Three matches already on Sony marriage-show 'Shubh Vivaah'?

(Posted on 28 September 2001, 7:00 pm)

Matches they say are made in heaven or as in this case on heavenly sets. Sony Entertainment Television's soon to-be-launched mega-programme Shubh Vivaah (happy marriage) has some happy news to report, if industry sources are to be believed.

Screen goddess Madhuri Dixit's first appearance on TV as host of 'Shubh Vivaah' may have to wait a bit.

The show, hosted by former queen bee of Bollywood Madhuri Dixit (she's really heavenly, those who have been on the shoots will tell you), has seen three matches made on the sets in ten days of shooting, the sources say. When contacted, however, Rekha Nigam, senior V-P programming and production, refused to either confirm or deny the news. According to reports about the format of the show - Sony is not talking - the UTV-produced show has prospective brides and grooms being introduced to each other. They discuss their backgrounds, their families, what they are interested in and what they look for in a marriage partner. If a couple hit it off they will actually get married. Off the show, that is.

Now if Sony can just get past the "small problem" of a court case that has been slapped on it by the promoters of another matchmaking television show called Swayamvar, slated to kick off on national broadcaster Doordarshan in November. Swayamvar, a weekly show that was announced earlier than Shubh Vivaah, is being produced by former Bollywood hunk Vinod Khanna's Taal India Communication Private Limited, and directed by Anil Gupta. Taal claims that the original concept belongs to it.

According to sources, the court case may possibly delay the launch of Shubh Vivaah.

And for those into conspiracy theories, Anil Gupta was earlier affiliated to Subhash Chandra-promoted Zee TV, while his wife, Urmila Gupta, once a senior DD official, was formerly heading I Sky-B at Star.