Life After KBC 1 Crore first crorepati Winner - Harshvardhan Nawathe

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As Kaun Banega Crorepati is all set to comeback with season 13 tonight (August 23), let’s take a look at ETimes TV's candid interview of the first ever crorepati from reality quiz show – Harshvardhan Nawathe. He had become a celebrity back in 2001, after winning the enormous amount. He went through some crazy fan experience too.

Getting mobbed by fans


I was attending an event where there was a huge crowd and my friends (who were also my bodyguards on days) were stuck somewhere and I was somewhere else, so when I was getting down from the stage I couldn't find my friends and got mobbed. Everyone was trying to touch me and shake hands with me.

When a fan slashed Harshvardhan’s palm


It was during the same time, when he got mobbed. It was then when Harshavardhan added, “I found my hand sticky. I pulled my hand and found it bleeding. So, someone had slashed my palm with a blade. You know that thin cut that you don't realise but it bleeds. So, these kinds of incidents have also happened to me. But mostly things have been positive with me and people have been kind.”

A lane was name ‘Crorepati galli’ after his winning moment


This Crorepati galli name was given by the rikshawallas and auto drivers who stand at the station. They started calling it crorepati gali. I also realised this when one of my relatives came to our house and he asked one of the auto drivers to leave him at my address and the rikshawallah replied to him saying achha crorepati gali mein jana hai. That's how we realised that it has been called crorepati Galli.

Facing rejections after winning Rs 1 crore


There are many moments. Some positives and negatives as well. I don't know what to call it whether it was jealousy or something else. But I have had sad moments also sad as in unpredictable. Like when I started my life again within a year after returning from the UK. I went for job interviews and unfortunately people would behave in a very sad way. People were trying to pull me down for my achievements. That has happened to me during my job interview. There were people who would tell me why do you need a job, you have earned so much money. Had we earned so much at your age then we would have retired. (yaar tum ne toh itna Paisa Kama Liya hai... Are agar tumhare age mein ham itna Kama lete to ham retire Ho jaate). Chairman of your company saying this is not motivating. It is not a great thing to tell a 28-year-old that he should retire. They would tell me to go and buy a beach house in Goa and enjoy beer. (are aap toh Goa mein ek beach house le lo aur beer piyo chill karo). Those were the things that were negative. Fortunately not everything was negative.

Amitabh Bachchan’s words of wisdom for him


He meant it was very easy to lose yourself in that bubble fame of yours. He was in a way trying to tell me that be cautious and prepare myself for the change. I think those were very wise words and they have remained with me probably because of my upbringing and the kind of environment that the parents have given me. I was able to able to balance myself otherwise it is a very tough situation to be in. I was on page 3 of Bombay Times almost every second or third day you are in the newspaper and your life is being covered. In those days not every phone had cameras so people preferred taking autographs. I have given millions of autographs. It was very uncommon to me and I am not a film star or a cricketer. I come from a very humble and middle class background and suddenly I was thrown into this situation, so it becomes very tough for an individual to handle everything.

His hot-seat moment with Big B


It is very difficult for me to describe in words because I have seen all the people of my generation and before me who have idolised Mr Bachchan. I have grown up watching all his movies. There are movies of him that I have watched more than hundred times. I am not exaggerating at all. Even today while switching the TV channels if I come across a movie like Sholay or Deewar, I watch it all over again. And to see him in person or in front of you was a dream come true. It takes you some time to digest the fact that he is in front of you. He has that demi god like persona, his voice, it takes while to sink in that you are in front of him.

KBC gave him a chance to experiment with his career


It gave me a platform and I was a student back then, I was preparing for my civil services and life changed drastically and I couldn't pursue for my civil services because my interest was lost and I had to be in Mumbai because there were some PR contacts. I was involved in many things that I was doing at that point of time. I would say the platform that KBC gave me was like a net and then I could experiment with life. Then I went to UK I did not have to take huge amount of loan. I did my MBA. I came back and started with my professional career. It was a safety net, it allowed me to experiment a little more than I would have.

How life changed post KBC


Things have changed a lot definitely I wouldn't say that when I walk on the streets it's the same like it was 20 years back but that recognition still remains people do recognise me when my name is called out. When I am going for meetings and I give my business card and look at my name the reaction is different, the recognition is always there and it will remain till the time I am there. I think that opportunity was so used at that point of time that I will always be known whatever I do in life. I will always be known as the first KBC winner whatever I do in life you tend to remember first of everything whatever achievements one has made and whoever is the first one.

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