Amitabh Bachchan: 'Doing TV wasn't a mistake'

Amitabh Bachchan has revealed that his family warned him against hosting the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?.

The actor presented Kaun Banega Crorepati between 2000 and 2001, before taking over again in the fourth season from replacement Shah Rukh Khan.

Bachchan told DNA: "Lots of people told me that I am a film actor and that I should not venture into television.

"And that by coming on a 25-inch screen from a 70 mm screen I am reducing my stature... which is wrong.

"Even my family members told me that I am making the biggest mistake of my life."

Bachchan added that he decided to host the programme because he was a fan of the concept, which inspired Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire.

"I found that besides honing your general knowledge skills the show also provides a platform to people from various strata and parts of society to participate in the show and win money," he said.

Bachchan admitted that he could not remember when he became a millionaire himself, saying: "I don't remember the time when I became a crorepati [millionaire]. I have never paid that much attention to it, I was more focused on my work that is acting.

"But I guess officials from the income tax department might know about it."

Bachchan is returning to host a fifth season of Kaun Banega Crorepati, which begins in India on August 15.

Watch the trailer for Amitabh Bachchan's latest movie Aarakshan below: