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 The
powerful business house of Karnataka, Manipal Entertainment Network
Limited (MENL) has made a foray onto the small screen. The first
episode of their maiden mega television serial in Kannada Bidhige
Chandrama will be telecast on ETV Kannada channel from April 15
at 2 pm slot — Monday to Friday.
Addressing
the media on the launch in Bangalore, Sandhya Pai, the director
of MENL and also editor of Kannada weekly ‘Tharanga’ from
the Manipal group described that Bidige Chandrama is about a woman
who faces unexpected turns in her life and does not hold anyone
responsible for it. This mega television serial is not a constituent
of one story. A group of stories forms the subject. There is love,
dejection, vengeance, opportunism, loyalty and disobedience tucked
away in the future episodes, says Sandhya Pai. The focus is also
laid on the husband wife relation, mother and daughter-in-law, father
and son. Sandhya Pai was moved by the song written by poet B.R.
Bendre and preferred to retain the poem as the theme song for the
260-episode mega serial. Diversifying from Manipal Media Network
to Manipal Entertainment Network Limited, this serial is the first
step says, Pai. This fast paced television serial, is borne out
of respect for the viewer’s time and sensibility and is a commissioned
programme, she enlightens.
The Manipal
group is a multi-million crore turnover business house with wide
expertise in education, commerce, print media in Karnataka, and
opening a television channel is not ruled out, says Sandhya Pai.
As of now there is recession in the market and it is not viable.
“But the idea is a part of our future plans,” she adds.
On the question of TRPs (Television Rating Points) controlling them
she is of the opinion that for Bidige Chandrama what is in store
we have to wait and watch.
The Manipal Media Netwrk Ltd., having 25 years of experience in
Kannada journalism with major publications like ‘Udayavani,
Tharanga’ and ‘Roopatara’ under its belt is a major
content provider for Hindi with Sony entertainment Television, Zee,
DD National and MTV to its credit. In future it has plans to move
into telefilms, current affairs and variety of entertainment production.
The serial’s
director Sakrebailu Srinivas has launched new faces for his maiden
mega television serial direction Bidige Chandrama. Lakshmi, Bhagyasri,
Meghasri, Namitha Raom Rekha, Deepa, Siddaraj Kalyankar, Ajit Hande
(of Garva television serial fame) Bharat Bhagavathar, Renuka Bali,
Suchendra Prasad, Ramakrishna and Mangala are in the cast. For the
first time a television serial in Kannada will feature foreigners
—Mark Plint and Mary Clerk settled down in Mysore — in
supporting roles.
—K.S.Vasu
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