Kaun Banega Crorepati or KBC is an Indian television game show which literally means 'Who will become a millionaire?', and it is based on the British show 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?' The Indian version was originally aired on Star Plus and had premiered on July 3, 2000 with Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan as its host. It changed hands in 2010, and has since aired on Sony TV.
In season 1, which aired from 2000 to 2001, contestants were given the chance to win Rs 1 crore and the show was well-received. After a four-year hiatus, the show returned for season 2 on August 5, 2005 and was renamed Kaun Banega Crorepati Dwitiya or KBC 2, with the amount of the top prize being increased to Rs 2 crore. Season 2 was, however, cut short by STAR Plus after Amitabh Bachchan fell ill in 2006. Unable to film the rest due to his health, Star TV decided to axe the show.
In season 3, which aired in 2007, Star TV decided to change the host to Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan with the grand prize remaining Rs 2 crore. It began airing on January 22, 2007 and though it was received well at the start, the ratings began to drop significantly due to the host change. The season ended on April 19, 2007 with a special finale.
MAJOR CHANGES:
In the fourth season, Kaun Banega Crorepati moved from STAR Plus to Sony TV and had Amitabh Bachchan back as its host. It started on October 11, 2010 and was telecast four days a week, Monday through Thursday evenings with the tagline 'Koi Bhi Sawaal Chota Nahi Hota', literally meaning 'No question is ever small'. The total prize money for the season was Rs 1 crore and it had a jackpot question that was worth Rs 5 crore. The number of questions for the season was reduced to 13 from 15 and a timer was added to each question.
The changes also included a 30-second time limit for questions 1 and 2, 45-second limit for questions 3 to 7, and 8 to 13 there was no time limit. The clock was also stopped whenever a lifeline was used and if the time limit expired, the contestant had to walk away with their current winnings.
In 2011, Kaun Banega Crorepati season 5 was again hosted by Amitabh Bachchan and premiered on August 15, 2011 with the tagline 'Koi Bhi Insaan Chota Nahi Hota', literally meaning 'No human being is inferior'. During this season a play at home segment called 'Ghar Baithe Jeeto Jackpot' was introduced which allowed viewers at home to send an answer to a question via SMS during the show. A winner is picked randomly, and the prize is Rs 1 lakh which can be doubled or tripled if the player continues to answer more questions.
Season 6 of Kaun Banega Crorepati premiered on September 7, 2012 with the tagline 'Sirf Gyaan Hi Aapko Aapka Haq Dilata Hai', meaning 'It is only knowledge that gives you your right'. It aired from Friday to Sunday evenings on Sony TV and ended on January 26, 2013. During this season, KBC introduced a special episode that gave an advantage to socially excluded people, known as 'Dusra Mauka'.
In season 7, KBC premiered on September 6, 2013 with the tagline 'Seekhna Bandh Toh Jeetna Bandh', meaning 'If Learning stops then winning stops'. The total prize money was increased to Rs 7 crore and the number of questions was increased from 13 to 15. During this season, lifelines like Power Paplu, which allowed a contestant to reuse a lifeline that had previously been used on another question, was introduced. Along with that, the 50:50 and Flip The Question were revived, and the Phone-a-Friend was extended to 45 seconds.
Season 8, which aired on July 22, 2014, was shot outside Mumbai and it underwent minor changes with the number of questions being reduced to just 14. The Double Dip replaced the 50:50, the Flip The Question was replaced by the Triguni (Three Wise Men) lifeline, and the Phone-a-Friend was shortened down to 30 seconds. It ran with the tagline 'Yahan Sirf Paise Nahi, Dil Bhi Jeete Jate Hain', meaning 'Here not only money but hearts too are won'. The total prize money stayed the same, Rs 7 crore.
In 2017, season 9 of Kaun Banega Crorepati premiered on August 28 with the tagline 'Jawaab dene ka Waqt aa gaya hai', meaning 'The time has come to answer'. It aired from Monday to Friday, and the 16 question format, where the first 10 questions are timed (45 seconds for the first five questions and 60 seconds for the following five questions), was introduced. The 50:50 lifeline replaced Double Dip, the Triguni was replaced by the Plus One, and during Phone-a-Friend, video calls were introduced. In case the contestant reached the 16th question, the remaining lifelines could not be used.
Kaun Banega Crorepati season 10 aired on Sony TV from September 3, 2018 with the tagline 'Kab Tak Rokoge', meaning 'How long will you stop'. During this season, the Phone-a-friend lifeline was replaced with the Ask The Expert lifeline.
CURRENT:
The 11th season of Kaun Banega Crorepati premiered on Sony TV on August 19, 2019 with the tagline 'Ade Raho', meaning 'Keep standing'. The show airs from Monday to Friday from 9 pm to 10:30 pm, and on Fridays when there are special episodes, it airs till 11 pm. The season has the lifelines Audience Poll (Ask The Audience), 50:50, Flip The Question, and Ask the Expert, and the total prize money is Rs 7 crore.
SOCIAL:
Sony TV posts updates of the show on Facebook - Sony Entertainment Television/@sonytelevision, Twitter - KBC/@KBCsony, and Instagram - Sony Entertainment Television/@sonytvofficial.