The 18th season of India’s popular television quiz show ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ (KBC) has returned to the screen with a grand opening episode. Bollywood stars Sunny Deol and Preity Zinta, along with producer Aamir Khan, appeared as special guests on the opening episode of their upcoming film ‘Batwara 1947’.

Host Amitabh Bachchan once again won over viewers with his trademark charm, wit and humour. During the episode, however, the Bollywood icon made a playful complaint against actress Preity Zinta for allegedly not responding to his birthday messages.

At one point, Amitabh looked at Preity and said, “I have a complaint against you. Every year on January 31, I wish you on your birthday, but you have never replied to me.”

Smiling, Preity defended herself, saying, “No, Amitji, that’s not the case. I do reply to you, but about a week after receiving your message.”

But Amitabh was not ready to let the matter go. He immediately displayed an old post from his X account (formerly Twitter) on the giant KBC screen as evidence supporting his claim.

In the post, Amitabh had written: “Preity Zinta…!! Wherever you are, since you have refused to reply to my SMS… ha ha ha… many, many happy returns of the day… love and best wishes.”

When the old post appeared on the big screen, Preity appeared momentarily speechless, with her facial expression revealing her surprise.

Preity’s Children Call Him ‘KBC Uncle’

During the conversation, Preity also shared a humorous family memory about Amitabh’s popularity among her children.

She asked Amitabh, “Can you guess who is the most popular person from the Bollywood film industry in my home?”

Amitabh jokingly replied, “Nobody.”

Preity then revealed, “You—but not because of your movies, sorry! My children listen to that particular song of yours.”

She then looked towards Aamir Khan and hummed Amitabh’s famous song ‘Mere Paas Aao, Mere Dosto’. Preity said her children refer to it as the “lion song.”

Amitabh agreed with her and said, “Whenever I meet parents of small children, they tell me, ‘Sir, my five-year-old sees your picture on the screen and says, there’s KBC Uncle!’”

He added, “I have been working in the acting profession for 55 years, but they don’t remember me by any character. They remember me only because of KBC.”

Amitabh Works for 24 Hours Straight for New Season

Amitabh Bachchan has now become almost synonymous with ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’, with the show enjoying a loyal audience across generations.

His dedication to work at the age of 83 has also drawn attention. In a recent blog post, the veteran actor revealed that he worked and shot continuously for 24 hours for the new season of KBC.

Sharing his experience, Amitabh said the work began at 7am one day and continued until 7am the following morning. He emphasised the importance of completing the work on time and said he planned to eat, rest and get some sleep before returning early the next day.

The new season of KBC, featuring a mix of entertainment and memorable moments, is being broadcast on Sony Entertainment Television and SonyLIV.

Source: NDTV