MUMBAI: This is an interesting strategy that borders on the risky. The latest offering from Sony Entertainment Television isForce 1 , a mini series slated to be a mix of action, emotion and drama along the lines of international productions, launches tomorrow.
The only problem being of course that tomorrow is the "grudge" Super Six World Cup match between India and New Zealand. When viewership of regular popular shows is plummeting due to the cricket craze, how enthused audiences will be to sample new fare is open to question. Especially after eight hours glued to the tube (11 hours if you add on the Extraaa Innings packages sister channel MAX is offering).

Anyway, that is the Sony programming team's worry. As for the show itself, Force 1 is the story of a highly evolved commando unit that reports directly to the prime minister's office and deals with issues of national importance and security like battling international assassins and protecting the nation's leaders.
With an impressive star cast comprising Mandira Bedi (who provides the "visual relief" on Extraaa Innings ), Parmeet Sethi, Ashish Chowdhary of Hum Pardesi Ho Gaye fame and Nitesh Pandey of the Saaya fame, the series has been directed by Shivam Nair and is produced by Manish Goswami of Siddhant Cinevision.
The four-member commando team is led by Aryan played by Parmeet Sethi who being the strategist assigns duties to his group members. He is married and has a seven year old son.
Junaid played by Ashish Chowdhry, is the second member of the team who is a sharp shooter with a terrific sense of timing and has a network of bootleggers and informers who keep him informed about the day-to day happenings in the city. He comes from an affluent family who stands to inherit his father's business. But, being a rebel , he breaks away and joins the Force 1 team.
The third member Shanks , played by Nitesh Pandey is a genius at computers, while the fourth member Indira played by Mandira Bedi is the ACP's daughter who instead of joining the police force , opts to join the Force 1 team. Her area of expertise is that she handles all the back up room activities and provides all the necessary information regarding the whereabouts of criminals.
The series has been formatted within a three-episode plotline and airs as a one-hour show on three consecutive Fridays 14 March, 21 March and 28 March 2003, at 10:30 pm