Kaun Banega Crorepati inspired from UK television show model “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.” The show aired on Indian television and millions of people tuned in after Amitabh Bachchan decided to host the show.
Quick answer: Kaun Banega Crorepati has been running on and off since 2000 and has made dozens of crorepatis. Harshvardhan Nawathe was the first, on 19 October 2000. The largest prize ever paid was Rs 7 crore, won by brothers Achin and Sarthak Narula in 2014. Season 18 began airing on 10 August 2026.
How KBC winners actually work
One thing worth clearing up before the list, because it explains the gaps in it. KBC does not have a season winner. It is a quiz, not a knockout competition – contestants play individually against the question ladder, not against each other. What each season produces is crorepatis: anyone who reaches Rs 1 crore.
That has two consequences. Some seasons produced two or three crorepatis. And seasons 2 and 3 produced none at all, which is why those entries below carry a year but no name. Nobody got there.
Kaun Banega Crorepati at a glance
- First crorepati: Harshvardhan Nawathe, 19 October 2000
- Highest prize won: Rs 7 crore, by Achin and Sarthak Narula on 9 October 2014
- First Rs 5 crore winner: Sushil Kumar, November 2011
- Seasons with no crorepati: 2 and 3
- Host: Amitabh Bachchan, except season 3 in 2007 (Shah Rukh Khan)
- Current status: season 18 began on 10 August 2026
KBC crorepati winners by season
The crorepatis of each season, in order. Where a season shows more than one name, more than one contestant reached Rs 1 crore that year.
| Season | Year | Crorepati winner(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2000–01 | Harshvardhan Nawathe |
| 2 | 2005–06 | No crorepati |
| 3 | 2007 | No crorepati |
| 4 | 2010 | Rahat Taslim |
| 5 | 2011 | Sushil Kumar |
| 6 | 2012–13 | Manoj Kumar Raina, Sunmeet Kaur Sawhney |
| 7 | 2013 | Taj Mohammed Rangrez |
| 8 | 2014 | Achin and Sarthak Narula |
| 9 | 2017 | Anamika Majumdar |
| 10 | 2018 | Binita Jain |
| 11 | 2019 | Ajeet Kumar |
| 12 | 2020–21 | Nazia Nasim |
| 13 | 2021 | Himani Bundela, Sahil Ahirwar |
| 14 | 2022 | Kavita Chawla |
Seasons 15 to 17 produced further crorepatis, and season 18 is still airing at the time of writing. Names are added here once the result is confirmed rather than reported, which is why this table stops where it does.
KBC Winners List of All Seasons With Photos
The thrill to watch a common Indian citizen to take money home made the show successful. The producers decided to try Shah Rukh Khan as the host, but Mr. Amitabh replaced him. A part of the success goes to the Mr. Bachchan as well.
The entire show depends upon the knowledge of the contestant, and the KBC had nine seasons. However, the number of contestants who left the show with ₹ one crore in the pockets.
KBC Junior 2001: Ravi Mohan Saini
Saini is a 14-year-old studying in 10th class, and he participated in first-ever KBC Junior. Fortunately, the boy answered every question properly, and it resulted in winning the prize money.
The Junior season started in 2001, and it ended in 2001. The 14-year old boy started to work on his dream, and today he is an officer in Indian Police Service.
He is no longer a small boy from Gujarat because he cleared the exam to become ASP officer. The students from his college suggested Saini take part in the Indian Police Services (IPS), and he scored All-India Rank of 461. He took a lot of training to prepare for the task.
KBC Season 1 Winner – Harshvardhan Nawathe (2000–01)
Nawathe is the first contestant to win ₹ one crore in 2000 from KBC show. The young man life changed after winning the ₹ one crore prize money, and he solved many problems in life.
The young man is preparing for Indian Civil Services, and he got a call from the KBC team for an audition. The prize money surprised the media, and the intelligence mesmerized the audience.
Unfortunately, he had to miss the exam due to the distractions. The ambition for higher education did stop him, and he completed MBA from a University in the United Kingdom.
Later, he married an Indian woman, and the couple blessed with two children. Nawathe is working for an Indian-based company.
Kaun Banega Crorepati Season 2 (2005–06)
Kaun Banega Crorepati came back with it’s second season in 2005-2006, after a gap of four years. This season, Brijesh Dwivedi became Crorepati on the show, A special episode was held in this season where the famous bollywood couple, Ajay Devgan & Kajol Devgan bagged the same amount as the winner.
Kaun Banega Crorepati Season 3 ( 2007)
The 3rd season of KBC was hosted by Shahrukh Khan due to Amitabh Bachchan’s illness which was aired on 22nd July 2007. Unfortunately, this season failed to yield any winner.
KBC Season 4 Winner – Rahat Taslim (2010)
Taslim auditioned for the KBC, and she started to prepare for the game. She is a housewife, and Rahat got excited because it means she can go back to studying. She comes a conservative family, and it was an excellent journey for her.
Taslim stunned everyone with the knowledge and claimed the prize money. The winner of season four made the family proud. She used the prize money on starting a garment store in a mall in hometown.
KBC Season 5 Winner – Sushil Kumar (2011)
The KBC reality show became a major success in India and millions of people tuned every week to watch Mr. Bachchan. The producers decided to increase the prize money from Rs.1 Cr to Rs.5 Cr. Kumar participated in KBC season five, and he impressed the audience with valuable knowledge.
Sushil celebrated the victory with family members. He spent the prize money on building a house in hometown and purchased the farmland in the village.
However, the investment turned into a disaster for him — the tax deduction of Rs.1.4 Cr and he received Rs.3.6 crores. According to NDTV, Sushil invested the money on cabs business with the help of his Delhi friend. Kumar helped relatives & brothers in setting up business and rest of the money saved in the bank.
KBC 6 Winner – Manoj Kumar Raina, Sunmeet Kaur Sawhney (2012-13)
Sunmeet Kaur is the winner of the KBC season six. Kaur is a married woman and earned a degree in fashion designing. Unfortunately, the lady did not get approval from in-laws. The hardworking women set-up a tiffin center nearby home. KBC developed confidence in her and encouraged to audition.
The Tiffin center business did not work out, and it left her bed-ridden for months. The second option to start tuition for Children gained confidence. Educating the Children helped her learn more about the world, and she applied for the KBC.
Sunmeet did not tell anyone in her family that she applied for the KBC. The audition took place, and the production team told her to bring the husband along with her. Kaur informed husband about the participation, and he is the only in the house to support her.
Manmeet Singh is the husband of Kaur, and he is an established actor appeared in Rab Ne Banadi Jodi and other movies. The KBC S6 started a small business in fashion category with a friend.
In KBC season 6 there were 2 crorepati namely Manoj Kumar Raina, Sunmeet Kaur Sawhney.
KBC Season 7 Winner – Taj Mohammed Rangrez (2013)
KBC Season 7 again saw two Crorepati contestants, Taj Mohammad Rangrez and Firoz Fatima winning Rs 1 crore each.
The success of the KBC encouraged the producers to increase the prize money from Rs.5 Crore to Rs.7 Crore. The history teacher auditioned for the KBC, and he successfully secured a spot in the show.
Mohammed expertise in the subjects and knowledge gained him an upper hand in the show. He managed to take prize money home after winning the KBC S7.
The history class teacher said that the people perception towards him has changed after the show. The wise man funded the two marriages of orphaned girls.
He spent the money on his daughter partial vision impairment treatment. Taj had plenty of money left in the account, and he spent a lot on building a house for the family.
KBC Season 8 Winner – Achin Narula and Sarthak Narula (2014)
The duo tried their luck on KBC for years, and they finally got the chance to sit with Mr. Bachchan. The Delhi duo auditioned for the popular Q&A show and the ten years of continuous effort reflected in the winning process.
The Delhi duo took Rs.5.6 (estimated) after tax deductions. The brothers spent the money on mothers cancer treatment. The duo decided to invest the prize money on future. The Narula brother started a business in hometown Delhi, and they are leading a smooth life.
Megha Patil is a housewife survived from cancer and she won Rs. 1 crore in season 8 of KBC in 2014. Megha used the prize money on her children’s education and paid hospital bills in full. Currently, the housewife returned to normal life and focusing on her children future.
KBC Season 9 Winner – Anamika Majumdar (2017)
The 9th season of Amitabh Bachchan’s KBC got it’s first crorepati in the form of Anamika Majumdar. The homemaker and NGO worker from Jamshedpur is a commerce graduate and runs her own NGO called ‘Faith in India’.
Kaun Banega Crorepati 10 Winner – Binita Jain (2018)
Binita Jain, the winner of Kaun Banega Crorepati 10. She won Rs. 1 crore, she was also gifted a Mahindra Marazzo.
Kaun Banega Crorepati 11 Winner – Ajeet Kumar (2019)
Ajeet Kumar from Bihar became the 4th contestant to win Rs. 1 crore on the show Kaun Banega Crorepati Season 11. However, he could not win the ultimate prize money of Rs. 7 crore as he chose to quit after winning a crore.
Kaun Banega Crorepati 12 Winner – Nazia Nasim (2020)
Nazia Nasim won Rs 1 crore on 11 November 2020, during a season shaped by the restrictions of that year. She was the season’s first crorepati.
KBC 12 Winner – Nazia Nasim, who reached Rs 1 crore on 11 November 2020.
The KBC wins people remember
- Harshvardhan Nawathe (2000) was the first. He took Rs 1 crore on 19 October 2000, in a season that made the show a national event.
- Sushil Kumar (2011) was the first contestant to win Rs 5 crore. He was a computer operator from Motihari in Bihar on roughly Rs 6,000 a month, and had watched the show at a neighbour’s house because his family could not afford a television.
- Achin and Sarthak Narula (2014) hold the record. The brothers played together and won Rs 7 crore on 9 October 2014, still the biggest payout in the show’s history.
- Seasons 2 and 3 are the counterweight to all of that: two full seasons in which nobody reached the top prize at all.
The fake KBC lottery: what it is and what to do
If you arrived here after a call or a WhatsApp message telling you that you have won a KBC prize, stop and read this section first. It is a scam, and it is one of the most persistent frauds operating in India.
The pattern is consistent. A message or call claims you have won a KBC lucky draw, very often quoted as Rs 25 lakh. To release it, you are asked to pay a small “refundable” amount for processing, GST or bank charges. Once you pay, the story grows – the prize is suddenly larger, a new fee appears, and the demands continue for as long as you keep sending money.
How to know it is fake
- KBC does not run a lottery. The only way onto the show is to register and answer questions when the registration window opens.
- Nobody is told they have won by WhatsApp or a phone call. Contestants win on camera, in the studio.
- No genuine prize requires you to pay first. Any request for a processing fee, GST, or a refundable deposit is the scam, whatever it is called.
- A real win is not announced by a stranger’s personal number, and no legitimate broadcaster asks for your bank details before an offer exists.
What to do if you are targeted
- Do not send money, and do not share your bank details, OTP, Aadhaar or PAN.
- Call 1930, the national cyber crime helpline. If you have already transferred money, calling quickly matters – a fast report can allow the receiving account to be frozen before the funds are moved on.
- File a complaint at cybercrime.gov.in with screenshots, the number used and any transaction details.
- Keep the evidence. Do not delete the messages or call log; they are what the complaint rests on.
Delhi Police’s cyber unit publishes guidance on KBC lottery fraud specifically, which is a fair measure of how common it has become. If someone contacts you claiming you are on a winners list, the list they mean does not exist – the real one is above, and everyone on it won on air.
Is KBC still running?
Yes. Season 18 premiered on 10 August 2026, with Amitabh Bachchan hosting, so the show is on air as this is written. He has fronted every season except the third in 2007, when Shah Rukh Khan took over.
The show has never run every year – there are long gaps between seasons 1, 2 and 3, and again between 8 and 9 – so season numbers and years do not line up neatly. This page is updated as each season confirms its crorepatis.
For the rest of Indian television’s biggest formats, our Bigg Boss winners list and Indian Idol winners list cover the two other long-running shows on the same scale.
Kaun Banega Crorepati winners: frequently asked questions
Who was the first KBC crorepati?
Harshvardhan Nawathe, who won Rs 1 crore on 19 October 2000 during the first season. He was the first person to take the top prize on Indian television’s best known quiz show, and the win made him a household name.
Who has won the highest prize on Kaun Banega Crorepati?
Brothers Achin and Sarthak Narula, who won Rs 7 crore on 9 October 2014 in season 8, playing together. It remains the largest amount the show has paid out.
Who was the first person to win Rs 5 crore on KBC?
Sushil Kumar, in season 5. His episodes aired on 1 and 2 November 2011. He was a computer operator from Motihari in Bihar earning around Rs 6,000 a month, and used to watch the show at a neighbour’s house because his family did not own a television.
Did every season of KBC produce a crorepati?
No. Seasons 2 and 3 ended without anyone reaching Rs 1 crore. That is normal for the format – KBC is a quiz rather than a knockout competition, so there is no guaranteed season winner. Other seasons produced two or three crorepatis.
Is the KBC lottery message on WhatsApp real?
No. It is a scam. KBC does not run a lottery and never announces winners by WhatsApp or phone call. The messages typically claim a prize of around Rs 25 lakh and then ask for a refundable processing fee or GST, which escalates once you pay. Never send money, and report it to the national cyber crime helpline on 1930.
Who hosts Kaun Banega Crorepati?
Amitabh Bachchan has hosted every season except the third, which aired in 2007 and was hosted by Shah Rukh Khan. Bachchan returned for season 4 in 2010 and has fronted the show ever since.
Is KBC on air in 2026?
Yes. Season 18 premiered on 10 August 2026 with Amitabh Bachchan hosting, so the show is currently running. Any crorepatis from that season will be added to this page as the season progresses.
Conclusion
KBC hosted by Mr. Amitabh Bachchan from season one, and the show tried a different host Shahrukh Khan. However, the ratings did not help the show at all because Shahrukh could not attract a mature audience. The supremacy & attitude of Mr. Bachchan replaced SRK, and he is the host of the show to this day.
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