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The leading general entertainment channel has some aces up its sleeve this year
After months of watching rivals do their number with consistent new programming initiatives, STAR India, whose lead general entertainment channel STAR Plus, saw a single launch in December last year in costume drama Hatim on Fridays at 8.00 pm, is set to add further spice to its weekend lineup with a new show on Sundays titled Koie Jane Na.
To be launched on March 7, 2004 at 9.00 pm, the show has been produced by Anurradha Prasad's BAG Films and stars former Sanjivani debutante Shilpa Kadam, who essayed the role of Dr Simran before moving on to Sony's Naam Gum Jayega, which was hastily called off after launch last year.
Billed as a "chiller" - as in a soap with a "chill element" - Koie Na Jane, asserts Deepak Segal, senior vice-president, content and communication, STAR India, does not dwell on paranormal experiences or ghost-busters. "It is an intriguing tale about scary things happening to a normal family," he adds.
The show, which has Sonpari protagonist Vivek Mushran in the lead, will be pitted against Kkoi Dil Mein Hai on Sony Entertainment Television and Astitva - Ek Prem Kahani on ZEE TV. Both shows are telecast at 9.00 pm prime time on Sundays. Further, it marks the foray of the channel into fictional programming on Sundays - an aspect missing from its programming strategy so far.
Alongside, the channel has swapped its weekend lineup with the STAR Shanivaar programming block moving on to Sundays, and the Sunday movie or event telecast on Saturdays. The initiative was flagged off on the weekend of February 21 and 22, 2004, with the back-to-back telecast of the dubbed versions of Jurassic Park 2 and 3 on Saturday, February 21 from 7.30 pm, while Sunday, February 22, saw Jaaduu at 7.30 pm, Gharwali Upparwali Aur Sunny at 8.00 pm, Vikraal Aur Gabraal at 9.00 pm and a repeat episode of Khulja Sim Sim at 10.00 pm.
The channel will also swap individual shows beginning from the weekend of March 6 and 7, with Jaaduu to be replaced with Vikraal Aur Gabraal at 7.00 pm on Sundays and the former to be telecast on Saturdays at 7.30 pm. Explaining the rationale behind these moves, Segal says, "Normally, family-members tend to stick home on Sundays, with the next day being the start of the working week, while Saturdays are earmarked for an evening out. Seeing this trend, we decided to offer something compelling on Sundays because the frequent grouse is that there is nothing to watch on that day."
The channel, incidentally, is looking to launch a new set of shows in the coming months though officials at the media house refuse to be drawn into a conversation about it. In the pipeline is an ambitious talent-hunt programme titled Indian Superstar, a romantic comedy titled Shanno Ki Shaadi by UTV, a weekly Balaji soap titled Karvachauth and a magazine show on the world of television titled Tele-Duniya.
For now, though, weekends clearly seem to be the new battleground for the Top 3 general entertainment channels with Sony set to launch a new family drama titled Kkehna Hai Kuch Mujko on March 12 at 8.30 pm, and ZEE to telecast thriller show Kaun on March 7 at 10.00 pm. The former is a half-hour programme from Friday to Sunday, while the latter will follow the Sunday to Wednesday timeline from 10.00-10.30 pm. © 2004 agencyfaqs!