Amitabh Bachchan and Madhuri Dixit are coming together in an unexpected way.
The actor is all set to take over as the resident sutradhaar of the newly-incepted television channel Life OK.
Madhuri, as we all know, has played a big hand in making this morality-based channel a success within a year. She sums up the shows, throws open discussions on dowry, widow remarriage and other social issues, and gets viewers interested in issues beyond entertainment.
Madhuri's one-year tenure as Life OK's resident sutradhaar is about to end this month. We hear the channel, through its general manager Ajit Thakur, has roped in the Big B to take over as the channel's resident sutradhaar.
Interestingly, Amitabh was the first choice for the sutradhaar's role when the channel was launched.
"We were very keen to have Amitabh Bachchan on board as the sutradhaar when we launched our channel," says a source. "We felt he was the only show personality who had the gravitas to pull off discussions on weighty social issues. But at that time he was busy with Kaun Banega Crorepati so he couldn't come on board."
Madhuri was the channel's second choice.
"We took a gamble on her. Madhuri had been roped in for Sony Entertainment's dance show Jhalak Dikhla Jaa through the good offices of Ajit Thakur, who was then with Sony. It was Ajit who negotiated with Madhuri to play the sutradhaar for Life Ok when Amitabh Bachchan couldn't come on board. We felt Madhuri had a certain moral correctness about her. She had it all but she gave it up for marriage and children and left the country. She displayed an exemplary sense of responsibility. So we took a bet on her and it paid off."
But now Madhuri will return to Jhalak Dikhla Jaa on Sony and Life Ok has gone back to its original choice of sutradhaar.
We hear the Big B has shown a keen interest in assuming this new role .The details are still being worked out.
