Entertainment
Madhuri Dixit returns to TV hosting after 24 years… ‘Kon Honar Crorepati’ marks a surprising new chapter
The Dhak Dhak girl is back behind the television host’s desk as Madhuri Dixit takes charge of the Marathi version of the iconic quiz show, Kon Honar Crorepati.
After more than two decades away from a television hosting role, Madhuri Dixit is ready to return to the hot seat this time as the host of Kon Honar Crorepati.
The 59-year-old actor has been announced as the new face of the Marathi adaptation of the internationally popular Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? format, which became a television phenomenon in India through Kaun Banega Crorepati.
For Madhuri, the announcement marks a significant return to a role she has not taken on for 24 years.
The upcoming season carries the theme ‘Aata Khel Badalnar’, meaning “Now the game will change”, promising a fresh chapter for the Marathi quiz show.
Madhuri Dixit calls the show more than just a quiz
Speaking about her new role, Madhuri said she feels honoured to be part of a programme that celebrates knowledge, determination and ambition.
For the actor, the attraction of Kon Honar Crorepati goes beyond the prize money.
She said the show celebrates “curiosity, aspiration, hope and the courage to dream”, while expressing excitement about meeting contestants and hearing their personal stories.
As someone who identifies strongly with Maharashtra, Madhuri also said she is looking forward to witnessing contestants’ dreams unfold on the iconic hot seat.
Her comments suggest that the new season will focus as much on the people behind the answers as the quiz itself.
Madhuri’s last TV hosting stint was in 2002
While Madhuri has remained a familiar face on television for years, she hasn’t hosted a show since 2002.
That year, she hosted Kahin Na Kahin Koi Hai on Sony Entertainment Television.
The reality programme revolved around matchmaking, with Madhuri playing the role of a celebrity matchmaker as prospective brides and grooms attempted to find partners.
It was a very different television landscape at the time, long before matchmaking reality shows became a major part of Indian entertainment.
Since then, Madhuri has continued to appear regularly on television, particularly as a judge on popular dance reality programmes.
She has been associated with shows such as Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa and Dance Deewane, becoming a familiar and much-loved television personality in the process.
But Kon Honar Crorepati represents something different — her first major hosting assignment in more than two decades.
From Madhuri to Amitabh Bachchan: The KBC connection
The format behind Kon Honar Crorepati has become deeply associated with Amitabh Bachchan in India.
Kaun Banega Crorepati premiered in 2000 and transformed the quiz-show format into a nationwide television event.
Bachchan has hosted almost every season of the Hindi version, except Season 3, when Shah Rukh Khan took over.
Over the years, KBC became much more than a question-and-answer programme.
The contestants’ personal stories, emotional moments and interactions with the host became an integral part of the viewing experience.
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That is also the challenge now facing Madhuri.
Kon Honar Crorepati has a history of popular hosts
The Marathi adaptation isn’t new to celebrity hosts.
Over the years, Sachin Khedekar, Swapnil Joshi and Nagraj Manjule have all hosted different editions of Kon Honar Crorepati.
Madhuri now inherits a format that audiences already know well, but her appointment could give the programme a noticeably different personality.
Her combination of film stardom, television experience and familiarity with Marathi audiences could help the show create its own identity rather than simply being viewed as a regional version of KBC.
Madhuri becomes only the second woman to host the format in India
The appointment also carries another distinction.
Madhuri Dixit becomes the second woman in India to host a regional version of the show, following Radhikaa Sarathkumar, who hosted the Tamil adaptation.
It gives the veteran actor an opportunity to bring a distinctly different energy to a format traditionally dominated by male hosts.
For audiences who have watched Madhuri as an actor, dance-show judge and television personality, seeing her interact directly with contestants on a quiz-show stage will be a new experience.
Why Madhuri’s return matters
Madhuri’s return to hosting comes at an interesting stage of her career.
She has successfully moved between films and television, while retaining the popularity that made her one of Hindi cinema’s biggest stars.
Now, after 24 years, she is returning to a role she briefly explored at the beginning of the reality-television era.
The difference this time is the scale and familiarity of the format.
Kon Honar Crorepati already has a strong audience base, a recognisable structure and a proven emotional formula.
The question now is whether Madhuri can make the hot seat feel like her own.
With ‘Aata Khel Badalnar’ as its theme, the answer may arrive when the new season goes on air.
One thing, however, is already clear: Madhuri Dixit is back behind the host’s desk — and after 24 years, television is getting a very familiar star in a surprisingly new role.
