Trauma survivors in KBC hot seat

A woman who shot dead militants in Kashmir, another lady who lost her home and family in the Ladakh flashfloods, the widow of a debt-ridden farmer who committed suicide in Maharashtra and a widow whose husband was killed by Maoists in Orissa. Last year, these women and their difficult circumstances had made headlines. Now, these survivors of tragedy are part of the current season of Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC), where they not only try their luck at winning big money but also get a chance to narrate their tales of struggle and triumph.
In the near future, the production house is hoping to invite relatives of the victims of terror, including the widow of Prashant Joshi, who died recently in the Mumbai bomb blasts.
"One of the initiatives in KBC this year is the Doosra Mauka, which offers a second chance at rebuilding the lives of those who have lived through traumatic events and flashpoints but are often forgotten as yesterday's news," said Siddhartha Basu, the head of television company Big Synergy which produces the popular quiz show hosted by superstar Amitabh Bachchan.
While cynics argue that KBC is "sacrificing sensitivity at the altar of sensationalism" by trying to cash in on the misery of its invitees, the participants and the audiences don't seem to be complaining. "It was my long cherished dream to meet Mr Bachchan and winning the prize money was the icing on the cake," said Yusuf Mallu, a wheelchair-bound Rajasthani man who not only won over Rs 6 lakh but also got a standing ovation when the iconic host wiped his tears and offered him a glass of water.
Meanwhile, Basu insists that the show is about hope and not about victimhood or causes. "These faces, their lives, their dreams, hopes and disappointments have been, by and large ignored by the media. What you see in the show are eye-opening vignettes from their lives. And Bachchan is not only the playmaker of a life-transforming game, but is going to telling their stories in a positive way," he added.
According to Basu, the current season of KBC has a soft spot for contestants who are perceived to be "underdogs but with a spark or a story and a yen for the transformative powers of knowledge and awareness".