WASN’T PREPARED FOR THE WIN OR WHAT WOULD FOLLOW

KBC’s first-ever winner, Harshvardhan Nawathe looks back on how the show changed his life

It’s been 21 years since Harshvardhan Nawathe won the first-ever season of the TV game show, Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC). And the Mumbai resident, who shot to fame overnight at the age of 27, gradually faded away from the spotlight. But life has been good, shares Nawathe, and adds, “After the win, I got recognition and financial security. Meeting people and being recognised at various platforms has been wonderful.”

Nawathe, who won ₹1 crore in 2000, recalls the eventful day. “I had answered the questions in 20-odd minutes. I entered the set at noon and by 12.30pm I had won. There was not much time to react (laughs). For me, it was just a quiz show and I never allowed the monetary aspect to come between the questions. I wasn’t prepared for the win or what would follow thereafter. What the KBC win gave me was a net to build my life. I also became financially independent at a young age,” says the 48-year-old.

For Nawathe, who was a civil services aspirant back then, life took a new turn. He continues, “During the initial months, I lived the life of a rock star. People would be waiting for autographs in my building complex. I wanted to get into the civil services, but after the win, I had contractual obligations to fulfil and even partied hard and one year was lost. I did everything, including modelling, TV advertisements, walked the ramp, was offered TV shows, films and even received some offers to join politics.”

Even though the high was short-lived, Nawathe knew which direction to steer his life in next. “After all that came a lull and everything stopped. But I was mentally prepared. I went to the UK, did an MBA and returned to start my corporate life. That was just one day, albeit great, for me and not my entire life,” he shares.

Through civil services, he wanted to help people and being in the corporate world, he is doing the same. “I’m leading corporate social responsibilities for various organisations. I remain connected to my dream of working for and with people,” he says, adding, “It fills me with pride when people say they saw me on TV and look up to me.”