I received no money to endorse DD Kisan, says Amitabh Bachchan

Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan said he did not enter into "any contract" with Doordarshan to endorse its channel DD Kisan, contrary to reports.

Bachchan, 72, said his campaign for the new channel was "pro bono" and happened many days ago.

"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. 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, as being stated," he said in a statement.

"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."

There were reports that Bachchan was roped in for Rs 6.31 crore in the most expensive endorsement deal ever by an actor.

Doordarshan’s Kisan Channel was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 26 at a time when debt-ridden farmers were committing suicide.

According to a report in The Hindu, DD consider actor couple Ajay Devgn and Kajol and Salman Khan for the advertisement before picking Bachchan. The actor’s campaign is expected to run till April 30, 2016.   

Image: There were reports that Bachchan was paid Rs 6.31 crore for the ad