22 year - old B.Com Graduate becomes Crorepati

Millions of people dream of becoming Crorepatis... they imagine sitting on the hot seat on Sony TV’s Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) and winning the grand prize after answering all those questions correctly. What if there is a fast-track method to win Rs. 1 Crore? 22 year-old B.Com graduate, Hitesh Wardhan from Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh found ‘Ek Crore Ka Shortcut’ through Pepsi, which changed his game...

 

After correctly answering just one question about his favourite cricketer, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Hitesh’s shortcut worked and landed him on the sets of Kaun Banega Crorepati, to receive his mega prize. Hitesh received the cheque from star cricketer and Pepsi brand ambassador, Harbhajan Singh. The episode featuring Hitesh’s win will be telecast on Tuesday, November 15 at 8:30 pm.

 

Speaking about his win, Hitesh Wardhan said, “I am really excited about winning a Crore Rupees and more than that, my family and friends are happy for me. When I participated in Ek Crore Ka Shortcut contest, I wasn’t sure about winning but Pepsi has truly changed the game for me. I will first buy a big car with the prize money for me and my family and then throw a bash for my friends.”

 

Pepsi’s ‘Ek Crore Ka Shortcut’ campaign launched in partnership with KBC offered Youngistaan a never before opportunity to fast-track the journey of becoming a Crorepati by answering only one question. To stand a chance to win a Crore Rupees, one simply had to answer a multiple choice question behind the label of KBC special Pepsi bottle and SMS it with the unique code on the label to Pepsi. Apart from the mega prize, 135 gold coins and 540 silver coins were also awarded as part of the promotion.

 

Hitesh is currently pursuing his Masters degree from Delhi University and aspires to become an IPS officer. A brilliant student and a determined personality, Hitesh’s career objective remains unchanged,   even after becoming a Crorepati. Like most sports enthusiast in the country, he also loves playing cricket and is a fan of skipper, M.S. Dhoni. The question that changed his game was ‘In which city did Mahendra Singh Dhoni score his first century?’ Hitesh being Dhoni's fan knew the answer instantly and as they say, the rest is history…

 

Talking about the success of the campaign, Sandeep Singh Arora, Executive Vice President - Marketing, Cola, PepsiCo India said, “The Pepsi ‘Ek Crore Ka Shortcut’ promotion gives consumers a chance to win a Crore Rupees but not through the conventional route - a chance to win without sitting on the hot seat. We received a phenomenal response to the campaign and it has been one of the most successful consumer engagement initiatives for us. We congratulate Hitesh Wardhan for grabbing the shortcut and changing the game”.

 

Congratulating the winner, Pepsi’s brand ambassador, Harbhajan Singh said, “I am all for consumers getting the opportunity to fast-track their dreams. Hitesh is a wonderful guy and his determination to achieve his dreams will surely get him many more successes in life; I wish him the best”.

 

The ‘Ek Crore Ka Shortcut’ initiative was supported by a TVC campaign featuring Youngistaan’s Rockstar, Ranbir Kapoor along with his father, Rishi Kapoor for the very first time.