KBC completes 21 years, Producer Basu answers criticisms against sob stories

It was the year 2000 and the date July 3, as the entire country of India awaited the clock to strike at 9 pm for the launch of Kaun Banega Crorepati on Star Plus. The show is the Indian adaptation of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) created a buzz among the contestants and the audience as to who would win the big price of Rs 1 crore.

The show is hosted by Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan, this also paved the way to film stars hosting shows on small screens.

KBC has over the years made a lot of dreams come true, with contestants winning the prize money.

As the show turns 21, Siddhartha Basu-the producer of the show speaks about the journey of the show, from the beginning to getting Amitabh Bachchan on board and the criticisms the show has faced over the years.

Responding to the criticism that KBC has started ‘selling sob stories’ to increase their ratings, Basu said, “KBC has never been just another quiz show. The human story has always mattered, and that’s what created the sensation of the first season in India, based on which Vikas wrote his book Q&A. It’s never been only sob stories though on KBC. If people get emotional, that’s not engineered. That’s natural on a life-changing show before a massive audience and a larger-than-life host.”

He further added, “There is a huge range of people from across the length of India on KBC telling engaging and relatable stories about ordinary Indians. It’s a show that touches lives with the heart as well as the mind.”

For the unversed, Indian Idol 12 has been embroiled in controversy ever since its Kishore Kumar special episode aired on television recently.  In an interview, Amit Kumar had said he was asked to praise the contestants and he wanted to stop the episode as he didn’t enjoy the performances. Later, Singer Sonu Nigam shared his view on how sob stories work in favor of reality shows. He called the sob stories a ‘marketing thing’ and said, “I feel sob stories are working. It is a marketing thing, and people are not fools.”