Vinta Nanda’s Miilee to premiere in April on STAR Plus

The 9.00 pm weeklies on STAR Plus will be finally replaced. The numero uno Hindi general entertainment channel has lined-up Vinta Nanda’s Miilee in the 9.00 pm slot beginning April 2005.

After Kkavyanjali – the 9.30 pm daily which was launched last month – Miilee will be the next big daily serial from the channel this year. Predictably, a high-decibel marketing campaign will precede the launch cutting across print, TV, outdoor, internet etc.

The channel had a big burst for Kkavyanjali. Little wonder that the show opened with a rating of 13.9 in the base population of C&S 4+, Hindi-speaking markets. In days following the launch on January 25, the show had rating points over 10.

Clearly, aggressive marketing is working for the channel, and it intends leaving no stone unturned for any property – be it a daily or weekly.

For LOC – Life out of Control, a weekly, one-hour sitcom to be launched on February 25 in the 8.30 pm slot, the channel has kicked off an on-air teaser campaign as early as January 28. Supporting the on-air promos are initiatives on-ground (including a trip to the Wagah border by some of the members of the cast and crew), in print and outdoor.

The show, incidentally, launches on the same day when India plays Pakistan in a Test match, and channel executives are banking on the historic moment to get eyeballs for the show.

LOC is about the love-hate relationship between an Indian and a Pakistani, and the choice of theme was deliberate, says Shailja Kejriwal, creative director, STAR Plus. “We consciously took a decision to have a go with the India-Pakistan theme. We believe audiences are mature enough to deal with a comedy of this nature,” she says.

Directed by Rajeev Mehra, who was also responsible for the popular sitcom ‘Office Office’ on SAB TV, the show has Manoj Pahwa and Sanjay Mishra (who acted in Office Office) in the lead roles of Gurpreet Singh Mallick (an Indian) and Chand Mallik (a Pakistani).

Nineteen episodes have been canned so far with the backdrop being a restaurant in London. According to Mehra, the show will slowly accommodate the families of the central characters, and built into the tale is a romantic angle as well as a track on cricket.

Even as the channel gets set for LOC and Miilee, lined-up next month is a “Holi event”, and yes, the mother of all gameshows – KBC – which will commence in a new avatar around June-July this year. Big bucks, new elements and a high dose of interactivity will characterise the show, which will have Amitabh Bachchan in the familiar role of anchor. “Well, it is the missing link for us. And there will be a lot of action on that front,” adds Kejriwal.

© 2005 agencyfaqs!