Madhuri Dixit to Host Marathi KBC ‘Kon Honaar Crorepati’, Returns as TV Host After 24 Years
- bySagar
- 11 Aug, 2026
Madhuri Dixit Kon Honaar Crorepati: Bollywood star Madhuri Dixit is stepping into a new television role as the host of the upcoming season of the popular Marathi quiz show ‘Kon Honaar Crorepati’. The programme is the Marathi adaptation of the globally recognised ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?’ format and is closely associated in India with ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’.
The announcement marks a significant change for the Marathi quiz show, which has previously been hosted by well-known personalities including Sachin Khedekar, Swapnil Joshi and filmmaker Nagraj Manjule.
For Madhuri, the assignment is equally significant. Although she has remained a familiar television personality through several dance reality shows, this will mark her return to full-fledged television hosting after approximately 24 years.
The actress previously hosted the matchmaking reality programme ‘Kahin Na Kahin Koi Hai’ in 2002.
Madhuri Dixit Confirmed as the New Host
Speculation about the new host began after the makers released a teaser without clearly revealing the personality taking charge of the show.
The mystery has now ended.
A subsequent promotional campaign revealed Madhuri Dixit as the face of the upcoming season, putting her in charge of the quiz show's famous hot seat.
Her arrival also represents a major shift in the presentation of the Marathi edition, with the makers introducing a prominent Bollywood personality to lead the programme.
Madhuri's popularity across both Hindi and Marathi-speaking audiences could also help the show reach viewers beyond its traditional television base.
A New Chapter for ‘Kon Honaar Crorepati’
‘Kon Honaar Crorepati’ follows the familiar quiz-based format in which contestants answer progressively difficult questions while attempting to win substantial prize money.
The Marathi programme has gone through several hosting changes over the years.
Veteran actor Sachin Khedekar has been one of the faces most closely associated with the show. Actor Swapnil Joshi and acclaimed filmmaker Nagraj Manjule have also hosted different seasons.
Madhuri's appointment therefore introduces another distinct personality to the format.
Rather than simply replicating the presentation style audiences have seen before, the upcoming season is expected to build its identity around her screen presence, conversational style and connection with contestants.
New Season Comes With ‘Aata Khel Badalnar’ Theme
The upcoming season is being promoted around the Marathi phrase ‘Aata Khel Badalnar’, which roughly translates to ‘Now the game will change.’
The tagline suggests that viewers could see changes in the show's presentation or gameplay.
However, complete details about possible new rules, lifelines or other format changes have not yet been officially outlined.
The choice of Madhuri as host itself represents a significant transformation for the programme.
Her entry brings together one of India's most recognisable entertainment personalities with a format that has remained popular with television audiences for years.
Madhuri Returns to Television Hosting After 24 Years
Madhuri Dixit's association with television is not new.
She entered television hosting in 2002 with Sony Entertainment Television's ‘Kahin Na Kahin Koi Hai’.
The reality programme was built around matchmaking and featured Madhuri interacting closely with participants and their families.
More than two decades later, she is now returning to the role of a full-time television host, but in a completely different genre.
Instead of a matchmaking format, she will be responsible for guiding contestants through a knowledge-based game in which every question can potentially change the amount of money they take home.
Madhuri Has Remained a Familiar Face on Reality TV
Although she has not regularly hosted television programmes over the past two decades, Madhuri has hardly been absent from the small screen.
The actress has served as a judge on some of India's most popular dance reality programmes.
Her television credits include shows such as ‘Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa’ and ‘Dance Deewane’, where her dance expertise and interaction with contestants made her one of the prominent celebrity judges on Indian television.
Hosting ‘Kon Honaar Crorepati’, however, will require a different television skill set.
A quiz-show host has to maintain suspense, explain the game, interact with contestants, handle emotional stories and keep the programme moving while ensuring that the questions remain at the centre of the experience.
That makes the new assignment noticeably different from her previous reality-show appearances.
First Woman to Host the Marathi Edition
Madhuri Dixit's appointment also creates a milestone for ‘Kon Honaar Crorepati’.
She is being introduced as the first woman to host the Marathi edition of the quiz show.
Previous seasons have been presented by male hosts, making her arrival a significant change in the programme's history.
The development also adds another chapter to the broader Indian journey of the ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?’ format, which has been adapted into several regional languages.
How Is the Marathi Show Connected to KBC?
‘Kon Honaar Crorepati’ is based on the same international quiz-show concept that inspired the Hindi-language ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’.
In India, the Hindi version became synonymous with Amitabh Bachchan after its launch in 2000.
Its combination of general-knowledge questions, escalating prize money, lifelines and personal conversations with contestants helped turn the format into a major television franchise.
Regional adaptations subsequently brought the concept to audiences in their own languages.
The Marathi edition uses the same basic idea while tailoring its presentation and contestant interactions for Marathi-speaking viewers.
Madhuri Has Appeared on KBC Before
While this is Madhuri Dixit's first association with the franchise as a host, she is not entirely new to the KBC environment.
The actress has previously appeared as a celebrity participant on the Hindi version of ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’.
Her new role will place her on the opposite side of the hot seat.
Instead of answering questions, she will now be asking them and guiding contestants through their journey toward the show's top prizes.
Why Madhuri Could Bring a Different Style to the Show
Every successful quiz-show host develops an individual relationship with contestants and audiences.
Madhuri has spent decades performing in front of cameras and has extensive experience interacting with contestants through reality television.
That experience could help her bring a warm and conversational approach to the Marathi quiz format.
The programme also gives her an opportunity to communicate extensively in Marathi and connect with viewers in Maharashtra in a different way from her Hindi film and television appearances.
Her personality, expressions and ability to put participants at ease could become important elements of the new season's identity.
When Will ‘Kon Honaar Crorepati’ Start?
The upcoming season of ‘Kon Honaar Crorepati’ is set to be associated with Sony Marathi, while the programme also has a presence on Sony LIV.
At the time of the initial host announcement, a detailed premiere schedule had not been prominently confirmed in the reports surrounding Madhuri's appointment.
Viewers should therefore wait for the broadcaster's official announcement regarding the exact launch date, telecast timings and streaming schedule.
A Major Television Move for Madhuri Dixit
Madhuri Dixit's move to ‘Kon Honaar Crorepati’ adds a fresh chapter to a career that has stretched across cinema, dance and television.
After years of appearing primarily as a reality-show judge, she will once again take responsibility for leading an entire television programme.
The transition from dance-show judge to quiz-show host will also allow audiences to see a different side of the actress.
For ‘Kon Honaar Crorepati’, meanwhile, introducing its first female host provides the makers with an opportunity to refresh a familiar format without losing the knowledge, suspense and life-changing prize money that define the programme.
With the new season being promoted around the idea that “the game will change,” Madhuri Dixit's arrival appears to be the biggest change of all.
Her return to hosting after roughly 24 years is likely to be one of the major attractions when the Marathi quiz show returns to television.






