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Zee replaces Kher with Rana

"I have been thrown out of the show, that's what I've heard. It is very disgusting and unprofessional on their part. The whole thing is bizarre," Kher told AFP in Bombay.

Zee TV launched the game show Sawaal Dus Crore Ka on October 23 with Kher and actress Manisha Koirala as co-anchors.

It was launched to counter Star TV's hugely popular game show Who Wants to Be A Millionaire? which boasts Indian screen legend Amitabh Bachchan as anchor and offers prize money of Rs 10 million.

The Zee show never managed to beat the Star game show and viewership ratings began dipping. "They seemed to have panicked and wanted a scapegoat. I will never be a scapegoat. We should all accept that we failed -- the director, the concept writer, the producer -- instead of making me a scapegoat," Kher said.

"I will not tolerate this unceremonious and heartless act," he added. "All my life I've never compromised with my dignity. I had no godfather in films when I came to Bombay and yet I made it. I did not go to Zee asking for this job, they came to me."

Reports said Kher had been replaced by stage actor Ashutosh Rana, while Koirala had been retained. "I can understand if they had replaced me with Shah Rukh Khan or Aishwarya Rai. They are bigger actors than me. As for Rana, I've been in the industry for 16 years, while he has been there for about four years and I know I'm better than him."

Zee spokesman Sainath Iyer said Kher had been replaced as he could not "provide dates" for the show. "The parting has been mutual and amicable."

Kher said he has not been officially informed about the replacement and warned he "would not take it lying down."

"We (Zee and I) have signed a contract for one year which can be terminated only by 60 days' notice. I have left five or six films to accommodate dates for them for the whole year. It is ridiculous and stupid to say that I had no dates free. Nobody from Zee has even discussed this with me."

Kher said he would seek legal advice from the Actors Association once he got his dismissal letter. "The contract we've signed is a legal document and it is liable for legal action. I will certainly seek help from the Actors Association on this issue."

Kher said Zee had been "unfair" to him right from the start.

"I was signed on at Rs 40 million a year and have been paid Rs 10 million. While Koirala was signed on at Rs 80 million and has been paid Rs 50 million. I asked for an explanation and they said actresses are usually paid more."

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