Let's go hunting

Sun TV couldn't have timed this better themselves. Khushboo's fall from grace, though induced, is a great plus as it will naturally deal a blow to the popular "Jackpot" show on Jaya TV.

Thanga Vettai, which went on air this Saturday, is a quiz show for the family. The show's USP is that the prize is in gold - that glittering yellow metal whose value shoots up constantly, next only to petroleum. Of course, Ramya Krishnan (the golden girl?) is supposed to be another plus.

The show is pretty straightforward. Some amount of thinking seems to have gone into the way the rounds are structured. One thing I liked was that each team should have members spanning three generations. Each team needs to answer some simple questions (sample: What is Tamil Nadu's capital?) and they walk away with gold coins - 200 of them to be won in an hour!

Honestly, there isn't much that can be done with these kind of programmes. After all, Sun TV has an audience spanning the length and breadth of Tamil Nadu, so they are forced to keep things simple.

Ramya Krishnan is a let-down. I think someone told her that the louder or the more shrill the voice, the more appropriate it is. She repeats the same things over and over again, the only difference being the intensity. Almost everyone I spoke to opines the same way. That is not to say that she draws a blank. In situations where she has to interact with kids, she is patient, even sweet. But overall, she could do with some tutoring.

The programme structure too can be tinkered with a bit, so as to make it more appealing to the serious viewer. Therein lies KBC's success (even when dubbed!), and Thanga Vettai can surely emulate that.

Overall, I'm not sure if the new quiz on the block is a winner. It is too early to draw conclusions. However there is room for improvement, which we can expect Sun TV to address in the coming weeks. After all, they would not like another flop like Koteeswaran.