KBC on comeback runs into 'bride' Jassi

Mumbai, July 31: This Friday, life will be very hectic for television watchers.

It will be Kaun Banega Crorepati vs Jassi's marriage.

Sparked off by Amitabh Bachchan on KBC 2, a war will erupt on the small screen, with the two most popular entertainment channels marshalling their biggest stars.

While Bachchan will be back on the small screen on STAR Plus with his quiz show, promising Rs 2 crore and four lifelines instead of three — the fourth called Flip — Sony will field its biggest icon Jassi at that time in marriage gear to fight the TVR battle.

In a one-off episode at 9.30 pm on Friday — Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin is telecast between Monday and Thursday — Jassi will finally get married to Armaan at the very same hour that Bachchan will be gently quizzing the man on the hot seat from 9 pm to 10 pm.

Sony denies that the muharat of Jassi's marriage to Armaan, so long overdue that it is late now, has anything to do with KBC, but the timing seems to be too much of a coincidence.

But if it is Bachchan and Jassi leading the two channels from the front, they will be backed up by an army of other stars from the fold of the respective channels.

Flanking KBC 2 will be all the highest TVR-earning saas bahus on STAR Plus.

In a recent reprogramming decision, the K-serials, which did a Monday to Thursday shift so far, were stretched to Friday.

On August 5, with Bachchan, Kyun Ki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi will also make a Friday debut at 10.30 pm, to be followed by Kahiin To Hoga at 11 pm.

Both will be telecast on Fridays for the first time. KBC will be preceded by Kasauti Zindagi Kay, which has been telecast on Fridays for a month.

A new serial called Baa, Bahoo aur Baby, which seems to be no different in its story line from the K-serials except in the choice of the initials, will kick off the same day.

If STAR Plus is pumping in so much programming into Friday, Sony is trying to deck Jassi up in as much publicity.

The marriage is meant to be as glittery as it gets and Sony has also planned a huge wedding campaign for the bride, which got washed out in the Mumbai floods.

Jassi will be dressed up by Aishwarya Rai's designer Neeta Lulla, who has already made an appearance in the serial. The bride will have her jewellery made by former actor and now successful jewellery designer Neelam Kothari.

On the wedding day, musical bands would be placed in high footfall areas, with placards inviting all to come Jassi's wedding.

At entrances to malls and railway stations, women would be placed in wedding finery, probably sprinkling rose water, the channel says.

The entire Fame Gurukul team is also very likely to turn up, said the channel spokesperson.

But Jassi will not finally make it to the wedding.

Whether there will be many viewers for Jassi, despite the wedding, the finery and the runaway bride, will be clear this Friday. But Bachchan has already got his set.

The programme has received a "record-breaking" 1.3 crore telephone calls, says the channel.