Amidst the many rumours peddling on Indian news channels for years, the one about a ₹2000 note bearing a GPS tracker to put an end to black money in 2016 is unrivalled. And right from the time this claim was deemed false, it has become the brunt of many jokes.
Six years later, a Kaun Banega Crorepati promo where show host Amitabh Bachchan schools a contestant on ‘fact-checking’ has reignited the fire.
A contestant sits opposite show host Amitabh Bachchan in the video, which is set in the famous KBC set-up. Mr Bachchan asks her a question, as per the show’s format: “Which of these has GPS technology? The options are a typewriter, television, satellite and a ₹ 2,000 note.”
The contestant, with utter confidence, locks the last option, which is the ₹ 2,000 note. When asked whether she was confident in her response, she claims, “Not just me sir, the entire country is sure about that answer.”
Mr Bachchan informs her that her response was incorrect and that the right answer was a satellite. The contestant, chuckling, asks whether he was joking, and he responds, “Why would I joke about this? The joke was what you believed to be true.”
The contestant tried to explain herself by claiming that the news was the source of the knowledge about the GPS chips in the notes, and so they were to blame. Mr Bachchan, says that she was the one who would suffer the ramifications of not verifying the news.
This promo question has perhaps evoked nostalgia amongst Twitter users. Have a look at the responses.
When a show is watched by millions in the country, having a promo that brings the right case of misinformation to the forefront is definitely a triumph.