Megastar Amitabh Bachchan issued a statement denying that he has charged Rs 6.31 crore to promote the DD Kisan channel, contrary to reports.
“I wish to state that I have not entered into any contract with Doordarshan, on the endorsement of their Channel DD Kisan, and neither have I received any money from them. I worked with the advertising agency Lowe Lintas on the campaign for DD Kisan, and have not entered into any contract with them either, nor have I received any money from Lintas, as being stated. My ‘deliverables’ on this campaign have been executed by me many days ago,†said Amitabh Bachchan in the statement.
“I work pro bono on various issues and DD Kisan Channel is one of them. If there is any evidence or proof to the contrary, please forward them to me for verification,†the statement from Amitabh Bachchan further read.
The report published in The Hindu had said that Amitabh Bachchan was roped in for ‘Rs. 6.31 crore and was said to be the most expensive endorsement ever by the actor’.
I&B Ministry, meanwhile, has decided to order a probe into the episode. “It has come to light that Prasar Bharati did pay a sum of Rs 6.21 crore to Lintas to get promotional work done for DD Kisan.
But with Amitabh Bachchan having denied charging anything, it now needs to be probed as to why & how this money was paid,†I&B sources said.
Minister Arun Jaitley is learnt to have asked for a thorough inquiry into the matter. Doordarshan’s Kisan Channel was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in May this year. Â