Winning Note

The fact that I had won Rs 1 crore prize money sunk in when Amitabh Bachchanji hugged me and said ‘Aap crorepati ban gayi hain’ ,” recalls Firoz Fatma,who is the first woman contestant to win the amount on the seventh season of Kaun Banega Crorepati.

Fatma,who is from Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh has been trying to get a spot on the show for over four years. “I must have sent countless messages,but I never got a call. When I finally did,I couldn’t believe my ears,” says Fatma,who was a bundle of nerves when she made it to the hot seat and faced Bachchan,the show’s host. “Big B made sure that I was relaxed because that’s very important in order to answer questions accurately,” she says. However,when Fatma approached the 13th question,she decided to quit the show as she was not confident of her answer. “Throughout the show,I stayed away from guessing answers because there was a lot at stake,” she says.

The 22-year-old science graduate hopes to use the prize money to repay loans of her deceased father,and pursue higher studies. “I read newspapers and general knowledge books regularly. That was my only preparation,” says Fatma. The episode,which will air on December 1,will be the last episode of the season.