SMITA
BHOPAL
Two years back, Oshin Johari, 25, had put up photographs of Amitabh Bachchan and herself side by side on her vision board. And on November 11 this year, she found herself the hot seat in Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) Sony TV show, facing the famed film actor in person.
Oshin is now convinced that dreams do turn out to be true. She is all praise for Bachchan. “He is so energetic and so calm and composed. And he is very good at putting the contestant at complete ease,” Oshin told Free Press.
She told Big B about her vision board. Bachchan immediately said that he would now put her photograph alongside his at his home.
Oshin said that the profuse compliments heaped on her by Bachchan will always remain with her as a cherished memory. The episode of KBC featuring her will be telecast on Monday and Tuesday.
Oshin said that Bachchan not only complimented her for her looks but also said that she was a woman of strong character. According to Oshin, reaching the hot seat is not an easy task. “It was my first attempt. I had to face at least 25 telephonic interviews and quizzes before I was allowed to enter the fastest-finger-first contest. Sometimes, the calls came at odd hours, say 11 in the night or 4 in the morning.”
Oshin said she was surprised to discover that the KBC was not a scripted show. “Everything is spontaneous,” she said. Oshin refused to say how much amount she ultimately won at the show. “I reached up to the 14th question, the value of which is Rs 50 lakh,” she said.
How did she prepare for the big day? Oshin said that she first studied the pattern of the questions asked at the show and then began her preparations. Besides current events, she also studied Indian mythology, especially the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Sports was one area she especially focused on.
Oshin said that all Covid-related precautions were observed strictly during the shooting for the show. “Everyone was wearing masks and sir (Bachchan) and I removed it only when I was on the hot seat,” she said.
She said that she has been flooded with congratulatory messages from her friends, acquaintances and even unknown persons ever since it became public that she would be featuring in the show.
After completing her schooling from the Carmel Covent School, Oshin graduated in law from the NLIU, Bhopal. Daughter of a homemaker mother and a public sector executive father, Oshin has been participating in co-curricular activities since her school days and is the winner of Rashtriya Bal Puraskar and Maths and Chemistry International Olympiads. She is also a Bharatnatyam dancer and has obtained a diploma in the classical dance form from the Allahabad University.
She is now busy preparing for the UPSC Civil Services Examination and wants to join the IAS. “I got the inspiration to join the Civil Services from my grandfather, GC Johri, who was an IPS officer,” she said. She wants to fulfill her granddad’s dream of building an old age home.
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