Khushboo on the show Jackpot

Chennai, May 15: Khushboo hit the political jackpot by hitching up with the DMK but lost the other Jackpot, the popular gameshow anchored by her on Jaya TV.

The channel is owned by the family of Sasikala Natarajan, a close friend of ADMK chief Jayalalithaa. Jackpot, which has been running on Jaya TV for the past seven years, was not shown last night at its scheduled time for repeat telecast, hours after the actress joined the DMK.

Jackpot was one of Khushboo’s most popular programmes in her second innings as TV star. The designer saris and backless blouses she wore as the anchor had set off fashion trends.

Sources in the channel said Jackpot will not appear in the prime-time Sunday 8pm slot from tomorrow.

“Khushboo owes her second career on television and her present popularity solely to this show, when her screen popularity ebbed post-marriage. We did not have any problem when she started doing shows on Kalaignar TV, owned by the Karunanidhi family, as many stars appear on different channels. But when she joins a political party that is so inimical towards Jayalalithaa how can she be forgiven?” asked an executive of Jaya TV.

Khushboo said she was not aware of Jaya TV’s decision. “They have not informed me about removing the show. So I cannot comment,” was her response.

Sources close to the actress said she had anticipated such a reaction from Jaya TV, though she had bravely declared at the DMK headquarters yesterday that Jackpot would go on.

Jayalalithaa

Jayalalithaa, the sources pointed out, does not allow her party legislators to even exchange pleasantries with DMK counterparts. Khushboo’s decision would have been galling for her, a source said.

Jaya TV is now said to be scouting for a suitable replacement for the actress. “We will prove that the show is bigger than the star,” said a Jaya TV source.

In retaliation, the DMK has now asked Kalaignar TV to come up with a game show to rival Jackpot that will be anchored by its star entrant.

Jaya TV had recorded the 400th episode of Jackpot — an easy quiz game — and was planning a big blitz on the occasion.

The one-hour show had become immensely popular because of its simple format played by two contesting teams — either families or a group of friends. On special festival days, celebrities would team up to appear on the show.

Also, the manner in which Khushboo anchored the show — in her own bubbly, charming way — and spoke in a slightly colloquial Tamil, made it even more endearing to the audience.

Khushboo revealed in an interview how she would sit with the costume designer to design each and every blouse that she wore on the show.

“Every time Khushboo would wear an eye-catching sari or blouse on that show, the next week women would want to know if we could provide something similar,” said the manager of a women’s boutique in central Chennai.

Khushboo was so popular during her film days in the nineties that her name had been used for a variety of products, from saris and chappals to (oversized) idlis.

She was a trend-setter of sorts, being the first from Mumbai to break into Tamil cinema and reign as the number one heroine. Her success inspired the entry of other popular North Indian actresses like Nagma, Jyothika and Simran.