Actress Nandita Das' directorial debut Firaaq will be premiered on television Friday thanks to direct-to-home (DTH) service provider Reliance Big TV Ltd.

The service provider, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Anil Ambani-owned Reliance Communications Ltd, is offering the movie to over 1.5 million subscribers on its pay-per-view (PPV) channel at a price of Rs.50 as part of its New Film Premiere showcase.

"Firaaq" was released commercially in India last month.

"The emerging DTH sector is opening new revenue opportunities for filmmakers. Over the last few years, the satellite rights for broadcasting TV channels have been the avenue for showcasing new movies after the theatrical release, " Mahesh Prasad, president, Reliance Communications, said in a statement released here Thursday.

"Going forward with the PPV platform offered by DTH operators will prove to be beneficial to the filmmakers monetizing their movies immediately within weeks after theatrical release."

Produced by Percept Picture Company (PPC), "Firaaq" is based on the 2002 riots in Gujarat over a 24-hour period and stars Paresh Rawal, Naseeruddin Shah, Tisca Chopra, Deepti Naval, Raghuvir Yadav, Sanjay Suri and child actor Shehmat Khan.

Having been screened in different festival circuits across the world, the film has already won numerous awards, including Best Film & Best Screenplay Awards at the Asian First Film Festival 2008 and the Best Editor Award at the Dubai International Film Festival 2008.

Big TV is also showcasing other recent releases like "Jumbo", "Barah Aana", "Hello" and "Ugly Aur Pagli".