BOMBAY. Dec 11 ; India's largest private television channel Zee Telefilms Ltd. said today it was scrapping the country's richest game show, blaming its two anchors for the wav it bombed despite a lop prize of 2.5 million dollars, reports AFP.

"We have decided to discontinue with the programme Sawai Dus Crore Ka' (The Hundred Million Rupee Question) in Its present format from December 21. Zee spokesman Sainath Iyer said.

The Zee game show was launched on October 23 to counter Star TVs phenomenal success with Kann Banega Crorepati? (Who Want to be a Millionaire?) which offered a top prize of 10 million rupees (220.000 rupees).

The Star show boasted as anchor Indian film legend Amitabh Bachchan, once hailed as a "one-man industry" by French director Francois Truffaut.

Hindi film actor Anupam Kher and actress Manisha Koirala hosted the Zee show but they lacked Bachchan's sizzle and sparkle as well as his ready wit

and repartee.

Zee admitted its show had flopped badly.

"After huge investments, both towards hiring the two top celebrities as well as the huge produc lion costs, the show failed to cut ice with the market and the audience." it said in a statement.

Zee said "a lack of rapport" between Its two celebrity anchors was basically responsible for show's failure.

The intended environment of camaraderie somehow gave way to (an) uneasy truce, hurting the show as well as the company." the statement said, highlighting the anchors' lack of "affability, congeniality. personal glow and warmth, social graces, cultural etiquette and bonding ability with the viewers."

Zee said the game show, In Its present format, wits "beyond revival."

The channel said It had sacked both the stars and would relaunch the show next year with a "new format, a new anchor, a new theme and new salient fea-