ekta desperate for ideas

Mumbai, September 12: How far would you go for your weekly dose of Desperate Housewives? We've heard of people forsaking weekend soirees for a tete-a-tete with their friends at Wisteria Lane and others who stay up till 2.30 am to catch the repeat. Then there's producer Vinta Nanda who loves the show so much that she's putting together an Indian spin-off.

''We're developing a show about a group of housewives set in a small town,'' she says, refusing to divulge details due to copyright hassles.

However, last year, a series of sitcoms about singletons sank—Sahara One's Kuch Love Kuch Masti, Star One's Dil Kya Chahta Hai and Zee's Kabhie Haan Kabhie Na. ''The narration makes all the difference. On Desperate Housewives the lives of all the characters are beautifully interwoven by the narrator, Mary Alice. I'm sure ours will work where others have failed,'' says Nanda.

But Nanda denies the idea came to her after watching the show. ''The channel and I have been talking about it for the last eight months. It's just coincidental that the news got out now,'' she laughs.

Nanda's not the only one smitten by Susan, Edie, Gabrielle, Lynette and Bree. Ekta Kapoor is also planning an adaptation of the suburban drama. A source says Kapoor is so impressed with the series, she's already looking for lasses. ''But she's waiting for some of her other new shows to settle down,'' the source adds. As if Indian telly wasn't over-crowded with Desperate saas bahus already.

THE 'K' DESPOS
KKUSUM Desperate for love, she married and divorced the same man countless times
TULSI Desperate to discover herself, she's confused between being good or evil
PARVATI Desperate for a new wardrobe after being widowed
KASHISH Desperate for a husband, everyone she marries pops it
KUMKUM Desperate to be noticed, the popular show suffers in an afternoon slot