So far Big B and Madhuri Dixit have never really crossed paths. Years ago they were imagined to be paired together in J .P Dutta's film that was shelved. Later filmmaker Somnath Sen almost brought the 'forbidden' pair together. And failed.
Now we hear the massive B and Dixit are coming together in an unexpected way. He's ready to take over because the resident sutradhaar of the newly-incepted channel Life OK. Madhuri, as all of us know, has played a large hand in making this morality-based channel successful within a year. She sums up the shows, throws open discussions on dowry, widow remarriage, and other social issues and gets viewers all in favour of issues beyond entertainment.
Madhuri's one-year tenure as Life OK's resident sutradhaar is ready to finish. We hear the channel, through its General Manager Ajit Thakur who shares an excessively close rapport with Big B, has roped within the star to take over because the channel's resident sutradhaar.
Interestingly, Big B was the primary choice for the primary sutradhaar's role when the channel was launched.
Says a source very with reference to the channel, "We were very keen to have Big B on board because the sutradhaar once we launched our channel. We felt he was the one show personality who had the gravitas to drag off discussions on weighty social issues. But at the moment he was busy with Kaun Banega Crorepati. Hence he couldn't come on board."
Madhuri was the channel's second choice. "We took a bet on her. Madhuri were roped in for Sony Entertainment's dance show Jhalak Dikhla Jaa during the good offices of Ajit Thakur who was then with Sony. It was Ajit who negotiated with Madhuri to play the sutradhaar for Life Ok when Mr. Bachchan couldn't come on board. We felt Madhuri had a definite moral correctness about her. She had all of it. But she gave it up for marriage and kids and left the rustic. She displayed an exemplary sense of responsibility. So we took a gamble on her and it paid off."
But now Madhuri returns to Jhalak Dikhla Jaa on Sony and Life Ok has gone back to its original selection of Sutradhaar.
We hear Big B has shown a keen interest in assuming this new role. The main points at the moment are being worked out.
