Popular quiz show Kaun Banega Crorepati 13 is back and how! Dr Neha Bathla, a veterinarian from Champawatt, Uttrakhand not only won Rs 12, 50,000 cash prize after answering a volley of questions by megastar host Amitabh Bachchan but fulfilled her father-in-law's dream as well.
In an exclusive interview with Zee News Digital, Dr Neha Bathla shared her KBC 13 experience and why Big B is a fab host!
Q. How do you feel about being on the show?
A. I feel so blessed, so proud of myself. Mujhe Laga Nahi Tha main waha tak pahuch paungi. It is very difficult to achieve this feat but am really really happy that I got the chance and got selected. It's like a dream come true for me, and I am on cloud nine right now.
Q. Was it the first time you tried for KBC?
A. Actually, I tried several times but in 2019, I welcomed a baby boy, so I didn't apply in 2020 as he was too young and I had shifted to a place where mobile signals were not good. But this time, I did try and got selected. In fact, my father-in-law is a big KBC fan and I came all the way to fulfil his dream.
He even used to go to PCOs at the midnight long back when KBC started. So, I belong to a family which watches the show together without a fail.
Q. How was it meeting Amitabh Bachchan?
A. It was so good, can't tell. I come from a small place and have never seen any actor, so meeting megastar Amitabh Bachchan was a great experience. Also, I had a presumption that being actors, they must be having attitude problems, especially a huge star of Big B's stature must be the same too but he is so humble, modest and down to earth.
Amitabh Bachchan is extremely charming and never lets you feel that you are any different from him. He has an amazing aura, you feel like you are meeting someone elderly from your own family.
After meeting him in person, I tell everyone in my friends and family circle, 'abhi tak koi aisa camera ya technology bani nahi hai jo Bachchan saab ki khubsurati to actual camera mein dikha sake'.
Q. Did your professional knowledge help you in the game?
A. Yes, it helped me from the very start. KBC has various stages before screening and selection. Many questions asked were from wildlife and my professional knowledge helped me.
Q. What all did you prepare for the show?
A. Because my baby is too young, when I got a call, it wasn't possible for me to prepare extensively. But my family is very supportive and they prepared notes for me on different subjects. They divided the subjects like sports, news etc among themselves and helped me prep-up. My family used to send me screenshots of news related to the Olympics, checking if I knew what was happening around the world.
I think I am only the face of this victory, but it's my family's teamwork that helped me.
Q. What's your future plan, what will you do with the amount won?
A. Money was never a priority for me. I come from a humble family where we are taught to believe that 'jitni simple living hogi utni happiness rahegi'. I went to KBC for two reasons - firstly, to fulfil my father-in-law's dream and secondly, people don't recognise the efforts of Veterinary doctors. You will find many animal lovers but seldom do you see Veterinarian lovers. So, I wanted to earn that respect for my profession and urge everyone to show the same love to us as they feel for animals.
I and my husband feel because 'desh ki direct sewa hum kar nahi paate hai', we will only have one child (even if its a boy, girl or a transgender) as a step towards curbing population issue. And I always wanted to have a daughter, so I intend to sponsor the education of an underprivileged girl child in future - that's one thing remaining on my bucket list as of now.
