Neighbours and friends of Sushil Kumar watch him on the show at Hanumangadhi in Motihari. Picture by Deepak Kumar

At 8pm on Tuesday, Hanumangadhi is abuzz with excitement. Very soon, local boy Sushil Kumar will be on Kaun Banega Crorepati, the first time anyone from this nondescript locality of Motihari has appeared on television, leave alone the prime time quiz show that’s been a ticket to financial freedom for many over the years.

They all know the result of course. Sushil, a 27-year-old computer operator who works on contract with a government department at a monthly salary of Rs 6,000, would ultimately win the biggest prize of all — Rs 5 crore, after successfully locking 13 questions posed by computerji.

But the entire locality wants to be with the family in their moment of glory and share their happiness.

As the minutes tick by, neighbours and friends start descending on a vacant plot which has been turned into a makeshift al fresco theatre, replete with a large screen. Sushil, along with his wife Seema, stays in a rented two-room house nearby with his four brothers, two of whom are married. Their parents continue to live in the family’s crumbling house that requires urgent repairs. The money that the family pulls in isn’t quite enough to rebuild the house.

The local boy has done them proud and they can’t wait to see Sushil take the hot seat opposite Amitabh Bachchan.

“It feels as if a boy from our colony has won the cricket World Cup for us. Sushil has done us proud,” gushes Dipak Dev, Sushil’s neighbour, as he joins hundreds of cheering people at the field where plastic chairs have been laid out for the big event.

Sushil himself is still in Mumbai — he went there with his wife and two of his elder brothers, Anil Kumar and Ajay Kumar.

Sudheer Kumar, Sushil’s younger brother, says it was for the first time that the colony and the town had united like this. “We have not even paid for the screen, projector or the lighting arrangements. Our neighbours and even those we do not know have done it all. Everybody is so excited and happy as if their own son has achieved something big. This is overwhelming.”

Women, most of whom had fasted on the first day of Chhath, too, had joined in for the spectacle. “This probably is the biggest day in our lives. In our lives of struggle and trouble, we have not known many big reasons to be happy,” says Sushil’s cousin Usha Devi.

Suddenly, there’s pin drop silence. The show has begun. But first Bachchan has to see through an overnight contestant, Shesh Nath Jha, from Deoghar in neighbouring Jharkhand. Jha had been playing well and it takes about half-an-hour for him to trip — he quits the game with a cheque of Rs 12.5 lakh.

The Bachchan baritone then calls upon the 10 contestants of the day to get ready for “fastest-finger-first” — the single-question ticket to the hot seat.

Sushil is confidence personified as he correctly arranges “aadha ghanta, pauna ghanta, ek ghanta and sava ghanta” in ascending order in just 4.957 seconds.

The dream run has just begun for the family, and the crackers begin to go off to signal the advent of a new dawn.

Loud cheers break out as a visibly shaken Sushil attempts to touch Bachchan’s feet. The host holds him up and escorts him to the seat that has spun miracles for many an ordinary Indian.

His family knew that the first few questions would have been a cakewalk for him. As Sushil answers the first question, for Rs 5,000, “which phrase implies bewakoof banana” with “topi pehnana” within seconds, the crowd clap and cheer lustily.

The second question, for Rs 10,000, is as easy. “With which festival is Kanya Pujan associated?” asked the Big B. Pat comes the answer: “Navratri”. Sushil’s mother Renu Devi is elated. “He cannot get wrong with things related to mythology and religion,” she says with an indulgent smile.

But there’s a momentary halt to the celebrations as Sushil fumbles on the third question, for Rs 20,000. “With which part of the computer is the advertisement tagline ‘Intel Inside’ associated?” Sushil opts for his first lifeline, Audience poll. The audience doesn’t disappoint choosing “processor” as the right answer. Cousin Usha murmurs an admonishment: “It is surprising that he doesn’t know this answer as he works as a computer operator.”

The crackers go off again. Diwali has been an extended festival at Hanumangadhi.

Sushil appears nervous at the fourth question as well. “What form of art is Mithila or Madhubani?” He blurts out “handicraft”, but quickly corrects his answer to “painting” after his generous host repeats the question in Hindi.

“His English is poor,” giggles a young boy who lives in the house next door to Sushil’s.

Brother Sudheer, a gas stove mechanic, attributes the nervousness to Sushil “living his dream at the moment”.

Another of his brothers, Sujeet Kumar, was more philosophical. “He could not have gone wrong with any of the questions nor could he take risk with any if he were not sure. He knew what the money meant for him and us,” says Sujeet.

The gathering suddenly breaks out into laughter as the next question is asked. Sushil has to identify the voice in an audio clip.

It’s a real lolly. Even the kids shout out the answer. Lalu Prasad maybe down and out but he remains one of Bihar’s icons. “There is no way he will go wrong with this,” says father Amarnath Prasad, who worked as a daily wage labourer till a few years ago.

The next two questions are easy for the young man who says current affairs is his strong point. He correctly answers Libya as the country ruled by Muammar Gaddafi from 1969 to 2011. A cheer breaks out as Sushil has reached his man-chaha padav — get it right and go home with at least Rs 1.6 lakh, a sum, he says wryly, would have taken him 26 months to earn.

The seventh question could be tricky for many. “Who is the writer of the play Andher Nagri?” asks Bachchan. Sushil though is sure. “Bhartendu Harishchandra,” he replies.

“Bhaiya read this play in college,” announces one of his brothers, Sujeet, a salesman at a garments shop.

Question number eight again brings some tense moments for the family and friends. “According to the 2011-2012 Union Budget, people over what age are considered as very senior citizens?” is the poser. Sushil takes his time as he thinks over it.

“I would not have known the answer. But I know he will give an answer only if he does know the answer. He is not the one to take risks. He knows what Rs 3.2 lakh that he has won for us so far means for the family,” says Sudheer.

In the meantime, Sushil has chosen the right option, “80”, another sixer from the star of the night and the crowd goes into a tizzy.

An elated Sudheer says Sushil was an avid cricket fan as Bachchan reads out the ninth question, for Rs 12.5 lakh. “Who among Indian batsmen, after Sachin Tendulkar, has scored the maximum number of runs in Test cricket?”

Sushil first answers it with “Rahul Dravid”, but doesn’t seem to be sure. “He knows the answer, just that he is so shaken,” Sujeet tries to reassure his parents.

Emotions get the better of mother Renu as Sushil tells Bachchan that years of failure had shaken his confidence and he was not sure even if he knew the right answers.

“While my other four sons got settled in the jobs and small businesses they were doing, Sushil was a restless soul. He always wanted to study further and prepare for the civil services. Due to a severe financial crunch, he had to take up a job as a computer operator, which paid him Rs 6,000 per month. But his aspirations never died. For the last 11 years, he has dreamt of only one thing — reaching the KBC hot seat. That, he believed, would be his ticket to a comfortable life and will open up avenues for further studies. God has now granted his wish,” says Renu Devi, her voice choking.

But as Sushil asks the host to “lock” Dravid, the crackers are burst again.

The gong then goes off to announce the end of the day’s show. Four more questions to the elusive jackpot.

Come Wednesday, and a bigger crowd troops in to the open-air “theatre”, ready to see their son make history.

Bachchan doesn’t waste time. Question 10, for Rs 25 lakh, is easy meat for the current affairs expert. Sushil correctly answers that it was the National Investigation Agency that was formed in 2009 in the aftermath of the 26/11 attacks.

On to Question 11. “Who was the daughter of an apsara and a rishi?” Sushil shows the world just why he is deserves all that he has won. “Shakuntala,” he answers, with confidence. The Big B can’t hide his amazement. “You have won Rs 50 lakh,” he gushes.

Sushil’s mother is all smiles — her son has answered yet another mythology question.

Time for the question that would give Sushil a crore. For the first time today, he is stumped for an answer to a poser on what dowry, apart from five yards of khadi, did Lal Bahadur Shastri ask for during his marriage. Sushil, three of his lifelines still intact, asks for expert advice. At Hanumangadhi, his father starts fidgeting with the torch he has in hand.

Journalist Pankaj Pachauri comes to his rescue. “Chakra,” he says, as a grateful Sushil accepts the suggestion. And Chakra it is, which means the Motihari crorepati is just a question away from Rs 5 crore.

“Our hero is hitting a six on every delivery,” beams one of his cousins as he fires a rocket into the night sky.

Time for a commercial break now. The crowd is restless, yet happy. The electricity hasn’t played truant, even the notoriously fickle Bihar electricity board has been kind on Hanumangadhi.

A hushed silence descends on the venue as Bachchan starts reading out the final question. It’s from the history books, and Sushil has to answer which foreign colonial power exited from India after selling off the Nicobar island to the British in 1868.

Sushil is all nerves, the Big B asks him to focus --- the stakes are high. He opts for a lifeline — phone-a-friend, and calls up Motihari teacher Shyam Kishore Prasad for advice.

Prasad asks him to repeat the question, which takes away precious seconds. A nervous Sushil insists he want to go to the washroom and the crowd breaks into laughter.

But Sushil has worked it out that the answer has to be between Belgium and Denmark.

And then he takes a risk --- the double dip option doesn’t allow a contestant to quit. The entire locality has a prayer on their lips as Sushil opts for C. Denmark.

Bachchan waits --- the seconds go by, the tension mounts and then he exults. “Paanch crore,” he booms. “Paanch crore,” he repeats as he clasps Sushil in a bearhug.

Back home Sushil’s family and friends break into a jig. Somebody has played “Jai Ho”, the number from Slumdog Millionaire on the sound system. But this is no celluloid victory, this is for real.

Sushil’s parents are busy distributing sweets. On screen, as he hugs his wife, his sisters-in-law and cousins start blushing. “See them, such an unabashed expression of happiness,” remarks Usha Devi, who cannot help smiling.

Father Amarnath Prasad, meanwhile, waits eagerly for his most famous son to return from Mumbai. And so does their thatched house. The family is yet to decide on what all they will do with the prize money. But construction of a large, beautiful house in place of the old one is one dream that is set to be fulfilled.