Amitabh Bachchan spent ₹30 lakh for T20 match appearance, took no fee

Sorry haters, Cricket Association of Bengal president Sourav Ganguly has confirmed Amitabh Bachchan didn’t charge a penny for singing national anthem during the India-Pakistan World Twenty 20 clash.

Despite what haters will have you believe, Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan did not take any appearance fee for singing the national anthem in the India-Pakistan World Twenty 20 clash, confirmed Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president Sourav Ganguly. On the contrary, Big B spent ₹30 lakh from his pocket for the appearance.

Amitabh Bachchan sang the national anthem at Eden Gardens in Kolkata before the India-Pak match. (Twitter)

After India beat Pakistan by six wickets at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Saturday night, a report in the social media claimed that the megastar had taken ₹4 crore to sing the national anthem and be present for the gala pre-match ceremony where former cricketers were felicitated. Many fans reacted to the report, with some questioning his patriotism.

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“Mr Bachchan is one and only, a special person. I am eternally grateful to him. Can you imagine someone paying ₹30 lakhs of his own pocket to perform? He booked his own flight, bought his own tickets and even paid the hotel bills. I literally begged him to take some money but he said that I am doing it for love and there is no question of money being involved,” CAB president Sourav Ganguly was quoted as saying in Anandbazar Patrika.

Bachchan also took to Twitter to comment on the issue.

Earlier a top CAB official cleared the air on Sunday. “No, Mr. Amitabh Bachchan did not take any money from us,” the official said. The 73-year-old actor reportedly also booked his flight tickets and paid his hotel bills himself.

Read: Abhishek Bachchan, we know you’re a Twitter superhero, but please stop

(With inputs from IANS)