Star's latest ploy

ENTERTAINMENT: Star Plus must grab the primetime slot quickly. Is Viraasat the answer?

Star Plus is all set to launch another serial on June 12, 2006. Big deal, did you say? Actually it is, especially considering that Star's primetime slot has been lying vacant for quite some time.

Millee, that was aired at 9.00 pm, lost its steam while Zee TV continued to move at a frenetic pace with its primetime serials like Kasam Se and Saat Phere: Saloni ka Safar.

Which explains why Star Plus has bucked up and is in the process of launching its new serial called Viraasat, starring a gaggle of popular small screen stars including Sangeeta Ghosh, Rohit Roy, Amarr Upadhyay and Aman Verma.

Made on a budget of Rs 20 crore, the serial is being produced under the B R Chopra Films banner. Produced by Ravi Chopra, maker of the hit film Baghban, this show is Star Plus' big primetime bet.

Interestingly, it will also be a litmus test for B R Chopra Films, whose last serial Kamini Damini on Sahara flopped miserably last year.

"That serial wasn't marketed well at all," complains Ravi Chopra, adding, "with Viraasat, we've managed to create the right buzz."

The story of Viraasat revolves around two lovers caught in the crossfire of their feuding families. While they get married, the conflict between the families continues.

"It's Romeo & Juliet with a remarkable twist. Instead of two lovers dying, we decided to explore the possibility of getting them married where both families are upset by their decision," says Chopra.

Naturally Star Plus is leaving nothing to chance in promoting the serial. "The 9.00 pm slot is the holy grail of television viewing. We have positioned this show as the ideal primetime television consumption and are promoting it adequately," says Ajay Vidyasagar, executive vice-president, marketing, Star India.

"We started a consumer contact strategy wherein stars of the show interacted with the audiences directly," he says.

For Chopra, the serial is important even as he wraps up his much-talked about film, Babul, starring Rani Mukherjee, Salman Khan, Hema Malini and Amitabh Bachchan.

What's more, he begins work on three more films including an animation on Lord Krishna, Bhootnath (starring Bachchan senior again), a comedy titled Pappu Paas Ho Gaya and a period film set in the British era called Mitti.

"Unlike most other serials on sitcom, Viraasat has a definite storyline. We have been shooting for the serial for nearly six months and have canned 40 episodes till now," says Chopra.

While the channel still awaits audiences' reaction to its big budget period drama Dharti Ka Veer Yodha "" Prithviraj Chauhan, with Viraasat, Star Plus has unleashed another big budget serial in quick succession. Will the gamble pay off? That will be the final twist in the plot.