Rohtak-based Preeti Panwar is the first contestant of Kaun Banega Crorepati 7. She spoke to D Kaushik about her life-changing experience, a special poem and the pagdi she gifted to Big B
Apart from Amitabh Bachchan and the stars performing on the opening of the mega show, Kaun Banega Crorepati, it is the first contestant of the game show on Sony who becomes the talking point. This time it is Preeti Panwar, a Rohtak-based M Tech student. Preeti is still in awe of the experience and says that everything was like a dream. “I can’t believe that it has happened and I was actually on the hot seat. I can’t believe I can be so fortunate,” said Preeti.
Preeti wanted to try her luck to make inroads in the game show and went through the procedure. “I followed the questions that were being screened on Sony and people say that one has to send over thousand mobile messages per day to get selected, but I only sent three to four. It was surprising to get a call one day for auditions in Chandigarh. I took part in the auditions where over 10 questions related to general knowledge were asked. The questions were simple like PV Sindhu is associated with which game. The audition was on July 3 and I didn’t hear anything from the production house or the channel till August 12. I was later thrilled to find out that I was being called to Mumbai. I went with my father and that was the beginning of the dream,” shared 22-year-old Preeti.
Meeting Amitabh Bachchan was the most awaited moment and even that happened in the most unexpected way. “As some rules of the game show have changed now, we were being given the brief by the people on the show. Suddenly, Amitabhji came and greeted us like we all are a part of one family. He told us to be calm and play well,” she said.
Preeti feels she would have been a lot more nervous if it would have been someone else other than Big B. “Somehow he has that effect on you that you don’t feel nervous at all. He is down-to-earth and since beginning he told me to be patient,” she added.
Contestants on the show usually have special requests and gifts for the megastar. Preeti’s gift was a traditional Haryanvi pagdi, “which didn’t even fit him well but he still wore it once.” Her special request was to make her talk to Salman Khan, “Amitabhji tried, but we could not get through.” Preeti even wrote a poem for the host of the show.
Preeti’s father is a labour contractor and she is the eldest among four brothers and sisters. The prize money from the game show, she said, will be spent to pay off the education loan taken for her higher studies and her siblings’ education. She says being on the hot seat has been a life-changing experience.
“After being on the hot seat and meeting Amitabhji I realised how true these words are, ‘seekhna band to jeetnja band.’ We should aspire to learn new things every day and it is these lessons that help us achieve our goals,” said Preeti.