Big B still tops list of DD's crorepati defaulters
ANURADHA RAMAN

NEW DELHI, NOV 21: Talk of Amitabh Bachchan having struck gold, courtesy Star TV and Kaun Banega Crorepati, has once again has raised the hopes of Doordarshan officials who are fervently hoping that the superstar will finally pay his dues.

Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Ltd (ABCL) still owes Doordarshan Rs 19.82 crore, plus Rs 12.95 crore as interest, and leads the pack of defaulters who are yet to clear their dues, according to a list Information and Broadcasting Minister Sushma Swaraj presented in Parliament yesterday.

Swaraj's list of producers who owe money to Doordarshan, furnished in the Rajya Sabha, is only marginally different from the one produced by her predecessor Arun Jaitley on August 18. Sushma's list is a little longer, though. The number of producers who have defaulted on their payments to Doordarshan has actually gone up to 75 from the previous tally of 67.

The total amount owed to Doordarshan runs into Rs 187.62 crore in contrast to the sum of Rs 138.05 crore just two months ago. While officials in Doordarshan acknowledge that the list has grown in the last two months, they admit with some degree of relish that Bachchan had actually payed up Rs 50 lakh. ``The next tranche is expected,'' said a senior official, adding that negotiations were still on with ABCL, which has declared itself bankrupt.

Of the others, Dawnmod, the company which Pramod Mahajan's son Rahul was reportedly associated with, has accumulated dues for the marketing if Truck Dhina Dhin, has payed Rs 60 lakh from its total dues of Rs 5.06 crore, officials in Mandi House said. ``They paid the sum in two installments,'' a senior DD official added.

Pritish Nandy Communications, which managed to leave Doordarshan in the lurch over its failure to market the Olympics, has still not paid a single penny from the Rs 2.70 crore it owes.

The names of other producers furnished in Jaitley's list are almost repeated verbatim in Swaraj's list. From Aaliya Productions (Shoaib Ilyasi) to ABCL, to Dawnmod, the names have a familiar ring to them. While DD officials are confident of recovering their dues, the proof of their work, should become evident in the next list.

Copyright © 2000 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.