BENGALURU: The first season of the Kannada version of KBC, Kannadada Kotyadhipati, ends this week on Suvarna channel.

Starting 30 July, the channel has planned three big 30 minute shows ? all fiction with women centric themes to be aired during the 90 minutes that Kannadada Kotyadhipati (KK) was aired.

Out of the three shows, Akashadeepa will be aired at 8 pm. Akashadeepa has been inspired by the currently ongoing Diya aur Bati Hum (DABH) on Star Plus. The serial is directed by Sakkarebailu Srinivas and has Parikshit (of the Kannada serial Guru Raghvendra Swamy fame) playing Akash (aka Suraj of DABH) and Divya (aka Sandhya of DABH).

The second show to be aired at the 8.30 pm slot is Keladi Chennamma ? a historical based on the life of the queen of Keladi who ruled the small Kingdom for 26 years in the 17th century. The magnum opus is directed by veteran Nagabharna, a film director who made his television directorial debut way back in 1982 on Doordarshan and is said to be the first one to start direction for Kannada television. Big money has been spent on just one set alone ? the channel and the director claim a figure of Rs 10 million.

The third serial to be aired at the 9 pm slot ?Bhagyavantharu? has the late Sandalwood superstar Visnuvardhan?s wife Bharati Vishnuvardhan playing the role of a matriarch in a classic joint family based soap and the constant conflict amongst its various members.

Says Suvarna business head Anup Chandrasekharan,?We are catering to the vibrant panorama of taste with a new zeal. These three shows, though different, have strong storylines and are targeted at the woman audiences in the state, but at the same time, all the three shows will appeal to mass audiences and cater to the entire family.?

For Akashadeepa and Keladi Chennamma, the channel has roped in two of Dabur?s brands ? ?Red Paste? and ?Meswak? respectively. About 10 episodes of each soap have been canned so far, reveal sources at Suvarna.