Shekhar Suman regrets rejecting comparisons to Amitabh Bachchan: 'I realised how stupid I was'

Shekhar Suman has said that he feels stupid for rejecting comparisons to Amitabh Bachchan back in the day.

Actor Shekhar Suman has said that he shouldn't have resisted comparisons to Amitabh Bachchan, back when he was described in the press as the 'Amitabh Bachchan on TV'.

Shekhar Suman was once described as the Amitabh Bachchan of TV.

In an interview, the former chat show host said that he wanted to carve his own niche, instead of living up to someone else's name. He said that he was 'stupid' for not accepting the compliment.

"Amitabh Bachchan is synonymous with anything that is the best in the world," he told Pinkvilla. "I said 'I have my own identity and I am trying to carve a niche for myself', and I realised how stupid I was. I was getting the greatest compliment."

He continued, "I'm extremely apologetic that sometimes I thought people were getting on my nerves calling me that." He refused to reveal how much he was paid for his chat show, Movers and Shakers, saying that it should remain a secret 'until I breathe my last'.

Earlier this year, Shekhar had lashed out at a Twitter troll who had asked him how he could afford such a lavish lifestyle. Sharing several pictures of his house, Shekhar had written on Twitter, "My tastes are simple. I like to have the best." Reacting to one of the pictures, a Twitter user had asked, "Itne paise aaya kahaan se (Where did you get all this money from)?" Shekhar had replied, "Mehnat se.imaandaari se.lagan se (Through hard work, honesty, and dedication)."

In another tweet, he responded by sharing a screengrab of a news story in which he'd been described as the Amitabh Bachchan of the television industry. "Ab samajh mein aaya (Do you understand now)?" he wrote.