(2 August 2005 7:00 pm)

MUMBAI: This Friday, that is 5 August, at 9 pm, as Amitabh Bachchan re-unites with Computerji to rekindle the KBC phenomenon yet again on Indian television, Star's Tamil channel Vijay TV will also have for its viewers its own dubbed version of KBC 2 with the tagline "Nambikku Mele Double" (twice more than you hope).

The Big B's familiar deep baritone voice is being dubbed by renowned Tamil film artiste Nizhalgal Ravi who made it big in Kollywood with a reportoire that includes Nayakan, Nizhalgal, Indian, Kandukondain Kandukondain and Annamalai.

The channel has already kicked off its aggressive promotional activities for the big property. On ground activities which had participation by school kids, the distribution of KBC 2-branded merchandise, outdoor and print campaigns are being employed to create hype.

Says Vijay TV DGM Harsh Rohatgi on the upcoming biggy, "The show which made television history is back again and this time it will create a bigger impact among the Tamil audience."

Regional advertisers who have been roped in by Vijay TV for KBC 2 are confident that the dubbed version of the Hindi show will be accepted by Tamil viewers. "KBC 2 is a property that re-defines Indian television's regional spirits. The show targets all segments of society whether it is the youth, the family or the kids segment. So I think the experiment will really work," says Chennai-based retailer Pothy's Ramesh.

Other regional advertisers figuring in the Tamil version of KBC 2 include Univercell. The channel has also national advertisers Airtel, Fairever, LG Electronics and Chlor-Mint in its line up.

Also read:
Vijay TV spins separate story around 'KBC 2'