- Amitabh Bachchan once struggled academically during his graduation in science
- He failed an exam but passed with two marks through ATKT system
- Bachchan once considered pursuing a career in the Indian Foreign Service
Amitabh Bachchan took a trip down memory lane on an episode of Kaun Banega Crorepati Season 18. The veteran star recalled his academic struggles and revealed he once wanted to pursue a career in the Indian Foreign Service (IFS).
While speaking about his younger days, Amitabh Bachchan candidly shared his experiences of his graduation days. “Jaise humarein zamane mein mere babuji bolte thein ki graduation karna bohot zaruri hain aur kya hain humne science liya tha aur vaha pehla joh lecture tha, usmein joh school main, 10 saal mein pada tha voh pura cover hogaya aur laga galti kardi subject leke aur exam mein fail hogaye fir voh joh hota hain ATKT mein 2 points se pass hogaye, batana mat kisisko. (Back in our time, my father used to say that graduating was very important.) I had taken science, and in the very first lecture, everything I had studied in school over 10 years was covered. I felt I had made a mistake by choosing that subject and ended up failing the exam. Then, through what we called ATKT, I managed to pass by just two marks. Don't tell anyone," he revealed.
Amitabh Bachchan also remembered a time when he had considered appearing for the civil services. However, he admitted he was not familiar with the field to take the idea forward.
“Aise bohot saare contestants aate hain joh bolte hain, unhe UPSC ka exam dena hai. Foreign service ek bohot heen khubsurat jaga hoti hai aur ek baat main bhi bata duh ki, ek zamane mein humare dil mein bhi yeh baat jagi thi ki hum IFS karein, lekin hume IFS ka I bhi nahi aata tha isliye humne haar manli and aur woh chodh diya (Many contestants came here saying that they want to appear for the UPSC examination. The Foreign Service is a very beautiful field. And let me tell you something, there was a time when I too had the thought of pursuing the IFS. But I didn't even know the ‘I' of IFS, so I gave up and left the idea," he shared.
The conversation was prompted by contestant Pragati Kalpekar, who spoke about her plans to continue her education. When asked how she intended to use her prize money, Pragati shared that she wanted to pursue her studies and work towards becoming an IFS officer.
Kaun Banega Crorepati Season 18 premieres Monday to Friday at 9 PM on Sony Entertainment Television and streams digitally on Sony LIV.