Sony, in fact, is kicking off the millennium programming line-up with the RK films. Packaged as `Showman of the Millennium', Sony will air two Raj Kapoor movies every weekend. The movies, which will be shown on Saturdays and Sundays, will occupy the prime-time slot.

Says Ravina Kohli, director, programming and production, Sony Entertainment Television, "we are associating the channel with the first family of Hindi cinema. Raj Kapoor is larger than the industry. He is popular among the masses and he is the greatest entertainer -- the showman of the millennium. We hope it will havehigh week-end viewing appeal."

Kohli also aims to tap the channel's youth audience who are not exposed to RK films. "We want to ride on the Raj Kapoor wave. The revival trip will help us generate interest in a generation who doesn't know him," she says. Her bigger aim: To appeal to the international audience. "We are bringing international values to our programming as we are now an international channel," she adds.

Sony will kick off the RK films with `Awara' and end with `Mera Naam Joker'. The network has divided Kapoor's films into `The Classics' and `The Contemporaries'. The early Raj Kapoor's films (classics) include `Awara', `Kal Aaj Aur Kal', `Barsaat', `Shree 420' and `Aag'. The play list of the later movies comprise `Bobby', `Prem Rog', `Heena' and `Satyam Shivam Sundaram'

.Says Kohli, "we will juxtapose one of the earlier movies with his later films. But we haven't yet decided whether the Saturdays will be his earlier films and Sundays his latermovies."

The films, however, will be preceded by the four-part, one-hour documentaries on RK. This will be co-produced with Bobby Bedi of `Bandit Queen' fame. The documentaries will be aired in the 8-9 pm time slot.Sony has also lined up special half-hour Raj Kapoor song compiles. Titled `The Unforgettables', the 10 episodes will start from July 25. Kohli has not yet decided on the time slot but says she is considering the off-weekend night prime time.

Sony will heavily promote the RK week-end movie programming. Among those lined up: Distribution of Raj Kapoor song books in Mumbai and Delhi (two lakh copies), posters and full-page print ads. Besides, Sony will provide information about the festival on its website.

The rate per 10 seconds on the films is Rs 67,500 while the commitment for 20 movies is Rs 2.2 crore. There will be one main and six associate sponsor formats for all the 20 movies.

For the documentaries, Sony is charging Rs 60,000 per 10 seconds according to the rate card. Thecommitment for the entire four-part documentary is Rs 21.6 lakh.

The rate per 10 seconds for the song compiles is Rs 40,000 while the 10 episodes will cost Rs 24 lakh. The 126 promos will spread across four weeks.Sony has also lined up a two-part Raj Kapoor concert, beginning August 28. It will be shown on the 8 pm slot and the spot rate is Rs 90,000. The commitment for the two-part concert is Rs 16.2 lakh.