Dial M for Mandira!

The Mandira magic seems to be working for Sahara One too. A week after Dial One Aur Jeeto launched on the channel, the call centre at Sahara City in Lucknow hasn't stopped ringing. For obvious reasons. The peppy Mandira Bedi offers generous booty in return for correctly answering questions that an average school kid with reasonable general knowledge ought to furnish without taxing the grey cells much. All in the comfort of the living room. The second episode of the show itself had more than a million viewers dialing in from all over the country. 2,485 viewers got connected, 263 were registered, six got to play the game, and all of them won a total of nine prizes collectively. That's small change for the channel which gets to reap the benefits of hooking in the viewers for Pepsi ADA that comes on next. The channel is planning to announce huge prizes for the winners shortly to boost the show too. Mandira has started visiting the houses of winners to personally give away the prizes. This, she has done before in Sony's Mandira Apke Ghar. "It is an unique experience, giving me the opportunity to reach out to my viewers.Very few actors get an opportunity to do so" she says. Moreover, busy with her play, Anything but Love, this dial in show gives Mandira ample time to indulge in her favourite medium, theatre. This show, adds Mandira, is unique because it is simple. The masses don't get intimidated by it and they feel that they too have a chance of winning. No expense has been spared in promoting the show either: live screenings are being held at malls across metros, and select railway stations across the country. As also at Cafe Coffee Day outlets everywhere in India. Its brand imagery is also being splashed across those very places most frequented by dialers: telephone booths. Only time will say if Mandira's popularity will reach the heights of Shanti or not but for now, innovations and axpenses apart, her charm seems to be working overtime....so keep dialing!