Big B’s lifeline

Big B's lifeline

The growth in television has given lifelines to several actors, beginning with Amitabh Bachchan. Following the debacle of ABCL, the entertainment company he founded and steered, the debt-ridden superstar was trying to make peace with creditors, when Kaun Banega Crorepati came knocking on his door. KBC rescued Big B out of his financial mess with a Rs 35-crore deal. He instantly became television's most successful host and surprisingly enough, his success on the small screen also revived his career on the big screen.

Bachchan bounced back with a vengeance, with big films and big brand endorsements. Today Brand Bachchan is conservatively estimated to be worth Rs 750 crore. Big B's successor on the quiz master's chair, Shah Rukh Khan, is reportedly being paid Rs. 45 to 50 crore to host 52 episodes of KBC 3. In the first two weeks of telecast Shah Rukh's KBC has already raked in Rs 24 crores. SRK will be making a bit more too, with his brand endorsements and will be creating a few humble crorepatis by the side.

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