Filmworld
Amitabh denies taking money to endorse DD Kisan
New Delhi, July 20
Megastar Amitabh Bachchan on
Monday denied charging Rs.6.31 crore to promote the DD Kisan channel,
saying he had no contract with national broadcaster Doordarshan.
"I
wish to state that I have not entered into any contract with
Doordarshan, on the endorsement of their channel DD Kisan, and neither
have I received any money from them," the 72-year-old said in a
statement.
"I worked with the advertising agency Lowe Lintas on
the campaign for DD Kisan, and have not entered into any contract with
them either, nor have I received any money from Lintas,†he added.
The
cine icon, who himself got the farmer tag in 2010 when he bought the
land in a Muzzaffarnagar village Kakori, added that endorsing the
channel was his pro bono act.
"My 'deliverables' on this
campaign have been executed by me many days ago. I work pro bono on
various issues and DD Kisan Channel is one of them. If there is any
evidence or proof to the contrary, please forward them to me for
verification," the actor added.
A section of the media reported
that Amitabh charged Rs.6.31 crore to endorse DD Kisan, amid suggestions
that Lintas had a tough time in getting the celebrity to do the
campaign.
The public-funded Doordarshan's Kisan channel was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in May.