n the year 2004 Indian television rediscovered talent hunts. And not just on national television. Take STAR group channel Vijay TV, which flagged off Azhagi in December with the hope of finding the ideal Tamil woman. Claiming to be the first-of-its-kind show on Tamil satellite television, the channel has planned 28 episodes of Azhagi. The show is aired between Monday and Thursday from 8.30-9.00 pm.

Azhagi is not a beauty pageant, says the company, though the word Azhagi means beauty in Tamil. Vijay TV says its ideal Tamil woman will be one who embodies the virtues of "compassion, assertiveness, respect, rationality, modernity with Tamil tradition and culture, attractiveness and modesty." This is what makes Azhagi different from regular beauty pageants. ... more