With latest addition to the family Vijay TV firmly in tow, Star India today gave notice it was ready for a long haul battle with undisputed leader Sun TV and distant second Jaya TV for the ultimate prize - the eyes and minds of the Tamil viewer.
Starting 1 October, Vijay TV will have a slew of fresh new programmes, starting with mega soaps like Marumagal, Kathai Kathaiam Kaaranamam, Kavyanjali, Agnisatchi, Kudumbam oru Kovil to weekly comedy shows like Crazy times, Galatta countdown, along with mega movies during the week.
Announcing this at a press briefing in Chennai, Ajay Vidyasagar, GM, said: "Our programming philosophy has been to get strong story lines to be enacted by the best Tamil actors and actresses. The focus has been to raise the bar on packaging, promotions and the quality of presentation that has been the hallmark of the Star network. With Vijay we believe that TV viewing families in Tamil Nadu will have the privilege of choice".
Kicking off the programming blitz is a daily soap Marumagal, with top cine star Khushbu making her debut on Tamil TV. She is cast as Nandhini an intelligent young woman who gets married into the family of a rich businessman. The story revolves around her demanding mother-in-law, played by Manjula, the popular film star of yesteryear, and how she solves tangles and wins the love and affection of everyone. This is also for the first time that Khushbu will star with Manjula and both are excited about the show.
Kathai Kathaiam Kaaranamam, is a collection of stories written by literary stalwarts like Vaasathi, Sivasankari and Balakumaran. This series is directed by Revathy, with the lead roles enacted by top rated actors and actresses. In the first story Shobana cast as Malathi in Vaasanthi’s hugely popular Nampikaikalum Anumanumgalum, plays the lead role.
Galatta is a music countdown show with comedians Senthil and Manivannan hosting.
Slotted for the weekend is Crazy Times scripted by Crazy Mohan one of Tamil cinema’s leading humourists.
According to Vijay TV officials, the new programming line-up has been crafted after an elaborate exercise done across consumer segments in Tamil Nadu.
Suresh Iyer, programming head for Vijay says: "We have gone into local production by partnering with some of the best quality production houses. There is a lot of involvement from our end. We have set up a creative services cell that thoroughly evaluates all shows and based on merit these will play on the channel. We have a strong commitment to provide quality content and bringing stars to the homes of consumers (instead of the consumer going in search of them)"
Sameer Nair, head of programming, Star, said: "This is only the first step towards what we believe is a long term plan in harnessing the creative talents in South India. And like we have learnt with Star Plus, we are in a marathon and not a hundred meter race"
