For more than two decades, Kaun Banega Crorepati has been inseparable from the voice that runs it. That is why news that the show has quietly stopped filming has worried viewers more than a routine schedule change would.
According to a source who spoke to IANS, filming of the quiz show has been on hold for about a week because host Amitabh Bachchan has not been keeping well. Neither the makers nor the actor's team has released an official statement on his health.
The channel has not left a gap in the schedule. It has been re-airing celebrity-guest episodes recorded a few weeks earlier, presented as part of its Diwali special week.
This also changed the plan for one of the season's biggest episodes. The last major celebrity shoot featured Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi and Ravi Dubey, who came on the show to promote their upcoming film Ramayan. The makers had planned to air it around the film's release. With fresh filming paused, the channel opened the Diwali special week with the Ramayan episode instead.
The source said the team hopes to return to the set next week. "The shoot will resume hopefully from next week but only if his health allows," the source said.
Big B's own words: slow and steady
Bachchan did not address the shoot directly, but his Saturday blog post read like a man easing back into his rhythm. "... and the gentle but slow return to routine and the controlled life... OF WORK... and the others," he wrote.
In his familiar reflective style, he wrote about misplacing his glasses and phone, and about forgetting what he had done hours earlier while remembering his Class 8 days in 1960 clearly. He ended on gratitude: "Never a searching for the connect on Blog .. that be the preference .. each day... nor, the well wishers of each Sunday... nor, the KBC audience , who extend love affection and the sincerity of their warmth and endearing presence... my prayers for all."
The note mentions both the Sunday crowds outside his home and the KBC studio audience, which shows how closely he connects his public life with the show.
Why fans are paying attention
KBC has faced this before. During the second season, which began on Star Plus in 2005, Bachchan fell ill after shooting 61 of the planned 85 episodes, and the channel eventually stopped its production. He returned from the fourth season and has hosted the show ever since. For a format built around one host, a pause like this matters.
His health has been a matter of national concern since 1982, when he was seriously injured on the sets of Coolie during a fight sequence with Puneet Issar. A mistimed blow caused a major abdominal injury. He was reportedly declared clinically dead for a few minutes and underwent multiple surgeries, while millions of fans prayed for him. Bachchan still calls August 2, the day he returned home, his "second birthday," and credits his fans' prayers for his second chance at life.
What comes next
For now, the show is airing older episodes and the team is waiting on its host. If Bachchan is well enough, the KBC set should be active again next week. Until then, his fans are doing what they did in 1982: waiting and wishing him well.
With inputs from IANS
