Sunmeet Kaur Sawhney Becomes First Million-Dollar Winner on India's "Millionaire"

On May 8, 2003, Nancy Christy made Millionaire history by becoming the first woman to win $1 million during the show's early years in syndication. Meanwhile in India, after crowning the series' first 5 crore (about $1.1 million USD) winner over a year ago, Sunmeet Kaur Sawhney, a 37-year-old housewife from Mumbai, became Kaun Banega Crorepati's second 5 crore winner on January 5. More importantly, she became the very first million-dollar winner on the Indian version of Millionaire.

Sunmeent currently lives in Mumbai with her husband and two daughters. The family stays in a rented house and Sunmeet gives tuition to earn extra income.  In an interview, host Amitabh Bachchan was "impressed by her performance" stated that she was a "deserving winner". Bachchan, along with her family, helped encourage Sunmeet to play the best she could during her appearance on the show. Sunmeet's million-dollar win was not only a huge victory for her life, but also provided a glimpse of hope and empowerment for all women in India. Sunmeet's plans for her new-found wealth include donating part of it for prayer rituals according to her Punjabi tradition. In the show's six seasons and twelve years on television, Kaun Banega Crorepati has seen ten contestants win at least 1 crore (about $210,000 in USD), including Sunmeet's victory on Saturday's show. Congratulations to Sunmeet's grand prize win! 

Source: Channel News Asia
**Photo Courtesy of The Times of India**