Amitabh Bachchan's 'KBC 16' paycheck is ₹5cr per episode: Report
What's the story
Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan is back to host India's favorite game show, Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC), now in its 16th season.
The 81-year-old megastar is reportedly raking in a jaw-dropping ₹5 crore per episode this time around.
Having been associated with the show since its inception in 2000, Bachchan's remuneration has seen a substantial increase over the years.
Here are more details.
Details
Bachchan's remuneration has increased 20 times since 'KBC's inception
According to a report by Moneycontrol, Bachchan initially earned ₹25 lakh per episode for the first two seasons of Kaun Banega Crorepati.
His pay doubled to ₹50 lakh per episode for the fourth and fifth seasons.
By the sixth and seventh seasons, his remuneration skyrocketed to between ₹1.5 crore and ₹2 crore per episode, reflecting a significant boost in his earnings over the years.
Information
Earnings continued to rise in subsequent seasons
The report further revealed that the Piku actor's fee was increased to ₹2 crore for KBC 8 and further raised to ₹2.9 crore for KBC 9.
He reportedly received ₹3 crore per episode for KBC 10 and ₹3.5 crore for KBC 11, 12, and 13.
His fee was somewhere between ₹4 crore and ₹5 crore for KBC 14 and 15, the report added.
Career revival
'KBC' revived Bachchan's career in 2000
When Bachchan first agreed to host KBC in 2000, his career was at a low point. However, the success of the show brought him back into every household and revived his film career.
He returned to host the second season but had to withdraw due to health issues.
Shah Rukh Khan replaced him as host in Season 3, but Bachchan resumed his hosting duties from Season 4 onwards.
Upcoming projects
Bachchan to make Tamil debut in upcoming film 'Vettaiyan'
Meanwhile, apart from his television work, Big B will soon grace the screens with the upcoming films including Ribhudas Gupta's courtroom drama Section 84 and TJ Gnanavel's highly-anticipated action drama Vettaiyan.
The latter will mark his Tamil debut alongside Rajinikanth. He will also reunite with Rajinikanth after 30 years; they were last seen together in Hum (1991).
Meanwhile, Bachchan was last seen in Nag Ashwin's epic sci-fi mythological saga Kalki 2898 AD.