MUMBAI: Big Magic, Reliance Broadcast Network?s regional general entertainment channel (GEC) for the Hindi-speaking heartland of central India, has roped in popular television actors Varun Badola and Rajeshwari Sachdev as the mentors for its upcoming property, BIG Fame Star.

Sara Khan will be seen hosting the show on the channel. The youth talent hunt, which will penetrate to the grass-root level to present a platform to superstar aspirants, kicked off auditions across 15 markets in Uttar Pradesh on 4 May and is all set to witness the first phase of mega auditions amongst shortlisted contestants from Moradabad, Saharanpur and Meerut on 9 May.

As mentors, Varun Badola and Rajeshwari Sachdev will join Anup Soni and Tisca Chopra who are the esteemed judges on the show. During the mega auditions, the mentor-duo will be responsible for grooming and training the contestants, as well as judging them thereafter in order to close in on the finalists that will feature on BIG Fame Star.

Khan, who joins the quartet as the host for the show will be seen guiding the contestants as their friend and support. Following the first-phase of mega-auditions will be two more phases wherein more contestants will be selected from 12 additional markets across Uttar Pradesh - with Aligarh being the next city to witness their youth?s rise to fame.

By the time the three phases of auditions draw to a close, the mentors will shortlist the top 16 contestants who will be able to take their dreams of superstardom to another level through weekly challenges and rounds that will be featured on BIG Fame Star on Big Magic.

Reliance Broadcast Network Limited business head-language TV Sunil Kumaran said, "BIG Fame Star is a multi-faceted talent hunt which aims to penetrate to the deepest level to reveal some of the most gifted youth in Uttar Pradesh. Varun Badola and Kavita Kaushik have been a part of the entertainment industry for a long time and have won multiple awards and recognitions for the respective projects. They are confident that their strong legacy combined with their unparalleled understanding of the industry and their friendly persona make them the ideal mentors for the youth aspiring to be tomorrow?s superstars."

This move ensures the best programming mix to its audiences, as Big Magic gears for phase II of digitisation, with Reliance Broadcast Network?s recently launched consumer awareness campaigns ?Samajdhari se Chune, Apna Set Top Box?.

After an extremely successful roll-out of the campaign across the four metros, it now extends across 38 cities in DAS phase II. The 12 week campaign launching 1 April, has been designed to empower consumers with information on digitisation.

Simultaneously, it also offers distribution partners an excellent opportunity to strengthen brand equity. The campaign will see an extensive multi-media marketing push with the help of RBNL?S marketing muscle and expertise and will be promoted across the platforms of television, radio, cinemas, digital, outdoor, on ground and road shows.