BENGALURU: The first season of the Kannada version of KBC, Kannadada Kotyadhipati, ends this week on Suvarna channel.

Starting 30 July, the channel has planned three big 30 minute shows ? all fiction with women centric themes to be aired during the 90 minutes that Kannadada Kotyadhipati (KK) was aired.

Out of the three shows, Akashadeepa will be aired at 8 pm. Akashadeepa has been inspired by the currently ongoing Diya aur Bati Hum (DABH) on Star Plus. The serial is directed by Sakkarebailu Srinivas and has Parikshit (of the Kannada serial Guru Raghvendra Swamy fame) playing Akash (aka Suraj of DABH) and Divya (aka Sandhya of DABH).

The second show to be aired at the 8.30 pm slot is Keladi Chennamma ? a historical based on the life of the queen of Keladi who ruled the small Kingdom for 26 years in the 17th century. The magnum opus is directed by veteran Nagabharna, a film director who made his television directorial debut way back in 1982 on Doordarshan and is said to be the first one to start direction for Kannada television. Big money has been spent on just one set alone ? the channel and the director claim a figure of Rs 10 million.

The third serial to be aired at the 9 pm slot ?Bhagyavantharu? has the late Sandalwood superstar Visnuvardhan?s wife Bharati Vishnuvardhan playing the role of a matriarch in a classic joint family based soap and the constant conflict amongst its various members.

Says Suvarna business head Anup Chandrasekharan,?We are catering to the vibrant panorama of taste with a new zeal. These three shows, though different, have strong storylines and are targeted at the woman audiences in the state, but at the same time, all the three shows will appeal to mass audiences and cater to the entire family.?

For Akashadeepa and Keladi Chennamma, the channel has roped in two of Dabur?s brands ? ?Red Paste? and ?Meswak? respectively. About 10 episodes of each soap have been canned so far, reveal sources at Suvarna.

MUMBAI: Sony Entertainment Television (Set) has unveiled new fiction programming that will come into effect once the popular game show Kaun Banega Crorepati ends on 17 November.

The two shows, Dekha Ek Khwaab and Parwarish, will start running from 21 November.

Taking an unconventional step, Sony has decided to stretch its two fiction shows to 45 minutes, rather than the usual 30-minute episodes. However, Set senior EVP and business head Sneha Rajani said that this is a "short term strategy". 

Starting 21 November, the existing 8 pm show Kuchh Toh Log Kahenge will continue till 8.45 pm and will be followed by Dekha Ek Khwab, which will end at 9.30 pm. Meanwhile, Parwarish will air at the 9.30-10 pm band.

"We have decided to air Kuchh Toh? and Dekha Ek? for 45 minutes each as per our strategy. This will help in building up our fiction. It is obvious that post KBC, there will be a GRP drop and we are aware of that," Rajani said.

Rajani added that the channel will not launch any big-ticket reality show in the near future and the focus will be on fiction shows.