch the show at a neighbour’s house, with an aim to sit on the hot seat one day. At the same time, he prepared for the BPSC and Railway exams, spending days and nights in library to strengthen his general knowledge.

Then came the life-altering moment when he participated in KBC and won Rs 5 crore. But, unfortunately, he was unable to preserve all his fortune and went bankrupt within few months. In 2020, he took to his Facebook account and shared a heartbreaking story that went viral. In the post, he revealed after winning KBC, he began doing charitable work, but was taken advantage of by many people.

How Sushil Kumar lost all his money?

“After KBC, I became a philanthropist, who was addicted to ‘secret donations’ and would attend about 50 thousand events in a month. Due to this, a lot of times, people cheated on me, which I got to know only later after the donations were made. Due to this, my relationship with my wife was slowly worsening. She would often say that I don’t know how to differentiate between the right and wrong people and that I wasn’t concerned about the future. We would often fight over this,” Sushil wrote.

He further revealed when the news of bankruptcy came out, people stopped reaching out to him. “And now, how did I become bankrupt…? You will find the story a little ‘filmy.’ While I was strolling one day, a journalist from an English newspaper called me. While everything was going fine, suddenly he asked me something which left me irritated, so I randomly told him that all my money was exhausted and I had two cows and was surviving by selling milk and earning some money off it. And after that, all of you must be aware of the impact of that news. Soon after, all those who I was surrounded with, cornered themselves. I wasn’t invited to events and that’s when I got some time to think about what should I do next,” he wrote.

Sushil revealed that how addiction to alcohol and smoking became his coping mechanisms. He said, “Whenever I stayed in Delhi for a week, I indulged in drinking and smoking with seven different groups. I found their talks attractive. In their company, I started taking media very lightly.”

A new chapter

Eventually, Sushil Kumar found peace in a calmer life. He decided to focus on education and took a job as a government teacher. He once went to Mumbai to try his luck in films but failed to achieve success, eventually settling down to his new role as an educator.