Specials @ 10 on Sony..

Sony is really leaving no stones unturned to take on the competition!!

While the channel launched its third edition of Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa with a fairly decent line-up, what has got the channel honchos upbeat is the Specials series it has lined up for viewers.

Called Specials @ 10, the Mondays to Thursdays series starting from March 2 has film directors Madhur Bhandarkar (he has floated a production company, Bhandarkar Entertainment), Mahesh Manjrekar, Vikram Bhatt and Anurag Kashyap bringing their film making expertise through their 'stories' and mini series.

Each of these four guys will produce a 12-part mini series for them on topics varying from women-related issues to crime and the underworld, to the workings of the film and the glamour industry, emotional drama to thrillers.

Says Bhatt, "The concept did it for me. It will be good fun and while I can't direct it because I am shooting my new film Shaapith, Sanjay Khanna, my associate, will be directing for me the 12-episode story called Shauharat, Nafrat Aur Showbiz". So is it also a supernatural thriller? "No, why do you think I will make only bhooth prt stories?", argues the director.

It's also learnt that while the other three directors will make one story spread across 12 episodes, Bhandarkar has been entrusted with producing 12 different, women oriented stories since that's his forte.

Sources at the channel say it's a format they are experimenting with and it's like launching four new shows for the coveted 10 pm slot.

Well, all we can say is viewers should be in for a pleasant treat considering all the four directors have and are associated with successful cinema.

Actors like Shernaz Patel, Anoop Soni and Achla Sachdev are slated to be part of these short series.

Reporter and Author: Kshama Rao