After Twitter outrage, Sony TV apologises for not referring to Shivaji as ‘Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’

One of India’s most popular TV shows, Kaun Banega Crorepati, hosted by filmstar Amitabh Bachchan, faced flak, including from a BJP leader, for not using the honorific titles “Chhatrapati” and “Maharaj” while referring to the medieval Maratha king Shivaji. 

“Which of these rulers was the contemporary of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb?” read one of the questions, displayed on screen, that Bachchan asked a contestant.

The four options the contestant had to choose from as the correct answer were Maharana Pratap, Rana Sanga, Maharaja Ranjit Singh, and Shivaji.

That Shivaji was not addressed as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj caused an uproar on Twitter, and hashtags #BoycottSonyTV and #Boycott_KBC_SonyTV started trending.

Among the prominent people who joined in the outrage was the BJP legislator Nitesh Narayan Rane, who demanded an apology from the channel.

Sony TV duly obliged, issuing an apology on air as well as on all its social media handles.