From bankruptcy to KBC: Amitabh Bachchan’s greatest comeback

By the late 1990s Amitabh Bachchan seemed to have lost almost everything. His company was deep in debt, his films were failing and critics said his era was over. Within a few years he was more popular than ever. This is how it happened.

The ABCL venture

In 1996 Bachchan launched Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Limited (ABCL), an ambitious entertainment company that planned to produce films, manage events and distribute music and television. One of its first big projects was managing the Miss World 1996 pageant in Bengaluru.

The business struggled. Costs were high, several films failed and the company was unable to repay its loans. By the end of the decade ABCL faced large debts and many legal claims from creditors.

The lowest point

Bachchan later said in interviews that this was the darkest period of his life. Creditors came to his door, and his house in Mumbai faced legal action. At the same time his films as a leading man were not doing well. He has described how he went to the filmmaker Yash Chopra and asked for work.

Mohabbatein

Yash Raj Films cast him as the strict headmaster Narayan Shankar in Mohabbatein (2000), directed by Aditya Chopra, opposite Shah Rukh Khan. The film was a hit, and it showed that Bachchan could succeed in roles suited to his age rather than as a young action hero.

Kaun Banega Crorepati

The real turning point arrived on 3 July 2000, when Star Plus launched Kaun Banega Crorepati, the Indian version of the British quiz show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Many in the film industry thought hosting a TV show would harm a film star’s image. Bachchan took the risk.

It worked spectacularly. His warm but formal style — addressing contestants with respect, building suspense with pauses and speaking pure Hindi — made the show a national event. Phrases such as “lock kiya jaaye” (“shall we lock it?”) entered everyday conversation. Within months KBC was the most-watched programme in India, and later in 2000 Harshvardhan Navathe became the show’s first winner of ₹1 crore.

Paying back the debts

Bachchan has said that the earnings from KBC, films and advertising helped him pay back what he owed. He chose to clear the debts rather than declare bankruptcy, a decision that earned him wide respect.

The second innings

The 2000s became one of the richest periods of his career:

• Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001) and Baghban (2003) — family dramas that were big hits.
• Black (2005) — a National Award-winning performance as a teacher of a deaf-blind girl.
• Bunty Aur Babli (2005) and Sarkar (2005).
• Paa (2009) — another National Award.

He also became one of India’s most sought-after faces in advertising.

KBC’s long run

KBC has continued for more than 25 years. Shah Rukh Khan hosted the third season in 2007; Bachchan has presented every other season, and the 18th season premiered in August 2026. The show has made dozens of ordinary people crorepatis, and many episodes are remembered for contestants’ stories of hardship and hope.

Lessons from the comeback

Bachchan’s recovery is often used as an example of resilience:

• Accept change. He moved from young hero to character roles and from cinema to television.
• Keep your word. Paying the debts restored his reputation.
• Work harder. He has never stopped working, even in his eighties.

The legacy

The collapse of ABCL could have ended his career. Instead, it led to a reinvention that has kept him at the centre of Indian entertainment for a quarter of a century — and made KBC, and its host, part of family life across India.