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On a cosy July evening in the year 2000, beloved movie star <keyword id="19898963" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Amitabh-Bachchan" source="keywords">Amitabh Bachchan</keyword> waltzed into all of our living rooms through television screens — and simply never left. With the show’s 16th season going in full swing, we can't imagine the phenomenon that is <keyword id="19946508" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Kaun-Banega-Crorepati" source="keywords">Kaun Banega Crorepati</keyword> without the living legend. But, did you know the megastar of the century <keyword id="19898963" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Amitabh-Bachchan" source="keywords">Amitabh Bachchan</keyword> almost turned down the offer to host the show? <h2><keyword id="23040300" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Who-Wants-to-Be-a-Millionaire" source="keywords">Who Wants to Be a Millionaire</keyword>? — Desi version</h2>In the late 90s, <keyword id="19976122" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Star-India" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Star India" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Star India">Star India</keyword> was looking to make a significant impact on <keyword id="19981325" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-television" source="keywords">Indian television</keyword> and was inspired by the success of the British show ‘<keyword id="23040300" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Who-Wants-to-Be-a-Millionaire" source="keywords">Who Wants to Be a Millionaire</keyword>?’. <keyword id="21697104" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sameer-Nair" source="keywords">Sameer Nair</keyword>, who had recently become the head of programming at Star, believed that this format could work well in India. He approached <keyword id="22921014" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Siddhartha-Basu" source="keywords">Siddhartha Basu</keyword>, a respected television producer known for quiz shows, to bring this idea to life in the Indian context. While Basu was game, something he didn’t particularly anticipate was that Nair would want one of the biggest movie stars in the country to host it. And as much as Mr <keyword id="19898966" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="bachchan" source="keywords">Bachchan</keyword> enjoys his banter with participants on the show today, he wasn’t particularly jumping with joy at the prospect of hosting the show when the opportunity was first presented to him. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="112264328" title="Bachchan says Kaun Banega Crorepati makers have introduced &amp;#39;interesting changes&amp;#39; in season 16" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> <h2>Rock-bottom</h2>When <keyword id="21697104" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sameer-Nair" source="keywords">Sameer Nair</keyword>, <keyword id="22921014" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Siddhartha-Basu" source="keywords">Siddhartha Basu</keyword> and Big B’s agent <keyword id="23040301" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="sunil-doshi" source="keywords">Sunil Doshi</keyword> decided to get Amitabh <keyword id="19898966" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="bachchan" source="keywords">Bachchan</keyword> on the show, the senior actor’s career was in a slump. His recent films had not been successful, and his company ABCL’s efforts in hosting the Miss World 1996 in Bengaluru had reportedly driven him to near bankruptcy. However, hosting a television show was seen as a significant departure for a Bollywood superstar, potentially signalling that his film career was over. In the late 1990s, the general perception in India was that television was a step down from films, especially for someone of Bachchan’s stature. According to <keyword id="23040301" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="sunil-doshi" source="keywords">Sunil Doshi</keyword>, Bachchan’s agent, his family was also against the idea of him doing television. They likely shared the concern that moving to television might harm his image and further diminish his standing in the film industry. While intrigued by the concept, Senior Bachchan himself was unsure about how the show would translate to the Indian audience. <h2>A life-altering proposition</h2>Mr Bachchan’s resistance did not deter Basu, Nair or Doshi. To convince him, the team arranged for Bachchan to visit the UK to see the original show in action. After observing the scale and drama of the production, Bachchan reportedly had one condition: that the makers would replicate it exactly in India. Satisfied with their assurance, he agreed to take on the role, a decision that would not only revive his career but also transform <keyword id="19981325" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-television" source="keywords">Indian television</keyword>. The move was risky for all involved, especially considering they had to increase the prize money from lakhs to an enormous ₹1 crore — something that was unprecedented on Indian television at the time. Further, Amitabh Bachchan's payment for hosting <keyword id="19903931" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="KBC" source="keywords">KBC</keyword> Season 1 was a significant topic of discussion at the time, especially given that it was his first venture into television. While the exact amount he requested is not widely disclosed, it is reported that he charged around ₹25 lakh per episode. This amount was a huge deal for Indian television at the time and reflected Bachchan's star power and the risk involved in bringing such a big-name Bollywood actor to the small screen. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="111484322" title="Prabhas&amp;#39; Kalki 2898 AD enters 700 crore club in first week; eyes spot of biggest Hindi hit of 2024!" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> <h2>Just like that, Bachchan’s stardom was reborn</h2>The gamble paid off, and <keyword id="19903931" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="KBC" source="keywords">KBC</keyword> became a cultural phenomenon, throwing Bachchan back into the spotlight and setting new standards for Indian game shows. Imagine the year 2000 — India had barely 32 million landlines and just a few million mobile users, a stark contrast to the over a billion today. The production of KBC was no small feat. The team from Synergy, led by Siddhartha Basu, had to navigate a labyrinth of meetings with government officials and telecom companies to ensure they could build a robust backend for the show. The entire Synergy crew uprooted from Delhi to Mumbai, assembling a dedicated team of around 250 to 300 people. The show’s setup was meticulously crafted. Renowned set designer Nitin Desai brought his expertise to create an extraordinary set that included floor lighting, a custom-designed chair, and a computer system — all modelled after the original British version’s “bible” provided by Celador. The level of quality was something the Indian audience, and even the production crew, had never witnessed before. When the phone lines opened for contestants to try their luck, the response was overwhelming. The system was designed to handle a certain number of calls, but they received 150% more than anticipated — about 1.2 million calls — before they even began shooting in June 2000 at a specially constructed set in Mumbai’s Film City. The scale and excitement were truly astonishing, marking the beginning of a television revolution in India. Well, the rest is history. Today, when KBC comes on, every person’s eyes are glued to the television. When Mr Bachchan quips, we laugh; when he tenses up, so do we; and when he asks “Lock kar diya jaye?”, we can’t help but allow the little smile of familiarity that creeps in.

Amitabh Bachchan almost didn’t host Kaun Banega Crorepati! So how did the show’s makers convince Big B?

Kevan Parekh and the rise of Indian-origin leaders in multinational companies

Mumbai, <keyword id="21027898" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="indian-real-estate-investment-trust" source="keywords">Indian Real Estate Investment Trust</keyword> (REIT) industry on Wednesday pitched for the entities to get access to direct bank lending and classification as equities. At present, such vehicles can issue bonds or borrow from non-bank lenders or mutual funds, but are prohibited to borrow from banks, said the <keyword id="21027897" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="indian-reits-association" source="keywords">Indian REITs Association</keyword> (IRA), a newly formed umbrella body for the five-year-old sector, which comprises four listed entities. The body's Chairman and Embassy REIT's Chief Executive <keyword id="21027895" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="arvind-maiya" source="keywords">Arvind Maiya</keyword> told reporters it is in touch with the RBI (<keyword id="19899810" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="reserve-bank-of-india" source="keywords">Reserve Bank of India</keyword>) for allowing banks to lend to such vehicles. The real estate industry is asset-heavy and needs funds regularly to buy assets for which it should be allowed to borrow directly from banks, he added. Typically, banks have access to deposits which brings down the cost of funds, and hence, the cost of borrowing can become softer for a borrowing entity. <keyword id="21027894" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="alok-aggarwal" source="keywords">Alok Aggarwal</keyword>, the Managing Director and Chief Executive of Brookfield India Real Estate Trust, said, at present REITs are classified as a "hybrid" instrument which creates confusion in the minds of the investors. <keyword id="21027896" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="maiya" source="keywords">Maiya</keyword> said classification as equities will lead to passive money coming into REITs as the instrument gets included in indices. Other geographies like Singapore, which has inspired the Indian REIT regulations, as well as the US, treat the instrument as equity, he said, stressing that all the features of the instrument are similar to equity. An industry participant said the tax advantages which it gets courtesy of the hybrid status will continue even if it is classified as equity, while another hoped that it can also get gains from a taxation front courtesy of the Long Term Capital Gains (LTCG) which is applicable for equity. The IRA said there are lots of opportunities for the REITs sector to grow in the country, both from a supply side, where the demand for real estate is bound to keep growing and also on the demand for such instruments as Indians look for newer asset classes. <keyword id="20375329" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ramesh-nair" source="keywords">Ramesh Nair</keyword>, the Chief Executive of Mindspace REIT, said the <keyword id="20069427" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="global-capability-centres" source="keywords">Global Capability Centres</keyword> (GCCs) of multinationals alone present a very handsome opportunity for the REITS story in the country. Citing the experience in the US, industry executives said there will be dedicated REITs for specific aspects like warehousing and residential properties. When asked about the lack of demand in the residential space till now -- three Indian REITs are in commercial space while the fourth is in retail -- an industry executive said the yields are very low at 2-3 per cent which prevents REITs' play. Nair said the sector wants to reach out to mutual funds' lobby grouping Amfi to learn and partner with them, given that the REIT's current priority is also to create awareness among the investors.

Real estate investment trust pitch for direct bank lending, classification as equity

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Amitabh Bachchan almost didn’t host Kaun Banega Crorepati! So how did the show’s makers convince Big B?

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Kevan Parekh and the rise of Indian-origin leaders in multinational companies

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Real estate investment trust pitch for direct bank lending, classification as equity

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