Big money is riding on Big B

Mumbai: Amitabh Bachchan is absent from work and the effects are showing on the Mumbai film industry. His illness is giving acute abdominal pain to more than just him.

A lot of producers' money is riding on Bollywood's reigning star, not to mention advertisement endorsements and the popular game show Kaun Banega Crorepati 2.

His own company, AB Corp, is suffering and with good reason ? at stake is money running into hundreds of crores.

Big banner films like Vidhu Vinod Chopra's Eklavya, with a budget of Rs 40 crore, Karan Johar's Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, with a budget of Rs 50 crore and Ravi Chopra's Babul, with a budget of Rs 30 crore have come to a standstill.

Though the producers' insist that they are more worried about the actor's health than t their films, the fact of the matter is that both Eklavya and Babul, are in the final stages of production and are likely to be hit by Bachchan's illness.

"At the moment I am more concerned about his health and the film does not matter. We will re-schedule the shooting for when he is on his feet again. It's not a problem," says filmmaker Ravi Chopra.

However, undeniably, the worst hit is the immensely popular game show KBC 2. Around Rs 300 crore in advertising revenue are at stake and if KBC 2 has to be pulled off air, the channel will be left floundering.

Amitabh Bachchan has a contract of 85 episodes with KBC 2 of which he has shot 61 episodes. The channel has 10 episodes canned and has come up with a stopgap arrangement ? by airing two episodes a week instead of three.

Nonetheless, this is a short-term arrangement and the channel is not sure what to do after they run out of episodes.

In the ad-world, Bachchan is a one-man industry. As the highest paid brand endorser the sexagenarian has endorsed close to 17 brands including Dabur Chawanprash, Dabur Hajmola, Nerolac, Pepsi, Eveready, Cadbury's chocolate, Reid & Taylor Suitings and Parker Pens.

Industry sources say his endorsements cost between Rs 3 crore and Rs 10 crore, depending on the brand. But advertisers can't risk him being out of action long with over 5000 crore rupees at stake.