Never in the history of Indian cinema was an actor's career revived by television. Then, Kaun Banega Crorepati happened, putting Amitabh in the hot seat after a series of setbacks saw his company Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Limited (ABCL) fail to take off. Even his comeback film in 1997, Mrityudata, had flopped.

On the brink of being written off, then, Bachchan was given a whole new lease of life. And TV wasn't the same again either.