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DD bans AB!

Sharmila Taliculam

Riding high: Amitabh Bachchan with Madhuri Dixit during an ABCL release. Click for bigger pic!

Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Limited owes Doordarshan over Rs 130 million. The state-owned television network decided that desperate measures were called for and decided to hit where it hurt most -- by banning all films featuring the superstar.

DD has not yet banned songs in which Bachchan stars from its Chitrahaar and Rangoli programmes. But, top officials say, that extreme measure too is being considered.

"The news that Bachchan's songs and promos will be banned is false. We have asked the concerned newspaper (which carried a report alleging as much) to retract the article," an ABCL spokesperson said, admitting that the company owed money to DD and that the delay in payment has cost the corporation its accreditation to slot programmes on DD.

Amitabh Bachchan Click for bigger pic!

Ironically, ABCL had bagged the deal to slot Chitrahaar and Rangoli. It has sufficient sponsors for the programmes, but did not pay up its dues for the whole of 1996.

"Yes, we have stopped showing all films featuring Amitabh Bachchan on Doordarshan," a top DD official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "This is an extreme measure to recover the money ABCL owes us for the Chitrahaar and Rangoli shows. We have already cashed bank debentures which Bachchan had provided us worth Rs 40 million."

DD officials had asked ABCL to cough up its dues for quite some time, but seeing that politeness wasn't getting them anywhere, the network decided to take the hard line.

The network does not, however, plan to seek legal redress. Bachchan is still a celluloid icon and so a total blackout may make DD look a little silly.

DD officials said Bachchan had recently met Doordarshan Director General K S Sharma and assured him that the payment would come through shortly. But till the time the cheque is cashed, the ban on the Big B will remain.

Additional reportage: Chindu Sreedharan