10-year-old Ishit Bhatt's rudeness to Amitabh Bachchan on KBC sparks online firestorm, Chinmayi defends him

A 10-year-old contestant from Gujarat has found himself at the centre of an online storm after his appearance on the latest episode of Kaun Banega Crorepati 17, hosted by Amitabh Bachchan. Ishit Bhatt’s confident — and some say cheeky — conduct on the hot seat has divided social media.

What happened on KBC

When young Ishit took the hot seat opposite Bachchan, he started off with a declaration that immediately caught attention:

“Mereko rules pata hain issiliye aap abhi mereko rules samjhane mat baithna.”(“I already know the rules, so please don’t start explaining them to me.”) Without waiting for the options, Ishit breezed through his first four questions — answering each one before the host could even read out the choices. His tone, though confident, struck many as dismissive.

At one point, he interrupted the Bollywood legend mid-sentence, saying,

“Option ke bina bol raha hun, lock karo ‘dance’. Jo bhi option hai lock karo.”(“I’m saying it without the options — lock ‘dance’. Whatever the option is, just lock it.”)

On another question, he urged,

“Sir, aap sawal toh poocho.”(“Sir, just ask the question.”)

His parents, seated proudly in the audience, were seen smiling as their son powered through the quiz.

The turning point

The streak ended when Ishit reached the Rs 25,000 question related to the Ramayan. This time, he asked for the options, and after hearing them, confidently told Bachchan:

“Sir ek kya, uss mein chaar lock lagado — lekin lock karo.”(“Not one, put four locks on it — but lock it.”)

Unfortunately, his answer was incorrect, and the young contestant had to leave the show without any winnings.

Backlash and parenting debate

Clips of the episode quickly went viral, sparking an intense debate online. Many viewers called his attitude “disrespectful,” with criticism extending to his parents for allegedly encouraging arrogance.

Chinmayi Sripada defends the young contestant

Singer Chinmayi Sripada stepped in to defend the child amid the online outrage. Sharing her thoughts on X, she criticised the harsh tone of the attacks:

“An adult putting a tweet saying ‘most hated kid’? Adults here on Twitter have been some of the most foul-mouthed, abusive lot. None of these voices spoke when kids died due to a cough syrup.”

Her post resonated with many who felt the internet had gone too far in targeting a child for being outspoken on television.