ITV

Category: GECs

  • Star Plus launches new show ‘Tere Sheher Mein’ in 10 pm slot

    Star Plus launches new show ‘Tere Sheher Mein’ in 10 pm slot

    MUMBAI: Star Plus is all set to launch a new daily soap titled Tere Sheher Mein.

     

    The show will launch today (2 March) and will be aired every Monday to Saturday at 10 pm. It has been produced by Directors Kut and stars Gautami Kapoor, Sachin Tyagi and Hiba Nawab amongst others.

     

    Tere Sheher Mein is the story of the rich and affluent Mathurs and their three daughters. A part of a close knit family, one of the daughters shares a special bond with her father. She doesn’t have to struggle for anything that she ever wants and that is a point of concern for her mother. The daughter comes face to face with an unexpected challenge and her life takes a 360 degree turn. She is forced to move from a comfortable life in Mumbai to Banaras and thus begins her journey of her coming of age from a pampered girl to becoming the support system for her family.

     

    “Our endeavour at Star Plus has always been to create strong characters like Sandhya, Ishita and Anjali who work hard and follow through to achieve their dreams. Tere Sheher Mein‘s Amaya is one such inspirational character. We are happy to associate with Rajan Shahi once again who we have partner to create successful shows such as Bidaai and Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hain,” said a channel spokesperson.

     

    Directors Kut producer Rajan Shahi added, “I am extremely happy and proud to be working with the No 1 platform, Star Plus, once again and hope that this fruitful association goes a long way ahead. Tere Sheher Mein show has been shot on a grand scale across locations in Paris, Banaras and Mumbai and has been directed by Oscar nominated director Gyan Correa, who brings an altogether new approach and perspective to the show. The ensemble cast of Gautami Kapoor, Sachin Tyagi and Hiba Nawab bring out the essence of the characters.”

  • Marketing, promotion the &TV way

    Marketing, promotion the &TV way

    And in 2015 a new benchmark has been set on how to launch a new channel in the hyper competitive and challenging Indian TV ecosystem. We are referring to the effort that is being put behind the unveiling of Zee Network’s &TV on 2 March.

     

    In what could be labelled as an extremely well coordinated exercise, the brand has been in your face everywhere you go… in the streets, on television, in print, on radio, online and in social conversation. Estimates are that the network has laid out an advertising and marketing war chest of more than Rs 100 crore. All that is left is for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to come out and endorse it! Or the once again emerging common man’s political and social poster boy – Delhi’s chief minister Arvind Kejriwal to mention it.

     

    India’s oldest and most successful television and media industry monitor Indiantelevision.com has also been roped in as a partner by India’s oldest television network for the &TV launch. Hence, you will see a coordinated activity on the site. The ‘Indian’ in our masthead has been merged with one of the key messages it is trying to convey: television in our country will now be referred to as &ndiantelevision. Every ‘and’ reference in our stories has been replaced by the channel’s logo. We were more than willing to partake of this marketing and social experiment, as it is only for a day.

     

    It is a messaging and marketing innovation, which we believe has not been done before, and will definitely merit a case study going forward. We believe the more discerning and progressive will see it as such. It is an era of partnerships, and who else but Indiantelevision.com (which has been serving at least two generations of leadership and several more generations of low – and mid-management in the privately run television industry since it started in the early nineties) would dare to venture to take this pioneering step.

     

    Clearly, what was once perceived as a conservative and ‘Lala’ media group has engineered a campaign that would do any of the more experienced marketing mavens in Unilever India or Procter & Gamble or Coke or Pepsi proud.

     

    There is ample reason for the Subhash Chandra promoted and now run by his son Punit Goenka, Zee Network to go into a marketing overdrive for &TV. The channel is launching in the thick of cricket season: the exciting World Cup is on and Dhoni’s team has once again found its form. This is exciting India’s cricket mad TV viewers to start visualizing and wanting another India victory in the prestigious once in four years prize. Ratings for Star Sports have been like never before and around half of the Indian TV viewing audience stayed glued to their TV set to watch our men in blue thrash the boys in green from Pakistan in India’s opening match. Even repeat telecasts were tuned in to later in the evening, as were the analysis and magazine shows on Star Sports.

     

    While the World Cup will culminate end-March, it will soon to be followed by the slam bam version of the gentleman’s game the money spinning Indian Premier League (IPL) on the Sony Entertainment network in April. Even though riddled with controversy, the cricket league has been attracting eyeballs over the years. And should continue to do so in the 2015 season too.

    If one were to be a critic and point out a single flaw in the &TV campaign, it could be the over dependence of the channel on projecting one programme – the Shah Rukh Khan-hosted India Poochega Sabse Shaana Kaun. While it is a good strategy to use arguably India’s best known Bollywood face and the second richest actor in the world, it also means the show will have to measure up and meet the expectations it has raised in the minds of viewers. Yes, two other shows Razia Sultan and Begusarai are also being promoted but the decibel levels are lower than that for the Shah Rukh show. And Shah Rukh has not really set the small screen on fire in his earlier sojourns as the host of shows like Zor Ka Jhatka, Kaun Banega Crorepati or Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain, though the telecast of his films on TV has been good reason for viewers to stay put at home in the past.

     

    However, Goenka like his father is emerging as a business executive who is willing to take risks – some may say an expensive one. But the fact is that if the show catches on, he could well end up getting loads of praises and advertising dollars. If it doesn’t it could well prove a driver for other shows on the channel.

     

    Colors used this strategy at the time of its launch: Akshay Kumar became its  face, and though his Khatron Ke Khiladi did not get very high numbers as one would have expected, it worked like a magnet and drew audiences into the channel’s other shows and positioned Colors in the minds of viewers as an edgy and differentiated channel.

     

    If that is the strategy that Goenka and the &TV team lead by Rajesh Iyer are following (Iyer was associated with the Colors launch as well), then the other shows will have to really deliver. Prima facie the Zee Network seems to have raised the bar on production values if one looks at the shows on its new offering. The effort has been to keep the story telling and narrative for its fiction shows differentiated. Hopefully, India’s general entertainment viewers perceive the effort as such with &TV too.

     

    The new GEC is also launching at the time when a new TV viewership measurement system BARC is about to start rolling out its services. Who knows what surprises it may throw up as it has used newer metrics for placing its viewership meters in its 20,000 strong universe. The surprises could well end up working in the Zee Network’s and &TV’s favour.

     

    However, recent efforts to innovate in India’s Hindi general entertainment genre with linear channels have met with a rather tepid response. Star’s Life OK shone briefly, Zee TV’s Zindagi got critical acclaim but limited audiences and Sony Entertainment’s Pal was not well received by viewers.

     

    We will know soon enough whether &TV has what it takes. For that, it’s over to the audience.

  • ‘Swaragini’ captures Kolkata’s hotspots

    ‘Swaragini’ captures Kolkata’s hotspots

    KOLKATA: Various key locations of Kolkata, the city of Joy, including Howrah Bridge, Victoria Memorial, tram lines travelling to the Kalighat Temple and Millenium Park, have been captured for a new Hindi TV show Swaragini.

     

    The team of the serial, which highlights the cultural conflicts between two neighbouring families, launched the new entertainment show here.

     

    The leading faces of the show include Helly Shah and Tejaswi Prakash Wayangankar who play Swara Bose and Ragini Gadodia respectively.

     

    Swaragini tells the story of how Swara and Ragini discover their true identities and hold onto their family ties amid fractured relationships, which are the result of a certain past.

     

    Swara is a vibrant, fun loving and friendly girl brought up in an open-minded Bengali family. She lives life on her own terms, takes her own decisions and enjoys the small joys of life. She has lived the most part of her life at her maternal house with her maternal grandmother and brought up by a single mother, who is like her friend and confidante.

     

    Talking about playing the character, Helly said, “Swara is very similar to what I am in real life. The only difference is I am Gujarati and she is Bengali. Swara as Bengali is a non-vegetarian eating person, but in real life I am a vegetarian.”

     

    The promos of the show depict the Bengali family cooking fish. For Helly, shooting with the fish was quite an experience.

     

    “I never thought I will hold fish in my hand, but I did. It was very scary, almost like a nightmare but I did it for one of the opening sequences,” Helly said.

     

    On the other hand, Tejaswi’s character Ragini is a simple, down to earth and obedient girl. She belongs to a Marwari family and believes in listening to whatever her elders tell her to do. She resides with her father and grandparents. She loses her mother to illness but holds her memories dear.

     

    Tejaswi added, “There is lot of similarity and dissimilarity. Since I play a Marwari, I can’t eat non-vegetarian but I am hardcore non-vegetarian in real life. Also, I was supposed to be a classically trained singer, so I learnt classical singing and obviously when it comes to family, I follow my elders but I don’t belong to a conservative family, unlike what is seen in this show.”

     

    Swaragini, produced by Rashmi Sharma from Rashmi Sharma Telefilms, also features other characters — Shobha Bose played by Tanima Sen, Sharmishtha Bose played by Parinita Borthakur, Parvati Gadodia played by Alka Kaushik and Shekhar Gadodia played by Sachin Tyagi.

     

    With this show, Bengali actress Tanima Sen is also making her debut in Hindi showbiz.

  • Colors unveils a new note on family relationships with ‘Swaragini’

    Colors unveils a new note on family relationships with ‘Swaragini’

    MUMBAI:  Some relationships bring joy; some bring sadness and some bring anger just by the virtue of being broken beyond repair. This March, COLORS joins hands with Rashmi Sharma Telefilms to present an all-new television offering, Swaragini, which is set in the milieu of culturally rich Kolkata. The show narrates the story of two warring neighborhood families – the Bose and Gadodia families with diverse value systems. Swara and Ragini the daughters from these two families have distinctly different personalities shaped by their upbringing. Swaragini is a journey of how Swara and Ragini discover their true identities and hold onto their family ties and ideals in a fractured and uncordial environment which is a result of a concealing past. Whether they will be able to bridge the ever-widening divide between their families is, in fact, the question of the hour. Swaragini is set to hit airwaves starting 2nd March, 2015 and will air every Monday to Friday at 9:30 PM on Colors.

     

    Speaking about the launch of Swaragini, Manisha Sharma, Programming Head – COLORS, said, “Drama and entertainment are two essentials of a television offering which make for a gripping watch. As we venture into unchartered territory while exploring the fresh backdrop of Kolkata in Swaragini, our focus remains on creating a narrative that will enthrall viewers. The legendary divide between different cultures and their subsequent dysfunctional relations are at the helm of Swaragini’s storyline. The show will be premiering in the 9:30 PM primetime timeslot which will bring the tale featuring real and identifiable characters suitable for family viewing.”

     

    Swara (played by Helly Shah)and Ragini’s (played by Tejaswi Prakash) dissimilar personalities are primarily influenced by their grandmothers Shobha (essayed by Tanima Sen) and Parvati (essayed by Alka Kaushal) who also hold tight reins over Swara’s mother Sharmishtha (portrayed by Parinita Borthakur) and Ragini’s father Shekhar (portrayed by Sachin Tyagi) respectively. The show builds on the love-hate relationship that runs deep in the psyche of Kolkata – a divide between the articulate, thoughtful Bengalis and the fierce, ambitious Marwaris.

     

    Swaragini has been shot in authentic locations across Kolkata including Howrah Bridge, Victoria Memorial, Tram Lines between Kidderpore and Dalhousie, Kalighat Mandir, Millennium Park, Dakshineshwar Kali Temple and multiple more locations that showcase the cultural mix that Kolkata offers.

     

    To ensure that the authentic feel of Kolkata trickles through the entire show, a special set has been designed in Mumbai which recreates Kolkata and brings alive the different nuances which the make the city a truly delightful treat for viewers.

     

    Commenting on her brand-new television venture, producer Rashmi Sharma from Rashmi Sharma Telefilms, said, “Swaragini is a family-driven show with real characters who together narrate a story of inter-cultural family conflicts and how they can be overcome. With cast from varied cultures, our focus has been to recreate the real-life Bengali-Marwari divide to further build relatability among viewers. Kolkata is a melting pot of cultures and this is the first time that we are shooting here. Every bit of our experience has been enriching and we hope that the audience enjoy our narrative through the eyes of our protagonists.”

     

    To promote the show, the channel has chalked out a comprehensive 360-degree marketing campaign that includes on-air promotions, outdoor media, communications strategies and extensive digital initiatives. The campaign aims at driving concentrated engagement with the consumers via various mediums so as to create maximum buzz and eye balls for the show.

  • “The programming strategy of Sony Pal is very hypothetical currently”: Anooj Kapoor

    “The programming strategy of Sony Pal is very hypothetical currently”: Anooj Kapoor

    MUMBAI: In early January this year, Indiantelevision.com broke the news about the almost six month old baby from the Multi Screen Media (MSM) stable, Sony Pal looking for a revamp. Reason: failure of few of its shows to connect with the hearts of its target audience. 

     

    Launched on 1 September, 2014, the channel targeted women in the age group of 15-34 years in SEC BCDE. 

     

    The channel, from December 2014, had slashed 1.5 hours of content from 3.5 hours and showcased only two hours of original content till February 2015 until they decided to clamp down on fresh content and continue to air repeats.

     

    Sony Pal and Sab SVP and business head Anooj Kapoor had earlier stated, “We are soon going to come back in the same slots, which have been shut down with new programmes in terms of dailies and with consumer feedback on-board. Hopefully, this time around we will go to the next level. We are going to come back with exact consumer expectations as they have articulated after viewing the channel.”

     

    Now until the time that the channel is back with a fresh line-up of shows, MSM has come up with a strategy to put Pal on Prasar Bharati’s free-to-air (FTA) digital platform DD Freedish. 

     

    Moreover, it has added shows of its two other GECs – Sony Entertainment Television (SET) and Sab on Pal to attract audiences from the Freedish market.

     

    However the channel will continue to remain a pay channel on all other platforms. Kapoor reiterates that Pal will continue to be a pay channel and it has not compromised on the pricing of the channel on other platforms. 

     

    So how will getting on Freedish help Sony Pal? According to Kapoor, the idea on Pal is to get a certain threshold level ingredients and get in fresh and original programming again. 

     

    He goes on to say that in the repeat format today, Star Utsav from the Star India stable, gets 67 per cent of its ratings from Freedish. “Our understanding was that if we want to reach anywhere near to those figures, we had to get onboard Freedish,” he said.

     

    It can be recalled that one of the reasons for the failure that Kapoor had stated was of distribution. The channel was not optimally present everywhere at the time of launch. That affected the initial sampling. The fact that, in the digital space, the channel was about 15 LCNs (local channel numbers) away from the leading Hindi GECs made it worse. For the audiences to locate, sample and actually break a habit of viewing other shows was a task.

     

    When questioned about the progress on that front, Kapoor explained, “Whatever the learnings have been, we will plug it in when we bring in fresh programming. And if the channel has already hit a certain threshold, then the investment will also be poured in as that is also required to plug in the distribution gaps.”

     

    When asked about the revamp stage, Kapoor defines its programming strategy currently to be very hypothetical. “We don’t know how much time it will take for us to reach the threshold level. But once we reach there, we will start our original programming.”

     

  • Sri Adhikari Brothers launches Hindi GEC ‘Dillagi’ for LC1 markets

    Sri Adhikari Brothers launches Hindi GEC ‘Dillagi’ for LC1 markets

    MUMBAI: Focusing on the recently announced growth strategy of launching new channels over the next 12 months, Shri Adhikari Brothers (SAB) has launched its fifth channel ‘Dillagi’ on 23 February, 2015.

     

    SAB head Manav Dhanda said, “The channel will be available on Free Dish, Dish TV and will be well penetrated with other MSO’s in LC1 towns and villages across India. Seven out of every ten Indians live in towns and villages. Asli India lives these LC1 & Villages. Now be it a place Mandvi, a small town in Gujarat , or Auriya in UP to Sironj in MP, they all will have their own channel ‘DILLAGI.  A channel that truly stands by its tagline – Channel Asli India ka.”

     

    The USP of ‘Dillagi’ is its daily programming, which is dedicated to Asli Indians, Asli viewer’s tastes with a mix of variety of shows & movies that keeps viewers glued to their TV screen.

     

    “The programming which is targeted towards wholesome entertainment for the entire family will touch a cord with the audience in LC1 markets. We can say that – Full on entertainment is on when ‘Dillagi’ is on. A channel which the entire family can enjoy together,” he added.

  • Zee TV invites Delhiites to be a part of Aarushi-Vihaan’s sangeet & engagement ceremony

    Zee TV invites Delhiites to be a part of Aarushi-Vihaan’s sangeet & engagement ceremony

    MUMBAI: Right since its launch in November 2014, Zee TV’s popular primetime drama ‘Satrangi Sasural’ has emerged as one of the most successful fiction launches of the year. The show has struck a chord with the audiences; given its unique premise of a boy brought up with great love by not one, but seven mothers– each one in search of a suitable match for him!  After running from pillar to post to find him the perfect girl, Vihaan’s seven mothers are finally unanimously floored by the simplicity, honesty and charming demeanor of the beautiful Aarushi. The show has reached a crucial juncture with the upcoming wedding of its much adored protagonists Vihaan (Ravish Desai) & Aarushi (Mugdha Chaphekar). The pre-wedding preparations of television’s cutest couple are in full swing at the Vatsal household with all the doting mothers gearing up to make the wedding a knock-out affair!

     

     Just this week, the mothers set out to three cities in India to seek the blessings of the show’s loyal fans and personally hand-over the wedding invites. While the Indorewaasis gave a warm welcome to Sheetal Thakkar (who plays  Maasi Ma), the Ahmedavadis left no stone unturned in making Resham Tipnis (Mini Maa) at home. Bhavana Balsaver who plays Chachi Ma went on a gorging spree with all the Lucknowi delicacies when she flew down to the city to  invite residents from Lucknow!

     

    With Delhi being a dilwaalon ka sheher, where a shaadi is nothing short of an entertainment extravaganza and absolutely everybody is ready-on-a-foot to ‘shake-a-leg-after-a-Patiala peg’, Zee TV comes to the capital city, today, inviting fans to participate in the revelry of Vihaan-Arushi’s sangeet & engagement ceremony. A star-studded soirée of song and dance and a shaahi daawat  awaits every Delhiite at Ajmal Khan Park, Lawn No 1 ,Karol Bagh on Saturday, 20th February as the entire family of Satrangi Sasural comes together under one roof for the grand celebration. A 3-day build-up in Delhi aimed at getting the maximum viewer participation in the ground event was rolled out with residential activations, buzz through radio and print. This is the first time that a Hindi general entertainment channel has thrown open the engagement ceremony and Sangeet of the lead couple of one of its primetime shows to the masses!

     

    Zee TV marketing head Sorbojeet Chatterjee said, “A wedding in India sets the right atmosphere for people to come together, bond and celebrate life – and that’s how we wish to connect with our viewers too. So, with Aarushi-Vihaan’s upcoming wedding, we’ve seized the opportunity to involve our audience in the pre-wedding festivities. The opportunity to personally meet and interact with their favorite stars, pose with them for pictures will give our viewers an unforgettable experience.  Delhi is the most apt choice for hosting this gala –  not only is the show based in the city, but the spirit of the city’s people lends itself beautifully to such a celebration. Our endeavor is to create a memorable evening  and achieve high visibility around the upcoming shaadi highpoint.”

     

    Satrangi Sasural explores a unique scenario, where the man of the house has been raised by seven very strong, independent mother figures, who have distinct sets of expectations from their prospective daughter-in-law. The man in question is all set to marry a girl who must then stand up to these varied expectations of the doting mothers, adapt to this new environment and build relationships within the family. But every love story comes with its fair share of obstacles, and Vihaan and Arushi’s is no exception! To ensure that they have Vihaan’s mothers’ unanimous blessings for the marriage, Vihaan and Aarushi have pretended to not know each other and have made the set-up look like an arranged marriage. Once the truth is revealed, will it cast a shadow between Aarushi and Vihaan or will the lovers enter into matrimonial bliss with everyone’s blessings…? To find out, tune into the wedding week drama on Satrangi Sasural at 10 PM between 23rd and 28th February, only on Zee TV.

  • Sab to launch new comical adventure – ‘Betaal Aur Sinhasan Battisi’

    Sab to launch new comical adventure – ‘Betaal Aur Sinhasan Battisi’

    MUMBAI: Sab TV is all set to launch a new comical show, which has elements of a mythological fantasy. Called Betaal Aur Sinhasan Battisi, the show is created by Creative Eye Ltd and produced by Dheeraj Kumar and Zuby Kochhar. The new series will launch on 10 March at 7.30 pm.

     

    The show has been shot on grand looking sets and will have majestic special effects to do justice to the characters. 

     

    Sandeep Anand (Betaal) and Siddharth Arora (Raja Bhoj) will feature as the main protagonists in the daily show.

     

    The twist that the show will add to the legendary story of Bhoj’s struggle and determination to possess the throne of Vikramaditya is the unreasonable challenges that Betaal’s character will present to him.

     

    The show’s key comical character will be portrayed by Betaal, the self-appointed protector of Vikramaditya’s Sinhasan Battisi. The series will see various attempts made by Betaal who would use his wit and harmless deceit to ensure that the Sinhasan is not given to anyone by Mahamaya and the Putlees. Thus, possessively protecting the sinhasan from Bhoj. Betaal Aur Sinhasan Battisi will be a hilarious amalgamation of situational comedy, jealously and perseverance.

     

    Sab senior EVP and business head Anooj Kapoor said, “The unique proposition has always been differentiation through innovation. Betaal Aur Sinhasan Battisi show is a wholesome family entertainer which showcases a comical dimension to the challenges faced by Raja Bhoj courtesy the ever-troublesome Betaal.”

     

    Producer Kumar added, “The show shall surely tickle your bones and the historical, mythological, fantasy story shall make you travel in a world of creative dimension and magnificent visual.”

  • Colors bets big on cookery show with Farah Khan as host

    Colors bets big on cookery show with Farah Khan as host

    MUMBAI:  Food is an important part of general entertainment channel’s (GEC) programming line-up these days and this time round Colors is adding the entertainment quotient to it.

    Colors is all set to bring to the table a variety of dishes with the launch of its new cookery show – Farah Ki Daawat, which will be hosted by filmmaker Farah Khan.

    After her successful stint in the channel’s reality TV show, Bigg Boss Halla Bol, Khan is set to return to the small screen with the new series. Produced by Wizcraft Entertainment, the new programme will see Bollywood and television celebrities showcasing their culinary skills by tossing up some delectable dishes. What’s more, Khan will be seen breathing down their neck and emphasizing on perfection as the judge cum host.

    Talking about the concept of the show, Colors CEO Raj Nayak feels that the new offering will provide viewers with an uninhibited glimpse into the kitchen of their favourite celebrities – a concept which has never been seen on television before.

    Nayak says, “At Colors, it is our constant endeavour to present differentiated content, which adds to our bouquet of offerings while making the channel a one-stop entertainment destination for our viewers.”

    The show will see celebrities from different walks of life sharing their favourite food recipes and memories from their kitchen. The series will also feature challengers who, teamed up with the celebrities, to raise the entertainment quotient while engaging in quirky tasks and activities.

    Nayak is of the opinion that apart from the novel concept, Khan – a multi-faceted personality, who is a closet foodie, will be the cherry on the cake. “The combination of good food and great conversations convinced us that the concept could be a potential attention grabber amongst viewers,” asserts Nayak.

    According to Nayak, currently the plan is to shoot 15 episodes. However, that could change on the basis of viewer feedback towards the episodes. As of now, five-six episodes have already been canned.

    If industry sources are to be believed, keeping in mind the celebrity quotient on the show, a 10-sec ad slot on Farah Ki Daawat demands anywhere between Rs 1 – 1.2 lakh per episode.

    Apart from the promos on-air, Khan herself has been aggressive about promoting the show on the social media platform – Twitter. From posting pictures while shooting with celebs to inviting people for the ‘dawaat’ on 22 February, she has created a lot of buzz.

    The celebs that have shot with Khan till now are Abhishek Bachchan, Alia Bhatt, Riteish and Genelia Deshmukh, Avinash Gowariker, Manish Paul, Boman Irani, Sonu Sood, Malaika Arora Khan. What’s more Bigg Boss 8 winner Gautam Gulati and housemates like Pritam Singh, Diandra Soares, Sambhavna Seth, Rahul Mahajan, Ajaz Khan and Praneet Bhat will also be seen on the show.

    For Farah Ki Daawat, the channel has already got thumbs up from advertisers. Colors has roped in a volley of sponsors including Videocon as presenting sponsor, Kenstar as associate sponsors and Everest Masala as taste sponsors. The show will be powered by Mahakosh Cooking Oil.

    According to a media planner the cookery chat show will manage to grab some eyeballs with the celebrity quotient factor. “Initially, the show will have a certain audience, but in the end content is king. Let’s see if Farah is able to pull off her host element well and secondly if an hour-long session is entertaining enough.”

    It may be recalled that channels have for long experimented with food based cooking shows. From brief cookery episodes on Surabhi (DD) to Zee TV’s Khana Khazana, which launched Sanjeev Kapoor as a celebrity chef, the small screen has had a lot of shows revolving around producing gastronomic delights, apart from dedicated food channels like Zee Khana Khazana, Food First and Food Food.

    Competition is hotting up in this space too. Post MasterChef India’s (Star Plus) launch in 2010, a plethora of cookery talent hunt shows followed suit, including Kitchen Champion, with celebrity chef Gauti (Colors), Cook It Up with Tarla Dalal (Sony), Zaike Ka Safar (Zee TV), Mirch Masala (Star Plus) and Shipra Khanna Cookery Show (Star Plus), amongst others. What’s more, in a renewed attempt at the segment in 2013, Sony had launched Sanjeev Kapoor Ke Kitchen Khiladi, its first cookery-based competition show. Star Plus too continued its MasterChef series with MasterChef Junior.

    Today’s broadcasters realise that there is a show for every segment of the audience, from kids to grand-parents, from a 10-year old to health conscious corporate executives, house wives, working men and women to a 70-year old grandmother, is discussing food and tuning into food shows on television for recipes and more. It remains to be seen whether Farah Ki Daawat is able to tingle the audiences’ taste buds.

    Farah Ki Daawat will air from 22 February every Sunday at 8 pm and will see competition from shows like Private Investigator on Star Plus, Adaalat on Sony, Peterson Hill on Sab, Neeli Chatri Waale on Zee TV and Savdhaan India on Life OK.

  • Sony’s rebooted ‘Aahat’ to go on air from 18 February

    Sony’s rebooted ‘Aahat’ to go on air from 18 February

    MUMBAI: Sony Entertainment Television is all set to reboot its popular horror show – Aahat – after a hiatus of four years.

     

    As was reported by Indiantelevision.com earlier this year, SET was gearing up to launch the sixth season of Aahat with an aim to rake in some healthy numbers on the ratings chart.

     

    The show, which will go on air on 18 February, will be aired every Wednesday and Thursday at 11 pm. The launch date of the spine-chilling horror show coincides with Amavasya (no moon day).

     

    Produced by B.P. Singh’s Fireworks Productions, Aahat will showcase stories that are bolder, terrifying and daunting than before. Each episode will be as sleek as a movie with real stories and sinister ghosts. Each episode of the show will feature a popular television actor, making the narration exciting for the viewers. While the first episode will star Shakti Anand, the upcoming episodes will see faces like Sukhmini Sadana, Aradhana Uppal, Abhishek Tiwari and Gurpreet Bedi amongst many others.

     

    Sony Entertainment Television chief creative director Ajay Bhalwankar said, “We have seen that the appetite for horror as a genre has only increased over the years and thus we decided to bring back Aahat for our audiences. Restless, visually sleek, and powered by lithe star performances Aahat offers dark, thought-provoking thrills and I am sure it will be appreciated by our viewers yet again.”

     

    The first episode showcases a hair-raising tale of a couple who move into a new house, which is haunted. The spirit befriends the couple’s little son and starts troubling the family and the story takes a spin into the most horrifying tale ever seen or told.