Star India locks in ’KBC’ rights for next

Indiantelevision.com Team

(12 October 2006 12:40 pm)

MUMBAI: Star India's iconic gameshow Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) is coming back - and for another five seasons, mind it.

Star Plus first launched KBC in 2000 with superstar Amitabh Bachchan in the anchor's seat. The tremendous success of the show inspired the channel to bring it back in August 2005, with the second season KBC Dviteeya. The game show has been delivering good numbers for the channel before it got pulled out after 61 episodes due to Bachchan's illness. Big B, who originally committed to shoot 85 episodes, was unable to continue shooting after his hospitalisation.

Celador, the UK-based format producer, owns the original version of KBC, 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire'.

The Big Q of course is whether Star will be able to "lock kiya jaye" the Big B. That looks highly unlikely at this juncture so the next Big Q is who could be the possible choice to step into Bachchan's considerably large (not just in terms of foot size) shoes?

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