Hours after Amitabh Bachchan denied charging Rs 6.31 crore to promote the new DD Kisan channel, Lintas, the ad agency that represents the channel, said that it had learnt only today of his decision to work pro-bono or free of cost, for it.
A Lintas spokesman said on Monday evening, "We received formal communication from his office this afternoon, that upon reviewing the work-in-progress contract with his team, Mr. Bachchan has taken a decision on principle that he will not charge any fee on issues involving social causes and those that are in the best interest of the nation."
"Mr. Bachchan has taken a decision on principle that he will not charge any fee on issues involving social causes and those that are in the best interest of the nation. In light of today's development, we have initiated the process of refund to our client, DD Kisan, for the amount collected for Mr Bachchan's celebrity endorsement," the spokesman said.
Earlier on Monday, Mr Bachchan had sought to squelch controversy over reports that he had been paid the high endorsement fee to promote the public-funded channel launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in May.
The top actor also said, "If there is any evidence or proof to the contrary, please forward them to me for verification."
The BJP had promised a channel for farmers ahead of the 2014 general elections, for which Union finance minister Arun Jaitley made an allocation of Rs 100 crore during the 2014-2015 budget.
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