Aishwarya Rai to make TV debut as Kaun Banega Crorepati host? Madhuri Dixit also considered

It was earlier speculated that Ranbir Kapoor might replace Amitabh Bachchan as the host of the ninth season of Kaun Banega Crorepati. However, it looks like that deal did not materialise and the channel has decided not to renew the quiz show for another season this year.

Mumbai Mirror reports that the channel is now looking to replace Amitabh with a female host in order to bring novelty to the show that debuted way back in 2000.

The same report states that the channel has approached the megastar’s daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai Bachchan to host the ninth season. In case she gives it a nod, it will be her debut on the small screen.

DNA reports that the channel has also approached Aishwarya’s contemporary Madhuri Dixit to host the show. Dixit is a known face on television as she has judged four seasons of the dance reality show Jhalak Dikhla Jaa, two seasons of So You Think You Can Dance India and the matchmaking show Kahi Na Kahi Koi Hai. However, this will be her first stint as a quiz show host if she ends up doing the ninth season.

If either Dixit or Aishwarya manage to replace Amitabh as the host, she will only be the second actor to do so after Shah Rukh Khan, who hosted Kaun Banega Crorepati 3 since Bachchan was not medically clear to host the show. Bachchan did return to the show in the next season even though Khan did a commendable job as his substitute for a brief period of time.

Kaun Banega Crorepati was offered to Bachchan at a time when he was going through a lull at the box office. As he entered the living rooms of millions in India through this show, he impressed them with his warmth, screen presence and eloquence. It not only made him the most successful film personality to enter the television industry but also skyrocketed his career on the big screen