(2 September 2005 2:00 pm)

MUMBAI: After having stabilised its weekend primetime with the Tamil version of KBC 2, Star's Tamil language channel Vijay TV has now shifted its focus to the weekday primetime. This time, the channel is mixing the now proven formula of gameshows with Indian television's traditional offering for evening primetime, the female-oriented programming.

So, in what can be called an experiment of sorts, Vijay TV is out to lure the female audiences with an all-women gameshow Vasool Rani.

The Monday to Thursday half-hour show placed in the 9:30 pm slot will launch on19 September. Vijay TV has roped in Tamil's popular Radio Jockey Balaji as anchor. What the winner is promised with is "a truck load of goodies."

The Format:

The five pre-chosen contestants will be given 1000 points. Before every question, the players have to bid a minimum of 300 points and maximum of how much she holds, before answering the question. A player can bid any of the three racks with objects, which are of different value. The racks also determine the difficulty level of the question. Once the bidding is made, the player selects a particular rack and has to answer the questions asked. One with the least points will be eliminated.

In the second round, the remaining four players will bid on each other's points. The right answer will double the points while a wrong answer takes away the points and the two least scorers will be eliminated. In the third round, which is a buzzer round, the two finalists can bid as many points as they want. The anchor will keep giving the clues and the bidding increases. If the player who has bid the highest gives the right answer then she gets to double her points and also a prize. At the end of three questions, the player with the highest points is crowned as Vasool Rani.

In the grand final, the winner will have to choose between three doors. The participant can just walk through the first door with her prize. Now if she chooses the second door, she will have to answer a question and can either double her fortune or lose all that she has won.

If the participant chooses the third door, she will lose all her prizes, and gets an opportunity to participate in the next day's game. If a contestant wins in three consecutive episodes then she takes home the bumper prize.

Indiantelevision.com Q&A with Star India GM Networks Harsh Rohatgi on Vasool Rani:

Q Have you adopted any Western format to conceptualise Vasool Rani?
A No .The concept was developed in house by our creative team.

Q What does the name “Vasool Rani” signify?
A "Greed & Gratification go hand in hand or do they ??” is the USP of the show.

Q Tell us about the promotions and marketing activities planned for the show
A On-air promotions will cover call for entries, announcement and special promos including graphic pop-ups.
On ground: Posters and entry forms were kept at retail outlets gift shops/outlets throughout in Tamil Nadu lure women audiences to participate & watch.
We will also have an extensive promotion plan leading up to launch of the show.

Q How significant is gameshows in the Tamil television space now?
A KBC 2 has proved that game-shows are still a popular genre. Over the years, Vijay Tv has done many game shows, and we are getting back to the genre this year. We are quite confident that Vasool Rani will do well for us.