Veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan confirmed that the ‘Audience Poll’ lifeline will return in the 13th season of Kaun Banega Crorepati, after it was confirmed that live audience will part of the show once again.
Bachchan, who began filming the show last week, said he is thrilled that the studio audience is back on set. "It was probably for the first time, last season, that the studio audience wasn’t a part of the show and we saw a major change in the lifelines as well. I for one, truly missed them and their energy... It’s infectious,” he said.
Last year, due to the pandemic, the show didn’t host a live audience and the lifeline was replaced by another life lifeline ‘video-a-friend’. The other three lifelines-'50:50', 'Ask The Expert' and 'Flip The Question'- remain the same.
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"I am happy that the studio audience is back this season with a newfound vigor and so is the lifeline – Audience Poll. It’s an enriching experience for me, each year, to be surrounded by contestants from all walks of life and I look forward to an engaging and a fulfilling game play. These contestants inspire me in every way," he added.
For the latest season, other changes that have been incorporated, keeping the ongoing coronavirus pandemic in mind, include the 'Fastest Finger First' segment, which used to decide the contestant who will sit on the ‘Hot Seat’ opposite Bachchan. The segment has been now been modified to 'Fastest Finger First – Triple Test'. Instead of one question, the answer to which had to be chronologically aligned, contestants will now have to answer three general knowledge questions.
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"A leaderboard will showcase the time taken by each contestant to answer the respective questions and the one to answer all three (3) questions correctly in the shortest amount of time will head straight to the Hot Seat," a statement from Sony Entertainment Televsion read.
The entire look and feel of the set will also be different, from the floor LED to the use of AR (Augmented Reality).
"A refreshed motorised virtual ceiling and gameplay graphics has been re-engineered. The game timer, that has everyone at the edge of their seats has been aptly re-christened as ‘Dhuk-Dhuki ji’," as per the statement.
Siddhartha Basu, Consultant for ‘KBC season 13’, said it's heartening to see the show remain an audience-favourite even after 21 years.
"Each season, we’ve seen participants coming on to the hot seat from across the country, with varied levels of education and occupations, each with a distinct dream and story. Among a host of reasons that drives them, a key one is the search for ‘sammaan’ or respect. And they win that respect along with what can be life changing amounts of winnings through a knowledge game," Basu said.
‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’s 13th season will premiere on August 23 on Sony Entertainment Television.
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(With Inputs From PTI)
