MUMBAI: The Sridevi lure via massive promotional efforts has worked for Sahara Manoranjan.

Malini Iyer has thrown up the best ratings enjoyed in the first week of telecast yet for the channel. Malini raked in a TVR of 1.9 on Monday in Hindi speaking markets, pushing up channel GRPs to 90 from the previous week's 68. A happy Sahara now claims it is ahead of Zee TV in the 9 to

Off on the right foot! - Sridevi in and as Malini Iyer

9.30 pm band in terms of cumulative reach and TVR. 45,10,000 people tuned into Sahara on Monday and Tuesday, says the channel, as compared to 7,20,000 in the same time slot the previous week.

The highest TVR for the Southern Malini came from Madhya Pradesh towns with a population of over 10,00,000 - 4.4. Other MP towns, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Mumbai and Delhi follow. The south, predictably, has not been favourable to Malini, despite Sridevi's presence. Hyderabad is the only market which delivered 1.8 TVR and 1.2 TVR for Malini Iyer in the first two days of telecast.

The Paresh Rawal produced Bhagwan Bachae Inko which debuted on Wednesday in the same week however is yet to gather steam. The first week's TVRs show a figure of 0.4 and 0.3 respectively.

Mumbai fetched Malini Iyer a TVR of 2.3 on the first day, while Delhi was 2.4 on the second day. Major cities in Gujarat moved to 2.9 on the second day, while Orissa towns clocked 3.9 on the second day, the best TVRs Sahara Manoranjan has notched up yet.

Sahara Manoranjan now claims that its viewership for the month has grown 100 per cent as compared to last year (average GRP for January 2003 was 41 and GRP for January 2004 is 83).