KBC winner Sushil Kumar: Had the worst time of my life after winning Rs 5 crore

Mumbai: Sushil Kumar shot to fame in 2011 after winning the jackpot of Rs 5 crore on Amitabh Bachchan's game show Kaun Banega Crorepati. However, things soon went downhill for the champion and he has now deemed the time as the worst phase of his life.

In a long Facebook post titled as 'The worst phase of my life after winning KBC', Kumar wrote in Hindi, "2015-2016 was the most challenging time of my life. I did not know what to do. Being a 'local celebrity', I used to attend 10-15 events in Bihar in a month, due to which I couldn't continue my studies."

"At that time, I used to be very conscious about the media, and when they asked me what was I doing, I used to tell them that I was doing some or the other business because I did not want people to think I was jobless. These businesses, however, used to tank after a few days," he added.

He also said that he started donating huge sums of money, which attracted even the wrong kind of people. He shared that his relationship with his wife also soured.

"However, some good things happened as well. I got some cars in Delhi and started driving them along with a friend. For that, I had to stay in Delhi every month for a few days. During my trips, I met many students from JNU, IIMC, theatre artistes and from all walks of life, and when I heard them talking, I realised that there were so many things in the world that I had no knowledge of," he said.

Kumar said that while he spent time with such groups in Delhi, he got addicted to cigarettes and alcohol.

He also wrote about how his marriage went through rough waters and his wife even sought a divorce from him, after which he moved to Mumbai to start a new life as a film director.

"I met a friend of mine who was a producer in Mumbai. But when he asked me some technical things, I could not answer them. So, he suggested that I work in the television industry for a few days, and then he will place me in the film industry. Though I learnt a lot from my work, I soon got restless and moved to another apartment with a friend who was a lyricist. There for six months, I only watched films on my laptop and read books that I had got from Delhi. I smoked an entire pack of cigarettes in a day and the room used to always be filled with smoke," he said.

He continued, "Living all alone gave me the time and clarity for self-introspection, and I realised that I did not come to Mumbai to be a director, but that I was just running away instead of facing my problems. I realised that I had become very arrogant and that being humble and a good person was way better."

Kumar then went back to his village where he became a teacher and an environmentalist. "It gives me a strange kind of peace. I last consumed alcohol in March 2016 and quit smoking last year. Now, every day I wake up with a new excitement for life and pray to God that I can keep serving the environment," he wrote.