Pakistani watchdog stops fake Bachchan quiz

KARACHI: Pakistani authorities have banned a telephone call-in quiz because it was misleading people into believing that Bollywood icon and quiz-show host Amitabh Bachchan was asking the questions.   

The company running the quiz, Telefun, was allowing people to believe they were calling Bachchan, a household name across South Asia, a spokesman for the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) said on Wednesday.   

"Our initial probe has confirmed the company is misleading people by misusing Mr Bachchan's personality and faking his voice," said the spokesman, Khurrum Ali Mehran.   

Bachchan had a huge television hit with the Indian version of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire".   

Telefun called its phone-in show "Let's Become a Millionaire". Callers were charged 14.07 rupees a minute to take part.   

Telefun's chief of marketing, Abdul Qadir, said he had yet to receive notice from the PTA that the quiz had been banned.