Neha Rathi Yashwin Encore | A2-2204 When I Met Amitabh Bachcha.
News
No matter where you are from,
your dreams are valid
This quote is doing rounds on the internet and I find it very relatable. Otherwise, how can a girl from a family – who was trying hard for the last 20 years – reach a Hot-Seat in front of none-other-than the great Amitabh Bachchan! This is my brief story of the journey to the dream
My Mom and Dad both are die-hard fans of ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ and, obviously, Amitabh Bachchan. They are such a loyal fan, that they both have been trying to register themselves as a contestant every time the registration lines were open in the last 20 years. My Mom’s dream was to reach the KBC set and see Amitabh Bachchan in real. There was not much luck for them in these 20 years. But the fortunes changed in 2020.
Because of the national lockdown, I was in my hometown in April 2020. The online registrations for KBC started somewhere around that time. Mom insisted you should also try to register. So, me and my younger brother both registered. Luckily, my name was shortlisted. Someday in the second half of April 2020, I got a call from KBC. This was just the beginning of an exciting journey.
The actual process was quite lengthy. It all started in April and ended in December last year. The very first round was of general knowledge. There were 10 seconds to answer the question with no lifeline. Then in the second round, the team asked me to record a video about myself. Then there were a few more rounds of general knowledge and some HR-kind of rounds. After every round, they used to say ‘We will get back to you with the result’. And they would revert in 20-25 days. In the first week of December 2020, team KBC called to inform me I was selected as a contestant. They asked me to fly down to Mumbai on December 5. I took my Mom with me as a companion and landed in Mumbai. As per the safety norms, we were quarantined for three days. After the quarantine period, we shot for the episode on December 8, 10 and 11. The episode was aired on December 29 and 30.
As expected, my experience was pretty much awesome. It was a ‘dream-come-true moment for me. Seeing Amitabh Bachchan in real is an experience beyond the words. He has a unique aura. When you sit on a Hot-Seat in front of Amitabh Bachchan and he asks you something, he is looking directly at you. Amitabh Bachchan is directly looking into your eyes. And you can just imagine the condition of any contestant here. He is absolutely amazing and a humble person.
It was a day to remember for my Mom as well. She had been registering for the last 20 years and now she finally had this chance to go to the KBC sets, even though as a companion. When we were getting ready for the shooting on the first day, Mom was so excited and she was preparing her lines, she was going to say to Amitabh Bachchan. When we reached the set and she saw Amitabh for the first time in real, she was awestruck; she went blank and was just continuously staring at him.
I played the KBC till the 11th question. I was not sure about the answer to the 12th question and I opted out.
We came back from the shooting and were informed later that the episode would be telecasted in the last week of December. When the episode was aired on December 29 and I was on national television, my entire family and friends just went crazy. Of course, our near and dear ones were aware of the episode well in advance. Still, when I appeared on the screen for the first time, everyone started calling me. Let me tell you how crazy it was! The time slot for KBC was 9 pm to 10.30 pm. And me, Mom and Dad were on the continuous calls till 3 am. It was a completely crazy scene. This went on for the next few days as well. One of my friends recently got married and this year, it was her first Sankrant. I went to the function. A girl recognized me there and came to me saying ‘I saw you on TV’. It was such an amazing feeling to handle such recognition.
Meeting the great Amitabh Bachchan was once in a lifetime moment. Me, Mom, Dad, and the entire family will cherish this moment forever.
Neha Rathi is a VJ Parivaar member. She owns a home in Yashwin Encore. We at VJ were thrilled to see her on National Television and we decided to take her interview to share her experience.
