Nepalese øKaun Banega Crorepatiø is a hit

 

Sudeshna Sarkar

Indo-Asian News Service 

 

Kathmandu, Jan 14 (IANS) Want to be an instant millionaire in Nepal? Then eat instant noodles - and take part in a television game show where you can win millions. Take part in "Mayos Super Challenge", a TV game show inspired by the Indian programme "Kaun Banega Crorepati" conducted by megastar Amitabh Bachchan.

In Nepal, the mantle of Bachchan has been donned by Tulsi Ghimire, an Indian actor-director who is among the most commercially successful directors in Nepal today. When Ghimire was asked by the Khetan Group, one of the leading business houses in Kathmandu, to do a novel TV ad for Mayos, their instant noodles that is a market leader today, he immediately thought of the Indian game show that was more popular in Nepal than its original Western prototype, "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire".

In fact, before the "Mayos Super Challenge" started three months ago, there was an earlier version of the programme in Nepal. Titled "Nagad Panch Lakh" (Nepalese Rs.500,000), it introduced the trend of game shows with cash prizes. However, the programme was discontinued.

Ghimire has sought to give a new lease of life to the show by moulding it closer to the Nepalese viewership. When he pitched the idea to the sponsors, he had no idea they would ask him to take Bachchan`s place. "I had never done this sort of show before," he says, "and I felt I might not be the right choice. In fact, I made the sponsors agree that if the first couple of shows did badly, they would replace me."

However, he thinks he has clicked with the audience because of his simplicity, down-to-earth nature and wish for the participants to win. Besides, there are the noodles.  Pre-cooked instant noodles are among the most popular snacks in Nepal. People buy Mayos noodles that cost Rs.11 per packet. A golden coupon inside a packet enables the buyer to take part in the TV quiz show.

So it is an appealing marketing strategy to the buyer who doesn`t lose anything. In fact, he gets Rs.5,000 simply if he appears on the show, without answering any question. The questions, based on language and literature, are also compiled with an eye on helping people win. The maximum sum to be won is Rs.1.1 million ($15,000).

"Though in these three months, no one has hit the jackpot, at least six people have won Rs.200,000 and a student Rs.600,000," says Ghimire. A participant is given four options from which to choose the right question and can avail of external help twice - once from an audience poll and once from the helpline, which allows him to call up a friend.

Rajendra Khetan, executive director of Khetan Group, sponsors of the game show, says he can continue to give away money as long as he is making money. 

Indo-Asian News Service