Real-life 'Slumdog Millionaire' celebrates win

A poor government clerk from eastern India has become the first person to win the jackpot on the Indian version of 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?'.

Sushil Kumar earned around €90 a month working in a government office in the state of Bihar before he gave all the right answers on the popular TV show.

The 2008 Oscar-winning film 'Slumdog Millionaire' was about a man from a poor background who hits the jackpot on the show, which is hugely popular in India.

Mr Kumar told show host and Indian movie hero Amitabh Bachchan that he was thrilled he could now afford to pay for a preparatory course so he can take India’s civil service exam.

He said he also planned to use some of his winnings to build a library in his home town.

He also wants to buy a home for his wife and give his brothers money so they can set up small businesses.

Mr Kumar’s episode was recorded on Tuesday night and will be broadcast next week.

Mr Kumar and his wife of five months wept when Bachchan, handed them a cheque for 50 million rupees (€713,000).

“You have created history. Your grit and determination has made you come so far in this show,” Bachchan said.

Before Mr Kumar went on the programme, he supplemented his income by working as a private tutor in the small town of Motihari.

Mr Kumar, 26, told viewers his family was so poor they couldn’t afford a television set, forcing him to go to a neighbour’s home to watch the quiz show. Watching him tick off correct answer after correct answer, his neighbours persuaded him to try out for the show, he said.

The trip to the Mumbai studio where the show is taped was his first ride in a plane and his first visit to a big city, he said.