KBC 4 to return with Rs. 5 crores, new features and the rupee symbol

Indian television's much awaited show' Kaun Banega Crorepati will be premiered on Sony Entertainment Television (SET) on 11th October, Monday to Thursday at 9:00pm. The show will begin on the same day as the show's host Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan will be celebrating his 68th birthday.

The show has been adapted from the international blockbuster "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" format.

However the very famous format of the show that had caught the Indian audiences for three seasons before this has been modified a bit to make it more energetic and engaging. The number of questions to win the final amount has been reduced to 12 compared to the earlier set of 15 questions. In the category of lifelines, the show will have two new features-Ask the Expert and Double Dip. The "Double Dip' lifeline allows the contestant to give 2 Answers, so if the first answer is incorrect, the contestant can pick one among the options left as his second answer. The "Ask the Expert' lifeline will allow an expert present in the studio each day to help the contestant. Moreover, the contestant will have to answer question 1 & 2 within 30sec and questions 3 to 6 within 45sec, but there is no limit on time from question 7 onwards. Moreover, "fastest finger first' contestants get to stay for a week.

Speaking about Kaun Banega Crorepati, Manjit Singh, Chief Executive Officer, Multi Screen Media said, "As a company we are committed to offering the best in entertainment to our viewers. We are delighted to bring Kaun Banega Crorepati and look forward to an entertaining and engaging season on SONY Entertainment Television."

N.P. Singh, Chief Operating Officer, Multi Screen Media said, "We are excited about the launch of Kaun Banega Crorepati on Sony Entertainment Television and are looking forward to Mr. Amitabh Bachchan hosting the show in his unique style. With new features whichmake the journey to become a crorepati even more exciting, KBC 2010 is going to provide wholesome entertainment with fun, knowledge and humour to the entire family."

After over 50 lakh entries in the first phase of registrations and extensive 6 city auditions covering people from across the country - Kaun Banega Crorepati is ready to be launched with its host ' India's biggest superstar Mr. Amitabh Bachchan.

Speaking on Kaun Banega Crorepati, Mr. Amitabh Bachchan said, "I am delighted to host Kaun Banega Crorepati and am all excited with all the new innovations and features which I think will make the show even more engaging. The show is very close to my heart and an experience like no other for me. Kaun Banega Crorepati is a good television habit, it brings the whole family together and knowledge is shared in the most interesting and entertaining way. It gives me a unique platform and a great way to engage with my audience."

Speaking exclusively to Adgully, Ajit Thakur, Executive Vice President and Business Head, Sony Entertainment Television said, "The show has partnership with indiatimes.com to build on the digital engagement part. In terms of merchandise nothing as yet had been finalized, but we have already come out with a book in association with Rupa Book and Co. We don't want to get gimmicky with the launch; we would want to go ahead with integrity and scale.

The show's logo has also seen a change in design; the logo has the new rupee symbol prominently placed around "Crorepati'. It is also reportedly believed that once KBC 4 goes off air, the channel has lined up a fictional series for the time slot. | By Prabha Hegde [prabha(at)adgully.com]