Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; April 7, 2014)

There seems to be finally some progress as far as Amitabh Bachchan’s first fictional TV show outing is concerned. The serial, which has been kept under wraps so far, will apparently air from June on a soon-to-be-launched Hindi entertainment channel.

Says a source, “The channel is a sister concern of an existing one. It is uncertain about whether they want to air it on the flagship channel or on the new one. This being Big B’s acting debut on the small screen, they are keen to gain maximum mileage from his show. They might want it to air on the new channel.” The show is produced by filmmaker Anurag Kashyap with Bachchan on board as a co-producer.

Adds the source, “Initially, it was supposed to air as soon as Kaun Banega Crorepati ended, but there has been no headway so far. The channel now planns to telecast it after the IPL cricket season ends in June.”

Directed by Ribhu Dasgupta, who was Anurag’s assistant on his film, Gulaal, the show has the Big B play a construction magnate. Incidentally, Ribhu had also directed the Kashyap production, Michael, that starred Naseeruddin Shah. The film was screened at the Toronto Film Festival in 2011, but it never saw the light of day.

The channel was unavailable for comment.