Amrita Rao, Shekhar Suman and Malaika Arora Khan

Looking out for a modern, fun-loving wife? Searching for a traditional, caring bahu? Your quest may just be a reality show away. Capitalising on the eternal conflict between a son’s preference for a partner and the mother’s

choice of an ideal match for the son is The Perfect Bride. Launched at the Grand Hyatt in Santacruz, Mumbai on Monday afternoon, the newest reality show on the block will bring together 10 girls and five eligible bachelors under one roof in a bid to arrive at the “perfect couple” at the end of 13 weeks. The hitch? The doting mothers of the five men will also live in the same house, keeping a hawkeye on the girls, finally zeroing in on one perfect bride.

“To impress the boys and their mothers, the girls will put their best foot forward through tasks that will get them closer to winning the title. The men, too, will display their grit by undergoing various tasks that will test their physical and emotional abilities,” said Anupama Mandloi, senior creative director, STAR Plus, which airs the show from September 12.

Adapted from the original Turkish format Gelinim Olur Musun, The Perfect Bride franchise is already a TRP topper in Italy and West Asia. “We have stayed true to the original format, introducing minor changes to suit Indian sensibilities,” said Mandloi. This includes making the girls spend more time with the mothers than the sons, allowing the guys and girls to interact only for brief periods. “It is after all the mothers who will take a call each week on which bride to keep and which to eliminate. The fun will lie when the mothers can’t arrive at a consensus — then there will be drama, tears, catfights, jealousy and rivalry,” smiled Mandloi. But while the girls will be in danger of being eliminated every week, only two men will be shown the door in the course of 13 weeks. But before you scream chauvinism, here’s the catch: “At the end, it is the one surviving bride who will get to choose her groom from the remaining three men,” said Mandloi. All along the journey, the audience votes will decide the “Mother-in-law of the week” and the “Bride of the week” in this Bigg Boss-meets Spiltsvilla-meets Rakhi Ka Swayamvar show.

Guiding the men and mothers through the daily show will be the “mentors” — Amrita Rao, Malaika Arora Khan and Shekhar Suman who will lend emotional support, ease confusion and help in choosing the perfect bride. “I actually represent the girls of my generation who are on Facebook and yet turn to Shaadi.com when it comes to marriage. I will be the face of the 10 young girls on the show,” smiled Amrita, looking pretty in pink. The Perfect Bride marks the television debut for the Vivah actress. “I am not apprehensive about the fact that the focus will be more on the contestants than on the mentors. What I was apprehensive about at the beginning of the show was that the men might choose me instead of the girls, but the channel assured me that such a situation would not arise,” laughed Amrita. It was the “unique concept” of The Perfect Bride which got the nod from Shekhar Suman. “In life, nothing is perfect. On this show, we will try and convert imperfections into perfections in order to arrive at the perfect bride,” said the television funnyman, dressed all in white. “I have been a part of song and dance reality shows, but this is something that is completely different from anything that the Indian audience has ever been exposed to before,” said reality show veteran Malaika Arora Khan who would be sharing experiences from her 10-year marriage to actor Arbaaz Khan with show participants.

Anchored by television actors Vishal Malhotra and Megha Gupta, The Perfect Bride will witness appearances from Bollywood actors who will share their relationship tips with the contestants. The grand prize will be a sum of Rs 25 lakh for the winning couple and the promise of a lavish wedding. But what if the last man and woman standing are not mentally ready to tie the knot? “Living in is an option. We will encourage them to live together and get to know each other before they arrive at a decision to marry,” smiled the three mentors in unison.

The Perfect Bride airs September 12 onwards, Monday to Friday at 10.30pm, Saturday and Sunday at 10pm on STAR Plus.