Rs 1.1 crore for Arbaaz, Malaika’s servic

two to tango: Arbaaz Khan and Malaika Arora

Arbaaz Khan and wife Malaika Arora have signed up for a whopping amount to host a nine-episode cricket show titled The Cricket Grandmaster for the news channel IBN 7. Their fees are rumoured to be approximately Rs 1.1 crore.

When contacted, Arbaaz prefers to be tight-lipped about the fees. "I wouldn't like to comment on the amount. All I will say is that it's not a ridiculous amount.

I am doing the show more for my passion for the game. I am a big cricket fan. I may not be an expert but I have knowledge of the game."

Know your game

While Arbaaz is not apprehensive about appearing on the show with Malaika, he does have other hesitations. Says Arbaaz, "I am very happy and excited to be working with Malaika,

but I am nervous about appearing on TV. Malaika is experienced as she has hosted various shows, but I am new to this. I guess I will have to brush up on my anchoring skills!"

Talking about the show, Arbaaz says, "It's a cricket-based show along the lines of the BBC show Mastermind, the exception being that our show is all about the most knowledgeable cricket fan.

11 people form the cricket team, but there are millions of people in India who have knowledge about the game. It's about checking your cricketing knowledge. But abhi tak lock nahi hua hai.

They are still formatting the show – like the rapid-fire questions and other stuff. Since there will be two anchors, the participation and interaction of both has to be equal. We should start shooting in the coming weeks."

Game plan

When will the show be aired? "The channel is taking a final call on that. They had originally planned it as a prelude to the World Cup (March) but now I think it will be aired sometime after the first few matches start."

Malaika says Arbaaz was the major reason for her doing the show. "Of course, I was delighted when I heard Arbaaz was a part of this project.

Cricket is like a souten to me, as my husband devotes more time watching the game than with me! In fact, my entire family is full of cricket maniacs and my sister is dating a cricketer!"

What kind of preparations is she doing for the show? "I am getting all the necessary help from Arbaaz. Besides that,

I try to read up on the game as much as I can. I am not a huge fan of the game, but I do enjoy watching it."