HindiWhen KBC’s first crorepati Harshvardhan Nawathe recalled life after his win

1/11​From a mob incident that left his hand slit to meeting the late Bal Thackeray: When Kaun Banega Crorepati’s first crorepati Harshvardhan Nawathe recalled life after his winIconic quiz game show, Kaun Banega Crorepati has been entertaining audiences for more than two decades. Bollywood's legendary actor and host Amitabh Bachchan recently returned with the season…

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HindiWhen KBC’s first crorepati Harshvardhan Nawathe recalled life after his win
1/11

​From a mob incident that left his hand slit to meeting the late Bal Thackeray: When Kaun Banega Crorepati’s first crorepati Harshvardhan Nawathe recalled life after his win

Iconic quiz game show, Kaun Banega Crorepati has been entertaining audiences for more than two decades. Bollywood’s legendary actor and host Amitabh Bachchan recently returned with the season 18 of the show. While the show continues to educate and entertain the viewers, let’s recall the life of the show’s first crorepati Harshvardhan Nawathe. The Mumbai resident, who became the show’s poster boy after winning Rs 1 crore, is happily married and is leading a normal life. During a 2020 throwback interview with Times of India TV, Harshvardhan spoke about his winning moment, how his life changed after the show and host Amitabh Bachchan’s special gesture for him. He also opened up concerning meeting the late Shri Bal Thackeray. (Photo: Instagram)

2/11

​I will always be known as the first KBC winner whatever I do in life

While speaking about how his life changed after becoming the first crorepati of KBC, Harshvardhan shared, “Life provided me an opportunity in the form of this show and I made the most out of it. It has been 20 years now (till 2020) and it is not a short duration of time. Things have changed a lot definitely I wouldn’t say that when I walk on the streets it’s the same like it was 20 years back but people do recognise me when my name is called out. When I am going for meetings and I give my business card and they look at my name the reaction is different, the recognition is always there and it will remain till the time I am there. I will always be known as the first KBC winner whatever I do in life. We always remember first of everything whatever achievements one has made and whoever is the first one.” (Photo: Instagram)

3/11

​I went to UK, I did not have to take huge amount of loan

Harshvadhan further revealed that winning KBC brought financial stability in his life, he stated, “It gave me a platform as I was a student back then, I was preparing for my civil services and life changed drastically. I couldn’t pursue for my civil services because my interest was lost. I had to be in Mumbai because there were some PR contacts. I was involved in many things at that point of time. I would say the platform that KBC gave me was like a net and then I could experiment with life. I went to UK, I did not have to take huge amount of loan. I did my MBA. I came back and started with my professional career. It was a net, it allowed me to experiment a little more than I would have. That is what changed in my life.” (Photo: Instagram)

4/11

​My mother was the one who encouraged me and pushed me to take the first step

The former KBC contestant revealed that it was his mother. This person pushed him to participate in KBC season 1, “When Kaun Banega Crorepati kicked off, I was in Delhi preparing for my IAS exams. The show had just launched, and I could see its posters everywhere, but I was completely focused on my studies. While KBC had begun airing in June, i returned to Mumbai around August 1. Once I was back, I started watching the show with my parents. I realised that I could answer most of the questions correctly while sitting at home. My mother noticed this and told me, ‘You’re answering all the questions anyway, so why don’t you provide it a try?’ That’s how I decided to apply for the show. My mother was the one who encouraged me and pushed me to take the first step.” (Photo: Instagram)

5/11

Big B has that demi god like persona

Harvardhan was all praise for host Amitabh Bachchan and called him demi god. He shared his experience of meeting the legendary actor in person. He said, “To see him in person or in front of you was a dream come true. He has that demi god like persona, his voice, it takes while to sink in that he is in front of you. What the show’s makers do they give you some time with Mr Bachchan and he comes and states hello to everyone and interacts. That levels it out and people feel comfortable in his presence. Otherwise it will becomes very challenging for someone to focus on anything else who is seeing him for the first time.”

6/11

​Big B is very down to earth

He further said, “You can look at him for hours. He makes you comfortable and he is very down to earth, he comes and negotiations to you and says hello to you. So that’s how it starts and that’s what makes many residents comfortable to be around him. That’s what happened to me also and once I kicked off playing the game, I was very focused. It was all about the questions asked and what will be the answers.” (Photo: Instagram)

7/11

​Recalls Amitabh Bachchan’s sweet gesture

During the interview, KBC’s first crorepati recalled Big B’s heart-touching gesture, “I remember this moment highly clearly, and I’m sharing it for the first time. After I answered the Rs 1 crore question, Mr Bachchan announced a commercial break, saying, ‘Ab hum lete hain chhota sa break,’ and we went off air. During the actual shoot, these breaks are usually very short, around 30 seconds, before the cameras start rolling again. By that point, I already knew that I had answered the final question correctly.” (Photo: Instagram)

8/11

​Mr Bachchan called his makeup artist, Mr Deepak Sawant to do my makeup

He continued, “During the break, Mr Bachchan called his makeup artist, Mr Deepak Sawant, and asked him to touch up my makeup, saying, ‘In sahab ka zara touch-up kar do.’ “Somewhere inside, I had already realised that I had cracked the Rs 1 crore question. But what made the moment even more special was Mr Deepak Sawant doing my makeup. He was Mr Bachchan’s personal makeup artist and had been working with him for nearly 30–40 years. That small gesture from Mr Bachchan made the entire moment extremely special for me.” (Photo: Instagram)

9/11

​When Harshvardhan revealed a scary incident: Someone had actually slashed my palm with a blade

I was once attending an event where there was a huge crowd. My friends, who would sometimes also act as my bodyguards, were stuck somewhere while I was in another part of the venue. When I came down from the stage, I couldn’t find them and ended up getting surrounded by residents. Everyone was trying to shake my hand and touch me. After some time, I noticed that my hand felt sticky. When I pulled it away and looked at it, I realised it was bleeding. Someone had actually slashed my palm with a blade. It was such a thin cut that I didn’t even feel it happening, but it started bleeding. So, I have experienced incidents like that as well. However, overall my experience with residents has been positive, and they have mostly been very kind and supportive. (Photo: Instagram)

10/11

​When he recalled his meeting with Shri Bal Thackeray

After that incident, I went to meet Shri Balasaheb Thackeray the very next day. My hand still had marks on it, and when he noticed them, he asked me what had happened. I told him the entire story. “In his usual humorous way, he folded his hands and said, ‘Harshvardhan, this should be your greeting from now on.’ That moment has stayed with me as something positive came out of what had been a disturbing experience. “He advised me to greet people with a namaste instead of shaking hands, and I followed his advice as much as I could. (Photo: Instagram)

11/11

​When the lane he lived in was called Crorepati galli

The name ‘Crorepati Galli’ was actually given by the rickshaw and auto drivers who used to wait outside the station. They started referring to our area by that name. I first realised this when one of my relatives visited us and asked an auto driver to drop him at my address. The driver immediately replied, ‘Achha, Crorepati Galli mein jaana hai?’ That’s when we realised that people had kicked off calling our locality ‘Crorepati Galli’ because of me. (Photo: Instagram)

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