You can’t call Chhatrapati by his first name, Big B

The online community is livid and for a good reason. It is demanding: If Aurangzeb can be referred to as ‘emperor’, why should Maratha ruler Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj be referred to as just Shivaji?The faux pas was made in the latest episode of the Amitabh Bachchanhosted Kaun Banega Crorepati when the answer options A, B and

C duly acknowledged the titles of the other historical personalities - Maharana Pratap, Maharana Ranjit Singh and Rana Sanga. And all this in response to the loaded question: Which of these rulers was the contemporary of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb?"

The hashtag #Boycott_KBC_ SonyTv was soon trending on Friday. ‘‘This is painful... and shameful, too. This is what we are lacking, Chhatrapati Shivaji did so much and we can't even respect his legacy? What is the coming generation going to learn from this?" wrote one Twitter user.

Another added, "My respect for the show and the anchor has taken a huge dip after I saw that the respectable #ChhatrapatiShivajiMaharaj is denigrated by being called by his first name only."

Sony TV has apologised, running a ticker on the Thursday episode of Kaun Banega Crorepati which read:

"There was an inaccurate reference to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj during yesterday's episode, due to inadvertence. We deeply regret the same," reports news agency IANS.

The denizens of social media also sought an apology from Amitabh Bachchan, the anchor of the show, but none was forthcoming.