Raj Kundra's original choice for business tie-up was Hrithik Roshan, Akshay Kumar stepped in instead

Entrepreneur Raj Kundra collaborating with his wife Shilpa Shetty's ex-flame Akshay Kumar for a new home-shopping channel came as a surprise to many. But it has emerged that Hrithik Roshan, not Akki, was his original choice for the tie-up.

A source close to the project says, "Raj had spoken to Hrithik and he showed great interest to be a part of the channel. However, the deal fell through as Hrithik had other commitments. He had to back out after having agreed to the plan."


Kundra confirms the buzz, stating: "Hrithik was originally a part of the Best Deal TV project, but his prior commitments with another online player did not contractually allow him to do both. So, unfortunately, he couldn't join Akshay and me in the project. However, we will be working on launching a product with Hrithik for the channel soon."

The 24-hour channel, which will go on air nationwide from March 18, is being touted as the first celebrity teleshopping network in Hindi where the celebs can launch their own product line after a collaboration.

The products on offer will be related to fashion, lifestyle and beauty.