Indian star Amitabh Bachchan to act in TV series

AP / RSS

Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan gestures speaks during a press conference in Mumbai, India, Wednesday, June 5, 2013.

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The new show will be directed by popular Indian filmmaker Anurag Kashyap..

NEW DELHI: Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan says he'll make his television acting debut in a new series this year.

Bachchan announced the new

and not-yet titled show to reporters in Mumbai on Wednesday. The series, to be aired on the Sony Television channel, will focus on social issues.

The show will be the first fictional TV outing for the Indian superstar, who has already hosted the hugely successful "Kaun Banega Crorepati," India's version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire."

"I just felt that this could be yet another step" to connect with audiences "almost immediately," the 70-year-old told reporters.

The new show will be directed by popular Indian filmmaker Anurag Kashyap.

Bachchan has starred in nearly 200 films in a career that has spanned more than four decades.

His latest movie was a brief role in the Baz Luhrmann-directed "The Great Gatsby."