"THE COMPETITION IS GLOBAL, IT FORCES US TO WRITE SMARTER AND THINK BETTER"

BW Businessworld caught up with filmmaker VIKAS BAHL to discuss the KBC campaign, Queen's legacy, and the evolving challenges of storytelling in cinema.

- By Jyotsna Sharma

Filmmaker Vikas Bahl, best known for helming the 2014 hit Queen, has directed a punchy new campaign for the 17th season of Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC), the Indian quiz show, which is a household name. Titled 'Jahaan Akal Hai, Wahaan Akad Hai, the campaign celebrates the confidence that every Indian has in himself to make a success of his life.

"A lot has changed since KBC started 25 years ago. There's been a change in the attitude of the common man towards success and the way he lives his life. This has to do with education and his desire to learn and to be the best. We wanted the campaign to reflect this very grit and determination," says Bahl.

Directed by Bahl and executed by his production house, Good Co., the campaign makes a bold statement: true pride doesn't stem from what you own, but from what you know. "Indians today are ready to shine because knowledge gives them courage, confidence, and that earned sense of pride," he says. "And when you have that kind of akal (intelligence), a bit of akad (swag) is only natural. It's not arrogance, but belief-'Main bhi kar sakta hoon' (I can do it)."

It's a smart insight. Much like KBC itself where money is earned not by luck but by intellect-the campaign fuses learning with ambition. And for a show that has, for nearly two decades, given visibility to ordinary Indians with extraordinary minds, the messaging feels just right.