Demands Rs 25 lakh to attend a telly event, according to sources

The organisers of the Big Indian Comedy Awards were in for a shock recently when Shreyas Talpade apparently demanded a fee of Rs 25 lakh to attend an event announcing its launch.

The channel was keen for the actor to be present as he has been a judge on comedy shows besides having great comic timing himself.

According to a channel source, "Shreyas asked for R 25 lakh to be part of the event. But there was no point paying him, as a result he preferred to skip the event."

Among those who were invited included Sunil Pal, VIP, Sudesh Lahiri, and Swanpil Joshi. All of them not only came, but also performed at the event."

The actor's spokesperson, however, maintains, "Shreyas' manager was approached on behalf of the channel by a scribe. It was a casual call asking what would be his charges for being a part of a show.

As a result, talk of money crept up. Later he was told that he could use the platform to promote his upcoming film Hum Tum Shabana. But then, after that, there was no communication nor did Shreyas follow up."

The channel source confirms, "Yes, we also suggested he could promote the film along with the other cast like Minissha Lamba and Satish Kaushik.

But when Shreyas decided to stay away, they also decided give it a miss. The awards have been instituted to laud the achievements of comedians both on television and in Bollywood.