Amitabh Bachchan makes BIG statement amid reports of Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai as KBC new host: ‘Agar yahan…’

Amitabh Bachchan as KBC host

While there have been reports that Shah Rukh Khan or Aishwarya Rai Bachchan might replace Amitabh Bachchan as the next host of Kaun Banega Crorepati, Amitabh Bachchan dismissed all these rumours and confirmed that he will be back as the host of KBC 17, the next season of the quizzing-based television game show.

After 152 episodes over seven months, KBC 16 finally had its Grand Finale earlier this week. In the episode, the Sholay actor thanked audience for loving him over the years as he said in Hindi, “At the start of every phase, there is a thought that comes to mind: after so many years, will I still be able to see that love, that togetherness, that warmth in everyone’s eyes or not? And by the end of each phase, the truth becomes that this journey, this stage, and everything I have received has been far more than I ever wished for, and it continues to come to me. Our hope is that this desire remains the same and never fades.”

Bachchan also talked about the impact of Kaun Banega Crorepati for the past 25 years as he added, “Agar yahan bole gaye shabdon ne kisi mein umeed jagayi hai, toh main samjhunga ki humaari 25 varshon ki saadhna safal rahi. Main aapse agle daur mein milunga lekin aap apni mehnat par bharosa rakhiye. Na rukiye, na jhukiye. Aap jahan hain, jaise hain, anmol hain. Mere priya hain, mere apne hain. (As I bid farewell, I would just like to say that if our efforts have touched even a little bit of someone’s life or if the words spoken here have instilled hope in any way, I will consider our 25-year journey truly successful. So, ladies and gentlemen, I will see you next season. Keep faith in your hard work, keep your dreams alive. Do not stop, do not bow down. You are valuable, dear to me, and my own, just the way you are.) Till we meet again, I am Amitabh Bachchan, ending this season with my last words – Good Night.”

Amitabh Bachchan has been hosting Kaun Banega Crorepati since July 3, 2000, when the show began, except for the third season which was hosted by Shah Rukh Khan in 2007. Apart from Shah Rukh and Aishwarya, other names that also came up as Big B’s replacement for the show were Anil Kapoor, Aamir Khan, Madhuri Dixit, Shashi Tharoor and Chetan Bhagat.