Siddharth Basu turns fictional

Mumbai, Nov 7 (UNI) The image of Siddharth Basu is about to undergo a makeover as the country's undisputed quizmaster is making his debut in fiction-based serials with ''Jiya Jale'' for the equally highly anticipated ''9X'' channel.

Flashing a naughty smile, Siddharth explains that even his past quiz programmes had all the elements of drama -- the highs of winning, the lows of losing, the unbearable tensions and drama between the competing teams.

''This is the first fiction drama we are doing in Hindi and pressure of time to get the episodes ready is the (main) challenge,'' Siddharth said yesterday.

Conceptualized by Mahesh Datani, ''Jiya Jale'' is set in Gujarat with new comers Sriti Jha and Saurabh Pandey falling in love and getting caught up in cycle of deceit, hatred and betrayal.

With some excellent sets and supporting cast in the likes of Mahesh Thakur and Natasha Sinha, one may be justified in expecting a ''different'' fare from a man known for his eye for detail and perfection.

''It will have more than your standard soap. We try to be an 'A' team in whatever genre we get into,'' Siddharth said.

''There's a lot of good acting, its close to life, realistic and although emotions never go out of style, ' Jiya Jale' will offer a fresh way of looking at your daily drama,'' Natasha Sinha said.

''We are slotting 'Jiya Jale' which is one of our biggest shows prime time because it is a family-based show that every family would relate to,''Group ED INX Media Indrani Mukerjea said.

''Jiya Jale'' will premier on November 19 on ''9X'' channel.

UNI