Kaun Banega Crorepati 17: Kumar Mangalam Birla reveals his father's tough condition before entering the family business; leave host Amitabh Bachchan stunned

The latest episode of Kaun Banega Crorepati 17 featured Kumar Mangalam Birla as the special guest on the hot seat. Indian billionaire businessman and Chairperson of the Aditya Birla Group, Kumar Mangalam Birla made his first-ever appearance on Hindi General Entertainment Television on India’s most iconic knowledge-based quiz show, Kaun Banega Crorepati, hosted by the legendary Amitabh Bachchan.

During the episode, the business tycoon talked about his life and shared that his father, Aditya Vikram Birla, had set a clear rule for him, to begin at the lowest level before entering the family business.

In the episode, host Amitabh Bachchan mentions, "We have learned one thing from your father that a person should always start from the bottom. But considering the family and environment you were born into, it feels almost unbelievable that you were asked to do so. Could you tell us more about that?"

Responding to the same, Mr. Birla shared, "Maine socha tha Amit ji ki graduation ke baad main papa ke office jaaunga aur kaam shuru karunga. Papa ne kaha ki aisa nahi ho sakta hai, tumko CA karna padega. Ab CA bahut mushkil cheez hai. At that time I could see all my aspirations and ambitions flying out of the window. Toh main kehta raha, main MBA karunga, main CA nahi karunga."

(I thought that after graduating, I would join my father’s office and start working. But my father said that wouldn’t happen and that I would first have to become a CA. CA is very tough. At that moment, it felt like all my dreams and ambitions were slipping away. I kept telling him that I wanted to do an MBA, not CA.)

He further said, "Papa ne kaha ki tum CA nahi bante ho toh iss office main tumhare liye koi kaam nahi hai. Toh main dadaji ke pass gaya, aur thoda ro raha tha main ki aap mujhe bachayiye. Dadaji ne kaha ki ismein main tumhari madad nahi kar sakta, tum karlo. Maine mummy se poocha, unhone kaha ki karna toh padega hi tumhe yaa toh ro dho ke karo yaa haste haste karo."

(He told me that if I didn’t become a CA, there would be no place for me in the office. So I went to my grandfather, almost in tears, asking him to save me. But he said he couldn’t help and that I had to do it myself. When I asked my mother, she said I would have to do it anyway, whether I cried through it or did it with a smile.)

In the episode, Kumar Mangalam Birla was asked who were his inspirations while growing up and he named his three elders. He called his father, bade dadaji and dadaji his idols. He said, "Teeno apne apne samay ke digaj the, teeno ki apni apni pratibha thi, soch thi, aur teeno se maine bahot kuch sikha. Kisi ek ko chun paana mushkil he nahi naamumkin hai. Papa se maine office ki bhaag daud ko sikha, dadaji se samaj ki samjhdaari and bade dadaji se desh ke prati zimmedaari."

This year marks a historic moment for Kaun Banega Crorepati. The show completes 25 years since its first episode aired on July 3, 2000.