Amitabh Bachchan on the hotseat in ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ Season 13 opener on August 23

By IANS

MUMBAI: Amitabh Bachchan will be on the hotseat fielding questions from the producer of ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ (KBC) and erstwhile host of such popular shows as ‘Quiz Time’ and ‘Mastermind India’, Siddhartha Basu.

The former quizmaster will ask the Big B six questions about the show in the rapid-fire round, which will be aired during the KBC Season 13 opener on August 23. The Big B, we are told, will be seen responding to the questions with a lot of zest and enthusiasm. And of course, he will ace the round, and he does it with a lot of grace.

Bachchan, we are told, will share how the popular knowledge show has had a glorious journey over the past 21 years (it was first aired on STAR Plus in 2000). He’ll share how ‘KBC’ started when the Indian cricket team’s current skipper Virat Kohli was just 12 years old and Neeraj Chopra, the Tokyo 2020 Olympics gold medal-winning javelin thrower, was only three.

The Big B will be seen sharing insights from his initial days with KBC. Basu, he says, surprised him by having the smallest details of the show on top of his mind. He’ll also recall how the producers took him to the sets of ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire’ so that he could see how the original show was executed and recorded.

Last year, because of the pandemic, the producers had decided to not have a studio audience, keeping in mind the Covid safety protocols. The live audience will be back this season, but it will be required to adhere to all Covid-related precautions.

Speaking about the show and the contestants, Bachchan says, “If I invite someone on the hotseat, it’s like inviting somebody to my home.”

‘Kaun Banega Crorepati 13’ will start from August 23 on Sony Entertainment Television.