Packer has a thing for the Big B

If there is one person who seems to be smitten by the Big B's charisma then it has to be Kerry Packer.

The Australian media tycoon, whose broadcasting company Channel Nine, has bagged the rights for the prime time slot between 7 pm to 10 pm on Doordarshan's Metro (DD-2) channel is actively wooing Amitabh Bachchan. Rumours are that James Packer wants him to quit the tremendously popular game show on Star Plus Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) and move onto anchor the show Greed which it plans to introduce on the DD-2 channel for which Packer has the rights for prime time slots.

Amitabh Bachchan is said to have signed an agreement with Star TV which restricts him from anchoring any show with a similar format on any of the satellite channels. Star says that it has extended the contract with AB from 130 episodes to 450.

However, DD-2 is a terrestrial channel and Packer might be eager to exploit this loop hole if Star TV has not plugged it already. The show, Greed, is apparently a take off on the popular ABC show Who wants to be a millionaire on which KBC is based.

Kerry Packer has offered sops to AB such as showing an interest in picking up a stake in the beleaguered A B Corp, formerly known as ABCL or Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Limited.

Recently restructured, A B Corp has decided to restrict its scope of activities to producing and distributing movies after burning its hands in many other ventures like organising the Miss Universe contest.





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