He has vivid memories of the first day’s shoot of Kaun Banega Crorepati with Amitabh Bachchan. “It was the first time I was writing for such a big star and my heart was going dhak dhak wondering if the show would be accepted. We were all nervous, including Amitabh Bachchan who, turning a deaf ear to detractors who said it would diminish his stardom, was stepping into television for the first time. He even stopped us from shouting “all the best”, saying it was making him more tense. Then, he walked out, like a lion, and it was a dream come true for me,” reminisces RD Tailang, the writer behind KBC’s lines, including the oft-quoted “lock kiya jaye” which has become a part of our collective vocabulary today.Tailang was one of the lead writers of Shekhar Suman’s chat show Movers & Shakers when he was approached for Kaun Banega Crorepati. He was aware many writers, including some senior journalists, were also auditioning, but having gone through a training course during Movers & Shakers, he had an idea what lines to give the host. “I learnt later that Mr Bachchan said this was exactly what he wanted. Subsequently, brainstorming sessions with the channel, production house and him started, followed by rehearsals and shoots. One season led to another aur pata bhi nahin chala when 25 years flew by,” he smiles. View this post on Instagram A post shared by RD Tailang (@rdtailang)The game show premiered on Star Plus on July 3, 2000. In 2010, it moved to Sony Entertainment Television, the prize money increasing from Rs 1 crore in Season 1 to Rs 7.50 crore in Season 14 in 2022 to commemorate 75 years of India’s Independence. The final episode of Season 16 aired on March 11, 2025. “Personally, professionally and financially, KBC has been a huge career boost, giving me more than I could have hoped for. I’ve not only grown as a writer, but observing Mr Bachchan, I’ve tried to embrace his work ethics; the discipline, professionalism and dedication they don’t teach in any school. He is a big brand, so is KBC, and by default I have become a brand too,” admits this modest man, who has underplayed his contribution to the show for over two decades, pointing out that it’s Big B who elevated common phrases like “Lock kiya jaye”, “Afsos galat jawab” and “Main yun gaya, yun aaya”, giving them an iconic status with his style, swag and distinctive baritone, the way he did with filmi dialogue like “Hum jahan pe khada hote hain, line wahi se shuru hoti hai.”Also read | Kaun Banega Crorepati turns 25: ‘Show endured because Amitabh Bachchan stayed loyal to it, Star cancelled it after Shah Rukh Khan’s season,’ recalls Sameer NairKBC moved away from the usual introductory greeting of “Hello, Hi” to a more Hindustani opening phrase “aadar aadab abhinandan aabhar”. However, Tailang agrees that lines changed as technology entered our lives in a big way and the language of the new generation became peppered with more English words. “Vilambhana which was acceptable in 2000 will have people wondering what it means today,” he chuckles, quick to add that Bachchan too has constantly updated and reinvented himself and remained contemporary.Here are those of the team of 2021 who were there in Team KBC of 2000/1 (Season 1)While marking a continuity over 21 years, remembering & thanking each & every member of the teams of all 13 seasons who helped reach this milestone of 1000 episodes of a flagship show pic.twitter.com/AI0Yh2JW5H— Siddhartha Basu (@babubasu) December 5, 2021While acknowledging that the original franchise, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, is a hit in every country where it’s played, Tailang insists that the official Hindi adaptation is the most popular because the changes they brought in has helped the show connect with the common people in a big way. “Back in 2000, it would have taken the aam aadmi 50 years to earn a crore, so watching and knowing that they could make this kind of money in 50 minutes by answering some questions took it beyond being just a game show to becoming a life changing experience,” he reasons, recalling that when 24-year-old civil service aspirant Harshvardhan Nawathe became the first crorepati, it was like an utsav in the studio.Since then, there have been many winners. The success stories of Rahat Taslim, a tailor from Jharkhand and the first female crorepati, Babita Tade, who cooked the mid-day meal in a primary school for Rs 1500, Sushil Kumar, a computer operator from Bihar who won Rs 5 crore, have been particularly inspiring because they changed the image of little big Indian, who once dismissed as uneducated and ignorant, used their homegrown knowledge to land the big prize.19 years.. 11 season… a long but fun filled journey …#KBC #अड़ेRaho https://t.co/bz65dZDBEs— RD TAILANG (@rdtailang) August 17, 2019Tailang shares that when they were running out of ideas on how to promote the show every season, it was Bachchan who suggested ‘thought of the day’ rooted in life, poetry and philosophy. These empowering pearls of wisdom which enriched the lives of many were later compiled into a book, Amitabh Ka Khazana, with an English edition, Soul Curry for You and Me.While KBC has become synonymous with the Shahenshah, in 2007, Shah Rukh Khan hosted the third season. The Badshah’s entry brought changes too. “Mr Bachchan is like a father figure, the bade bhai who wants you to win and joins hands with the contestant to fight Computerji. Shah Rukh was projected as a dost so the approach was more bindaas and the lingo a more casual ‘Tu kar lega yaar, chal na’. And this worked too,” he beams. View this post on Instagram A post shared by RD Tailang (@rdtailang)The show restarted in 2010, after a hiatus of three-and-a-half years, with Bachchan back in the saddle and has been ruling our living rooms since Season 4. Prod Tailang on what he learnt about him from their interactions and he chuckles, “Mr Bachchan gives the impression of being very gambhir, but there is an impish little boy inside who will crack jokes and pull your leg with a straight face.”Of late, there has been talk that Bachchan might quit the show. Tailang dismisses this as a rumour fueled by his emotional farewell at the end of the last season. “His ‘yeh daur yehin khatam hua’ was interpreted by some as the show was ending or that he wouldn’t be back. But just a few days ago, he drove to the Sony office for rehearsals. He’s still an integral part of KBC, very charged up about Season 17, and soon people will be asking, ‘Nau baj gaya kya?’” he signs off.