KBC 18: IIT graduate’s ₹25 lakh dream ends after tricky ISRO scientist question, takes home ₹12.5 lakh

Bengaluru-based IIT Roorkee graduate Kritagaya Nayar became the latest contestant on Kaun Banega Crorepati 18 to walk away at the ₹25 lakh milestone, exiting with ₹12.5 lakh after hesitating on a question about ISRO scientist Nandini Harinath, the Indian Express reported.

Kritagaya, who works at Adobe and is also a content creator alongside his AI-researcher wife, reached the hot seat in Monday’s episode and continued his run on Tuesday. He cleared the first 12 questions smoothly, locking in the ₹12.5 lakh safety net before facing the 13th question worth ₹25 lakh.

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The ₹25 lakh ISRO question 

Host Amitabh Bachchan asked: “Which item that belonged to ISRO scientist Nandini Harinath is displayed at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum?” The four options were a pair of spectacles, a saree, a diary, and a handbag.

With no lifelines left and lacking full confidence, Kritagaya opted for the safe route and quit the game, securing ₹12.5 lakh. After he stepped off the hot seat, Bachchan invited him to guess the answer; Kritagaya said “a saree”, which was correct.

The question was based on a lesser-known science fact: Nandini Harinath, a prominent ISRO scientist and deputy director at the Space Applications Centre, has been featured in international exhibitions highlighting women in space. Her saree was displayed at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum as part of such initiatives, but the detail is not widely circulated in mainstream quizzes, making it a classic high-stakes KBC trap.

Pattern of big exits in KBC 18

Kritagaya’s exit mirrors a recurring pattern this season, where multiple contestants have stopped at ₹12.5 lakh when confronted with specialised questions on science, history, or geography. In recent episodes, a Chhattisgarh teacher quit on a reptile question, while an Uttar Pradesh homemaker bowed out on a UN memorial cemetery query, both walking away with ₹12.5 lakh.

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For now, Kritagaya chose the safer option and secured a life-changing amount, though viewers are debating whether he should have taken the risk based on his saree guess.