Kaun Banega Crorepati 17: Kumar Mangalam Birla on close family ties with Ratan Tata; recalls time when Birlas held more shares in some Tata firms; says 'itna bharose ka rishta tha'

The latest episode of Kaun Banega Crorepati 17 was graced by Indian billionaire businessman and Chairperson of the Aditya Birla Group, Kumar Mangalam Birla. He took the hot seat for a special appearance and was joined by his family. During the episode, the business tycoon spoke about several unforgettable moments from his life. From the emotional phase of losing his father Aditya Kumar Biral to sharing his close bond with his grandfather Basant Kumar Birla (B.K. Birla), Kumar Mangalam Birla opened up about his journey and family life. While answering one of the questions about Ratan Tata, he spoke about the close relations between the two business families.During the episode, Kumar Mangalam Birla faced a question for Rs 2,00,000. Ratan Tata graduated from Cornell University with a degree in which of these disciplines? He selected Option A) Architecture and it was the right answer. After explaining the answer, when Big B asked about the family relations between the two families, Kumar Mangalam Birla was all praise for Ratan Tata. He shared, "Amit ji humare parivaar aur Tata parivaar mein bahot he kareebi ka rishta raha hai. JRD Tata aur mera bade dadaji mitra the. Ek samay tha jab Birla family had more shares in some Tata companies than Tata themselves. Itne bharose ka sambandh tha dono parivaaron ke beech." (Amit ji, our family has always shared a very close relationship with the Tata family. JRD Tata and my grandfather were close friends. There was a time when the Birla family held more shares in some Tata companies than the Tatas themselves. That’s how strong the trust and bond between the two families was.)He added, "Ratan Tata and mere father bhi acche friends the. Papa ke antim sankaar ke waqt woh humare saath the aur unhone mujhe kaha ke, "Always remeber you have a friend in me". He was a great humanitarain. His passing, last year we lost a true son of India."Praising the two families, Big B said, "Kayi baar jab desh ki baat hoti hai na Bharat ki 'Oh aap Tata-Birla ke desh se hain' aisi baat hoti hai. These are the two words we get to hear."Big B also lauded Ratan Tata and said, "He was an incredible human being, led a very simple life. He never made anyone feel that he belong to the Tata family. We worked together on many things sponsored by government like Polio eradication, Hepatitis and also worked together on Swach Bharat Abhiyaan."Mr. Bachchan narrated a hilarious incident, he said, "Kabhi Kabhi hum unke saath mazak bhi karte the, kahin bhi hum bahar baithe hain, waiting area mein and we have to go on stage for interviews or some other thing, he would always ask me 'please after you'. Mujhe accha nahi lagta tha so main humesha sochta tha kaise convince kiya jaaye inko. Toh main mazak mazak mein bolta tha 'Ratan ji Age Before Beauty'." The incident left everyone burst into laughter. Kumar Mangalam Birla also recalled an incident when the two were attending the same event and he noticed Ratan Tata looking uncomfortable. When he asked him about it, Ratan Tata admitted that he was feeling nervous as he had to speak on stage. Kumar Mangalam Birla immediately said, “Uncle, you’ve delivered so many speeches,” to which Ratan Tata replied, “So what? Speeches have always made me nervous.”Mr. Birla called him a 'simple man'The episode also had lighter, more personal moments as Kumar Mangalam Birla expressed his love and admiration for Amitabh Bachchan. He called him his favourite actor and shared his excitement about finally sharing the stage with the Bollywood icon. During the episode, he humorously admitted that he was feeling slightly nervous about answering questions correctly in front of the megastar.