/> Instant fame and overnight celebrity status come with their inbuilt perils. So Sushil Kumar the Kaun Banega Crorepati 5-crore-prize winner, discovered to his utter dismay when he returned home in Bihar to the small crime-infested town of Motihari.

Apparently Sushil's near-improverished family members are now getting extortion and kidnapping threats, leaving the family somewhat shell-shocked and unsure of what action to take next.

A true son of the soil Sushil downplays the danger to his prize money and life.

Says the humble crore-pati, "I feel such talk about kidnapping threats and extortion brings a bad name to our State of Bihar and to my home town. Whatever the risks and dangers, let me first state I don't have the prize money with me.

It will take a couple of months to be cleared and deposited in my account. Secondly the people of Motihari have formed a protective cordon around me.

They are so proud of what I've achieved. If any harm was to come to me or to my family members I don't know what the people here will do. "

Sushil keeps getting calls from politicians and top officials of the police department offering security and protection.

Laughs the KBC phenomenon, "I don't think I am in any real danger. The love that I'm getting from all around me is a much bigger prize than the money. When I arrived in my city Motihari almost the entire city had come to fetch me.

It's like I'm living in a dream. Only, far more unreal than any dream that I could imagine. But I know all this fame is chaar din ki chandni. Main chaar din ka Shah Rukh Khan hoon. It would all be over in four days. Then I'll go back to my normal life. "

Shobha De wrote a glowing column on Sushil Kumar. But he won't be able to read it.

Says Sushil, "I can't speak English and I can barely read the language. I had only heard of Shobha De, never read or seen her. I was on a flight from Mumbai to Delhi when I was told she was also on the flight I introduced myself and told her what an honour it was to come face-to-face with her.

When we got down from the flight I stood at the door of the bus that was to take us to the terminal blocking other passengers until she emerged and boarded the bus. I don't know what she wrote about me. But I am not trying to create an impression. I am what I am. "

Endorsements are coming Sushil's way by the dozens. It is also reported he as been approached to be the brand ambassador for the central government's National Rural Job Guarantee Scheme.

Says Sushil with disarming honesty, "I keep hearing of and reading about all these offers. But no one has approached me directly. "