Rs 130 Crore: A Monumental Deal

Gone are the days when popular Bollywood actors were seen shying away from the idiot box, citing less remuneration in television in comparison to Bollywood. The scenario has changed drastically over the last few years, and today several big names from the glitzy world of filmdom are foraying into TV with a bang and raking in huge moolah. What seems more interesting is that almost all of them are holding reins of reality shows to double up their already brimming bank balance. Another prominent reason for actors choosing reality shows over fiction shows might be the less time consumed in shooting a reality show in comparison to a fiction show.

Indian reality shows are real or scripted is all together another story, but their incredible popularity and humongous penetration among all segments of audience is a tangible reality which every leading actor in Bollywood is well aware of. The trend was initiated by megastar Amitabh Bachchan more than a decade ago. He descended into the arena of TV with Kaun Banega Carorepati and went on to become the face of all its installments, except one where Shah Rukh Khan occupied the host seat in the third installment of the show.

After the magnanimous success of Kaun Banega Carorepati almost every popular actor jumped to join the bandwagon. From Anupam Kher to Govinda and Akshay Kumar to Priyanka Chopra – the list is seriously very long and enlists a host of names from Bollywood. Though none of them could replicate the success of Amitabh Bachchan. Everyone known Amitabh was paid in crores to host the show.

Time has changed and so the audiences’ taste since Kaun Banega Carorepati aired for the first time in the year of 2000. Now young audience wants slightly rakish and quirky personality to feel home with the show. Though commercialization has ridden down sobriety and soberness of yesteryear,  it has open avenues for actors to fill their pockets as full as the can. It goes without saying no one can host a reality show as Amitabh Bachchan has been doing over the years.

But if we talk about monumental remuneration, I guess, Salman Khan has left everyone far behind. An extremely bewildered expression enveloped my face when I read today’s newspaper. If latest reports in media are to be believed, Salman has inked a whopping Rs. 130 crores deals for the forthcoming installments of the hugely popular reality show Big Boss. The deal makes him the highest paid host on TV, leaving his contemporaries and other hosts remotely behind. It will be interesting to see who will break this almost unbeatable record of Dabangg Khan.