Rags to Riches… and Back to Rags: How KBC winner Sushil Kumar lost Rs 5 crore to alcohol & smoking — what he's doing now

How KBC winner Sushil Kumar lost Rs 5 Crore to Alcohol and Smoking

In 2011, Sushil Kumar, a poor man from Bihar, did the impossible. He won 5 crore rupees on the TV show Kaun Banega Crorepati. Overnight, he became a national hero, the first to win the show's top prize. People called him the real "Slumdog Millionaire." After taxes, he took home around 3.5 crore rupees. His life of struggle seemed finished forever.

But Sushil could not handle his sudden wealth or fame. He was invited to countless events and tried to help anyone who asked. He later admitted that people cheated him, and he only realized it after giving his money away.

His personal life broke down. He fought constantly with his wife, who argued that he trusted the wrong people. Instead of managing his money wisely, Sushil turned to alcohol and smoking. These addictions consumed him and his resources.

One day, angry and irritated, he spoke to a journalist. He sarcastically said all his money was gone and he was now surviving by selling milk. The news spread like wildfire: "KBC winner Sushil Kumar is bankrupt."

This lie, born from his frustration, backfired. The event invites stopped. The people around him vanished. He was isolated. The rumor, while not fully true, exposed a harsh reality: he had wasted his fortune and damaged his reputation.

While he claims he is not destitute, the facts tell a different story. The 5 crore prize is long gone, lost to bad decisions, addiction, and being cheated. The lavish lifestyle and fame are over.

Today, Sushil Kumar is a government school teacher for Psychology, a job he got in 2023. He also runs a tree plantation campaign. These are ordinary jobs, a far cry from the life of a multi-crore winner.

His story is a clear warning. It shows how a lack of wisdom, poor choices, and vices like alcohol and smoking can destroy even the greatest fortune. He rose from rags to riches, but his own actions led him back to a simple, ordinary life. The crown of the crorepati is well and truly lost.

P.S. His winning question for 5 crores was: "On 18th October 1868, which country ended its rule in India by selling its rights over the Nicobar Islands to the British?"