The much-loved game show, Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC), is set to return to the small screen on September 28 with its twelfth season. Amitabh Bachchan will return as the host of the show, which will air on Sony TV from Monday to Friday at 9pm.
KBC 12 has undergone some major changes on account of the Covid-19 pandemic. In a video shared by Sony TV, Sujata Sanghamitra, showrunner and creative producer, shared how they adapted to the new normal.
One of the first changes was that instead of going to different cities, the auditions were conducted online this year. Sujata also revealed that the Audience Poll lifeline has been scrapped for the first time in the history of the show.
“This time, we do not have a live audience. So one of our lifelines, Audience Poll, is no longer there. This is the first time in 20 years that we do not have this lifeline. Instead of that, we have ‘Video a Friend’, which is again a digital connection,” she said.
Sujata said that the Fastest Finger First round has undergone some changes as well. “Earlier, we would have 10 contestants. Now, we have only eight participating in the Fastest Finger First round, because we need to space out the seats according to social distancing norms,” she said, adding, “The distance between the contestant in the hot seat and Bachchan sir has also increased.”
{{/usCountry}}Sujata said that the Fastest Finger First round has undergone some changes as well. “Earlier, we would have 10 contestants. Now, we have only eight participating in the Fastest Finger First round, because we need to space out the seats according to social distancing norms,” she said, adding, “The distance between the contestant in the hot seat and Bachchan sir has also increased.”
{{/usCountry}}According to Sujata, the ‘biggest challenge’ was that the KBC team could not travel to shoot introduction videos for the contestants in their respective homes. “We used to shoot in our contestants’ homes, in their cities, but this time, there was no question of our team travelling. Then we realised that if everything is digital, why don’t we tell them only to shoot it? Our reality team connected with them digitally and explained to them remotely what they have to shoot. I think that is the biggest challenge that we faced and we turned it into an opportunity and it is turning out beautifully,” she said.
Meanwhile, this year is special for Amitabh, as it marks two decades of his association with KBC, with which he made his television debut in 2000. He has hosted every season so far, except the third season, which was hosted by Shah Rukh Khan.
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