SSC aspirant Ruchita Adhalrao from Dharavi won Rs 25 lakh on the latest episode of Kaun Banega Crorepati 18, bringing her closer to fulfilling her dream of buying a house for her family. Hosted by Amitabh Bachchan, the episode ended with the Mumbai contestant taking home the prize after using just two lifelines. The preview for Friday’s episode also revealed that she will return to attempt the Rs 1 crore question.
During the episode, Ruchita opened up about her family’s financial difficulties, revealing that they live in a 10-by-10-foot rented room in Dharavi. Her father works as a patient caretaker and earns Rs 600 per day, which often makes it challenging for the family to pay their rent on time. Earlier in the episode, she had said that winning Rs 25 lakh could potentially help them afford a home.
Ruchita reached the 13th question and answered it correctly with the help of the 50:50 lifeline. The question asked: “Fort William in Kolkata, now renamed Vijay Durg, was originally named after which ruler?” The options were William of Orange, William Rufus, William the Conqueror and William the Silent.
She initially believed William of Orange was the correct answer. Just before locking it in, she opted for the 50:50 lifeline, which removed two incorrect options. She then stayed with her original choice of William of Orange, which proved to be the right answer.
William of Orange served as the King of England from 1689 to 1702. The fort named after him was constructed in Kolkata in 1696 by the British East India Company after receiving permission from Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.
Fort William is currently under the ownership of the Indian Army. A war memorial at the site features artefacts from the 1971 India-Pakistan war. The fort was renamed Vijay Durg in 2025.
The preview for Friday’s episode showed Ruchita taking on the Rs 1 crore question. She still has two lifelines available, MahaFlip and Sanket Suchak.
Ruchita’s story on the show
Ruchita said she sees securing a government job as her only opportunity to lift her family out of poverty. While footage of her home was shown, she revealed that she has never slept on a bed because their small house cannot accommodate one, making it one of her personal dreams. She also said that owning a refrigerator is one of her mother’s dreams. Ruchita lives with her parents and brother.
She revealed that her family has never celebrated birthdays because they could not afford to purchase a cake. Festivals are also not celebrated because of their limited income. While preparing for the SSC exam, she cannot afford coaching or books, so she uses public Wi-Fi to download YouTube videos and studies from them at home.
Her father, who appeared alongside her on the show, described her as a dedicated student and said she would walk to college to avoid spending money on bus fares.
Earlier on the show
On the August 19 episode, IIT Bombay topper and UPSC aspirant Yogesh Sahu stopped at Rs 50 lakh after choosing not to attempt the Rs 1 crore question. After leaving the game, he remarked, “This was the one I was eliminating,” after Amitabh Bachchan disclosed the correct answer.
Season 18 of Kaun Banega Crorepati premiered on August 10. The season features 16 questions, with a maximum prize of Rs 7 crore.
