Kollywood has always satiated the appetite of a hungry populace craving entertainment. No wonder then, the film industry is one of the largest sources that helps the telecasting and broadcasting industries to thrive. In our country, radio (think FM) and television channels prosper largely due to their film content. If you have noticed, most of the competitive shows on TV are based on film songs and dance. Now comes another show from Vijay TV — Kollywood King ( KK ). To be hosted by popular director Venkat Prabhu, the series will run to 26 episodes.
On par with international game shows, KK is conceived of as a larger-than-life film quiz in which fans will participate. The host, in this case, Venkat Prabhu is known for his quick wit and sense of humour. “Having grown up in a family of film personalities, I have a lot of interesting anecdotes and film-related trivia to share. This will help while quizzing the contestants,” says Venkat. The presentation format includes random questions to the studio audience and TV viewers in millions of homes. The set is snazzy and reflects Kollywood glamour.
Large-scale auditions have been conducted to short-list the contestants. In Kollywood King, there will be 50 participants per epis ode who will be asked questions on film stars, both current and yesteryear. The show has been devised in a home-grown format to cater to the Tamil audience. Elimination will be done based on wrong answers and the last person standing is the winner.
With Venkat helming the show, viewers will have a lot to look forward to. Says Venkat: “I don’t have airs and am easily approachable. While I will follow the producer’s and director’s script, I am given the liberty to put it across in my own style and language — sort of ‘namma Tamizh’.”
Unlike other reality and game shows, there is no build-up to the grand finale. Each episode is conclusive and will have one winner, who could win up to Rs. 10 lakh as prize. Fifteen questions will be asked per episode. The questions are objective with options varying from 2 to 4 to increase the difficulty level. There will be no lifelines. The maximum time given to answer a question will be 30 seconds. The prize amount doubles as the contestant comes up with the right answer every time.
To add to the surprise element, whenever stars are available they will appear on the show and interact with the contestants. Doing so many episodes at a stretch is a new experience for Venkat. “After Anu Hassan left for the U.S. and the Coffee With Anu series was discontinued, Vijay TV approached me to host a similar series. Because of my film commitments, I could not take it up. But, who knows, after Kollywood King , the idea might re-surface. Hosting KK is a challenge, but I am sure I will be able to make it different from the other game shows already on air. My films have all been down to earth; even Mankatha had fun elements that the common man could relate to. Hopefully, Kollywood King will score big given the relaxed format of the presentation,” signs off Venkat.
Kollywood Kingpremieres on Vijay TV on October 27, 8 p.m. and will be aired every Saturday between 8 p.m. and 9.30 p.m.
