Sep 01, 2026 6:09pm IST
Why Madhuri Dixit’s ‘Kon Honar Crorepati’ Move Is Bigger Than Television (EXCLUSIVE)
When Madhuri Dixit sits in the host’s chair on “Kon Honar Crorepati,” she is not simply taking on another television assignment. She is bringing one of Indian cinema’s most enduring female stars into a format historically associated with larger-than-life personalities. For Marathi entertainment, the move carries another layer: a star who became a national icon is returning to the Marathi mainstream in a role that demands authority, intimacy and a very different kind of screen presence.
The appointment also opens a larger conversation about female stardom. Marathi television has had women hosts before, but Dixit’s arrival places an actor of extraordinary cultural capital at the center of a major franchise. The question, therefore, is not whether women can host. It is what happens when a woman with Madhuri’s stature takes ownership of the format.
More Than a Female Host
Nehha Pendse believes the framing itself needs to be reconsidered. “I think this question itself is a little problematic because Madhuri Dixit is larger than life. She has ruled a generation and she is very much relevant in today’s generation as well,” she says. For her, hosting is not inherently a male or female space. “Hosting is a skill set. It is not a male-driven or a female-driven skill set, it’s just a skill set,” she says.
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What will ultimately matter is how Madhuri makes the format her own. “After a certain point, hosting becomes very personal with your style. So I am looking forward to how she brings her charm to a legendary show like ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’,” she says.
Pendse is also excited about what the format could reveal about a star audiences have watched for decades but rarely seen in such an intimate setting. “Madhuri Dixit being a generational star by herself comes with big bags of her own experiences. Because of a show like ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati,’ we will be in a space where we can hear a lot about her journey, a lot about unseen, unsaid things which otherwise we don’t have exposure to.”
That candid side, Pendse believes, could become part of Madhuri’s appeal. “Her candid side is actually very funny,” she says, hoping the makers tap into that personality.
Bringing Glamour to the Hot Seat
Veteran actor Varsha Usgaonkar points out that Marathi actresses have never been strangers to hosting. She herself has hosted music, health and chat shows. “Marathi actresses have hosted and are hosting shows. Madhuri brings a lot of glamour and aura,” she says.
For Usgaonkar, the real attraction will be watching Dixit interact with contestants and audiences rather than simply performing the role of a star. “Madhuri taking the hot seat will let the people see her real side, real personality and her thoughts,” she says. For Usgaonkar, the appointment also underlines the medium’s potential: “Marathi television can do wonders.”
A Star Who Keeps Breaking Boundaries
Amruta Khanvilkar, a self-confessed Madhuri Dixit fan, sees the move as another example of the actor refusing to be defined by conventional ideas of stardom. “I also feel that Madhuri Dixit is beyond being a male or female star. She is beyond labels. Even today, she continues to break barriers and shatter ceilings without making a big deal about it or creating noise around it. She simply does it with her own grace,” she says.
That ability to keep experimenting is particularly inspiring to Khanvilkar as a Marathi actress. “For all Marathi actresses, seeing someone like Madhuri Dixit break so many of her own boundaries and take on something so different is incredibly motivating.”
Khanvilkar sees the move as part of a wider understanding of women’s careers. “I think today, it’s all about being an all-rounder. It’s about multitasking, and women have been doing that for ages — we are only now being celebrated for it.”
But she believes Madhuri Dixit’s biggest strength on the show could be her ability to understand what it means to be under pressure. “She understands what it feels like to be under pressure, to be in the spotlight and to have all eyes on you,” Khanvilkar says. “She has that innate kindness, empathy and grace that can make people feel comfortable even in a high-pressure situation.”
Why Marathi Makes It More Significant
For Sonali Kulkarni, the significance lies partly in the language itself. “Until Madhuri Dixit came on board, one never really realized that KBC was such a male-dominated space. It is genuinely heartwarming to see her become the show’s first female host,” she says.
The fact that this is the Marathi edition makes the appointment particularly meaningful for Kulkarni. “I’m especially looking forward to this season for two reasons: one, of course, because Madhuri is breaking new ground as the first woman to host KBC, and secondly, because the show will be in Marathi, my mother tongue.”
Kulkarni also points to Madhuri’s willingness to continue moving between mediums. “She has given us fabulous cinema and entertained audiences for decades. She has also shown tremendous courage as a producer. To now see Madhuri as the host of KBC is going to be a real treat,” Kulkarni adds, citing her warmth, grace, intelligence and innate connect with audiences.
What Comes After Madhuri?
The most interesting impact of Madhuri’s appointment may ultimately be felt beyond this season. Nehha Pendse says, “I hope that her contribution to a show like that will open more doors to more female hosts.”
That distinction is important. Madhuri Dixit does not need to prove that women can command television. Marathi actresses have been doing that for years. What makes this moment different is the scale of the woman occupying the chair. Dixit has spent decades being watched. On “Kon Honar Crorepati,” she gets to listen, question, empathize and connect. Her star power may bring viewers to the show, but her personality will determine what they stay for.
For Marathi entertainment, Dixit’s presence on the show becomes a statement about how far a female star can go places without having to leave her roots behind.
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