#BoycottKBC trends over inaccurate reference to Chhatrapati Shivaji; Sony apologizes
What's the story
Sony TV on Friday issued an apology after the hit game show Kaun Banega Crorepati drew criticism over the manner in which it referenced the Maratha ruler Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on Wednesday's episode.
Since the episode, viewers have called to boycott KBC for mentioning the Maratha ruler's name simply as "Shivaji," without the title.
Here's more on what happened.
Boycott
What's the controversy all about?
The controversy erupted over a question about the contemporaries of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.
The question read: "Which of these rulers was the contemporary of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb?"
In the options, the Maratha ruler stood out, referred to as just "Shivaji" alongside Maharana Pratap, Rana Sanga, Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
#Boycott_KBC_SonyTv started trending on Twitter with users calling out Sony and KBC's "disrespectful" and "shameful" behavior.
Reaction
'Will not watch pathetic KBC with mannerless Amitabh Bachchan'
One Twitter user wrote, "I was a big fan of this show and @SrBachchan but from today onwards I will not watch this pathetic show with this mannerless person(@SrBachchan)."
Another added, "This is painful.... and shameful too. This is what we are lacking, Chatrapati Shivaji did so much and we can't even respect his work, what coming generation going to learn from this?"
Sony's response
Deeply regret inaccurate reference to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj: Sony
Apologizing for the error, Sony TV tweeted on Friday, "There was an inaccurate reference to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj during Wednesday's KBC episode, due to inadvertence."
The broadcaster added, "We deeply regret the same and being mindful of the sentiments of our viewers have carried a scroll expressing regret during our episode yesterday."
The show's host, Amitabh Bachchan, has not addressed the issue yet.
Twitter Post
You can read Sony TV's statement here
There was an inaccurate reference to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj during Wednesday’s KBC episode, due to inadvertence. We deeply regret the same and being mindful of the sentiments of our viewers have carried a scroll expressing regret during our episode yesterday. #KBC11 pic.twitter.com/FLtSAt9HuN
— Sony TV (@SonyTV) November 8, 2019
TV show
Current season is KBC's 11th
Modeled after the British game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, KBC first aired in 2000.
The show's ratings dropped after Shah Rukh Khan took over as host in 2007. However, KBC resurged when Bachchan returned in 2010.
The current 11th season premiered in August and has a jackpot prize of Rs. 7 crore. However, no contestant has manage to win it yet.