Amitabh Bachchan's 'Bigg' paycheck for Bigg Boss 3

It has been revealed that Amitabh Bachchan will be paid Rs 2.25 crore per episode of Bigg Boss 3. That’s quite a payday for Big B especially when the total payout will be close to nearly Rs 40 crore.

"When Amitabh Bachchan was approached for the show, the channel and the production house expected the payment figures to be big," revealed a source. "Negotiations started with Rs 4 crore per episode and ended at about Rs 2.25 crore. The channel decided to invest big money to create maximum buzz."

Bachan will carry out his hosting duties once a week and will also appear in special shows like those involving wild card entries.

This deal lands Amitabh the plaudit of being the highest paid host on Indian TV, overtaking Salman Khan, Shahrukh Khan and Akshay Kumar who get paid Rs1 crore each per episode of 'Dus Ka Dum', ‘Panchvi Pass’ and ‘Khatron Ka Khiladi’ respectively.

The groundbreaking star was also the first ever celebrity host on Indian screens when he played quizmaster on the hit show Kaun Banega Crorepati.