Everyone knows that when Bollywood stars are roped in to host or judge reality shows, they get paid hefty amounts. Mallika Sherawat, who is the latest actor to have joined this list, will also soon make her TV debut with the show, The Bachelorette India — Mere Khayalon Ki Mallika.

And if
sources are to be believed, she will pocket a whopping Rs. 30 crore at the end of her 30-episode stint. Industry insiders claim that Mallika is being paid Rs. 1 crore for each episode. "The budget of the show is Rs. 50 crore (excluding marketing) — this makes it the most expensive series on the channel," says the source.

However, Ajit Thakur, general manager of the channel that will air the show, refuses to divulge specific figures. He says, "She’s an expensive star, and international one who lives in Los Angeles. She gets paid in dollars there, so she does come at a price. And we wanted someone like her for the show. But we can’t comment about her fee."

While Mallika has never had to try too hard to make headlines — she has been embroiled in a series of controversies in the past — her show, somehow, has not yet created a lot of buzz among viewers.

But the insider claims that the makers have intentionally kept the show out of the news. "They’ve deliberately kept a low profile because other big-budget shows like Mahabharat, Bigg Boss, 24 and Kaun Banega Crorepati were being promoted in the last few weeks. They felt it made sense to talk about it once the hype around all the other serials has died down."