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KBC 18: Amitabh Bachchan-hosted Kaun Banega Crorepati 18 saw quiz master Ajay Poonia from Panaji, Goa, take the hot seat in the September 28 episode. A quiz enthusiast since childhood, Ajay has conducted quizzes in schools, colleges and government organisations and eventually made his way to the KBC hot seat through the show’s India Challenger Week.
Unlike the traditional Fastest Finger First format, India Challenger Week features a rapid buzzer round, followed by the Jaldi 5 mini-game. The two fastest contestants compete, and the first to answer five questions correctly gets the chance to occupy the hot seat.
Ajay emerged victorious in the Jaldi 5 round after answering five questions correctly. As a result, his game began directly with the sixth question, worth Rs 25,000. He had three lifelines available to him — Sanket Soochak, Audience Poll and MahaFlip.
Check this space tomorrow to learn more about the toughest question on the latest episode of Kaun Banega Crorepati 18. We will be bringing you the question and the story behind it.
Ajay Poonia uses Audience Poll, Sanket Soochak
Ajay steadily progressed through the questions and reached the Rs 2 lakh question, where he decided to use the Audience Poll lifeline. He went with the option supported by the audience and answered correctly.
For the next question, worth Rs 3 lakh, Ajay turned to Sanket Soochak. He successfully answered the question and continued his run.
He then reached the Rs 5 lakh question before entering the Super Sandook round. Ajay then faced the Super Sandook, where contestants get 90 seconds to answer 10 questions. Those who answer more than five correctly can either take the money earned or choose the 50:50 lifeline.
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Ajay put his quizzing knowledge to good use and answered nine questions correctly, earning Rs 90,000. Instead of taking the money, he chose the 50:50 lifeline, giving himself an additional lifeline for the questions ahead.
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Amitabh Bachchan recalls his first fan from Panaji
During the conversation, Amitabh Bachchan also revealed his connection with Panaji, where Ajay is from. Bachchan recalled that his first fan was from Panaji, Goa, and said that he remains in touch with her even today. He also mentioned that he continues to respect her and revealed that she has never married.
Amitabh Bachchan recalls Amjad Khan’s accident
During the episode, Ajay also quizzed Amitabh Bachchan about his films. While answering a question related to Sholay, Bachchan recalled meeting Amjad Khan for the first time during the making of the film and revealed that Salim-Javed had recommended Khan’s name for the role of Gabbar Singh.
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Bachchan also recalled an accident involving Amjad Khan while he was travelling with his family from Mumbai to Goa for a film shoot. He said doctors had recommended surgery and sought the family’s permission. Amjad Khan’s wife told the veteran actor that she was unsure about what decision to take and asked him to decide.
Bachchan said he gave permission for the surgery and signed the consent form when doctors asked for a family member’s signature. Amjad Khan was later shifted to Mumbai. Bachchan added that he shared many memorable moments with the veteran actor.
Amjad Khan had suffered a serious road accident in 1976 while travelling to Goa for the shooting of a film.
Ajay Poonia wins Rs 12.5 lakh
The 11th question was worth Rs 7.5 lakh. Ajay used his MahaFlip lifeline, replacing the original question with another one, and answered the new question correctly.
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He then faced the Rs 12.5 lakh question. With his 50:50 lifeline still available, Ajay decided to use it. After two options were eliminated, he selected the correct answer and took his winnings to Rs 12.5 lakh.
He then reached the 13th question, which was worth Rs 25 lakh.
The question was: Who among these is not one of the only three people to ever die in space?
The options were:
A. Georgy Dobrovolsky
B. Viktor Patsayev
C. Vladislav Volkov
D. Vladimir Komarov
The correct answer was D. Vladimir Komarov.
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Ajay, however, decided not to risk his Rs 12.5 lakh winnings and quit the game. He ended his KBC 18 journey with Rs 12.5 lakh.
The three people who died in space
Georgy Dobrovolsky, Viktor Patsayev and Vladislav Volkov are the only three people known to have died in space, rather than during launch or re-entry.
The three Soviet cosmonauts were the crew of Soyuz 11, which launched in June 1971 and successfully docked with the Salyut 1 space station, the first crewed space station.
The cosmonauts spent more than three weeks aboard Salyut 1 before beginning their return journey. During re-entry preparations, a valve in their spacecraft opened prematurely, causing the cabin to depressurise. The crew died before the spacecraft landed.
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Vladimir Komarov, meanwhile, died in 1967 during the return of Soyuz 1. His spacecraft suffered multiple technical problems, and its parachute system failed during the final descent. Komarov died when the capsule crashed into the ground.
Therefore, the correct answer to Ajay’s Rs 25 lakh question was Vladimir Komarov.
