From being 3 months pregnant while sitting on the hotseat to her son calling Amitabh Bachchan 'dadu'; Shruthy Daga opens up about her 'arranged marriage', KBC14 Journey and more

In the 14th season of Kaun Banega Crorepati, contestant Shruthy Daga shared her inspiring journey to the hotseat. The contestant was 3 months pregnant when she made it to the show. Shruthy impressed Amitabh Bachchan with her knowledge and she had taken home Rs 50 Lakhs. Shruthy answered the question without any lifeline, however, she decided to quit the game post that. In a recent post, Shruthy recalled her journey to KBC and also spoke about her arranged marriage. Shruti shared how it could seem scary but if you have the right partner things would turn out differently.

In my mid 20s, my family started looking for a groom. I thought, ‘Arranged marriages are so scary!’ ‘How will I spend my life with a stranger?’ And then I was introduced to Sumit by my parents. We were complete opposites – I was an extrovert & he was an introvert. While I loved trying new things to eat, he was the ‘I am comfortable with my Dal chawal’ guy. But something about him drew me closer – his kindness & honesty! Soon, we set up a meeting with our families & they loved us. And just within 3 months, we tied the knot!

Initially, it was difficult…settling into a new home, waking up in a room that wasn’t yours, & just being – husband & wife. And on top of it, I was the only woman in Sumit’s family. His mother had passed away when he was young. So, it was just him, his dad and brother. But they made sure I didn’t feel out of place. They made sure every festival was celebrated the way my mother-in-law would have, the home duties were divided and my family even pushed me to restart my career. In fact, my father-in-law said, ‘Tum IAS banne ki tayari karo.’ I did start studying but couldn’t quite make up my mind. But that landed me an opportunity at KBC!

While studying for KBC kept me busy, Sumit was occupied with his clinic. But we stole some moments for ourselves! We would go out on lunch dates, I would accompany him to his clinic and he would also pick up my books and read by my side. Over time, from strangers to partners, we went on to become best friends. Together, we took up all the responsibilities – we did the cooking and cleaning together. You know, marriages are never 50-50. And we made sure we found our balance. Then in 2022, we got the best news – we were pregnant! We were so happy our family was growing.

And just like every time, Sumit was there by my side through it all. Even when I delivered our little Shaurya, Sumit made sure to divide all responsibilities. He took care of Shaurya while I caught up on sleep, and I would feed him and play with him when Sumit had meetings. But you know what I have realized? If two strangers really want to, they can be the best friends who fall in love. And can together make a home out of four walls!

KBC journey - Meeting the legend @amitabhbachchan Sir !! This was a mixed bag of emotions from getting excited to falling ill with a lot of uncertainty, but slowly and steadily making it there with the support of my dear family, friends and teachers. Glad to have been a part of the new family - first episode 10 contestants and their families. I am grateful to everyone who was happy and more excited than I was throughout this journey.

Getting back to studies after a long gap, prepared notes like school days. Nausea, sickness and vomiting didn't let that happen as expected. But the mantra learnt in this journey was to not give up and get back. From losing hope to making it to the KBC Wall of Fame, was an amusing journey.

I was 3 months pregnant at that time and have been waiting for his reaction since then. We shared the excitement of being on the hotseat together. This moment felt like an achievement. Now, he calls @amitabhbachchan Sir as dadu P.S: He doesn’t watch TV, he stopped by when we played this and was happy to witness it for 2 mins.