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Tag: Aaj Ki Raat Hai Zindagi

  • Curtains down on Amitabh Bachchan’s ‘Aaj Ki Raat Hai Zindagi’ on 10 January

    Curtains down on Amitabh Bachchan’s ‘Aaj Ki Raat Hai Zindagi’ on 10 January

    MUMBAI: Amitabh Bachchan completes yet another inning on television as his non-fiction show on Star Plus – Aaj Ki Raat Hai Zindagi comes to an end.

    Being a finite series, the show had a life of 13 episodes and will air its last episode on 10 January.

    A source close to the development informs Indiantelevision.com that Big B signed a Rs 1.5 crore deal with Star for hosting the show. What’s more, the ad rates for the show’s 10 second slot was Rs 2 lakh.

    Additionally, the channel had roped in Maruti Suzuki as the presenting sponsor and Cadburys Dairy Milk as the powered by sponsor for the show. 

    However, despite have oodles of celebrity quotient on the show as well as having a unique feel-good factor, the show failed to generate good ratings for the channel. 

    “It didn’t do well in the terms of ratings. Despite bringing in so many celebrities on the show, it didn’t prove a profitable proposition for the channel,” said a senior media planner, on condition of anonymity.

    Dentsu Aegis Network South Asia chairman & CEO South Ashish Bhasin opined, “It’s true that having a celebrity onboard a show does give it an edge. Therefore it is helpful in the initial few days to set up its fan base and audience. But in the long run that won’t sustain a show. Ultimately it’s the content of the show that will retain eyeballs. Advertisers understand this as well. They might want to take advantage of the initial popularity of the show for a celeb, but for continuous investment they will go for a show that is doing well long term.”

    Star India COO Sanjay Gupta said, “Star India has always endeavoured to explore new and disruptive content – one that can fuel a billion imaginations. Aaj Ki Raat Hai Zindagi is one such show that, at its heart, captured the ethos of Star. Through this 13-episode finite series, our vision was to celebrate the extraordinary deeds done by ordinary people thereby inspiring people to believe that they too can make a difference and positivity can triumph. By celebrating the inherent goodness in people, we believe that people will be inspired by the feel-good and do-good spirit of the show long after the series reaches its culmination.”

    On 10 January at 8 pm, the show’s finale will see the legendary Jai-Veeru moment from Sholay being recreated on the stage of Aaj Ki Raat Hai Zindagi along with a surprise performance by Farhan Akhtar for Bachchan. 

    Whether the channel brings back the show for a second season, remains to be seen.

  • Star Plus to launch 2 new shows; Balaji’s ‘Kuch Toh…’ to go off air

    Star Plus to launch 2 new shows; Balaji’s ‘Kuch Toh…’ to go off air

    MUMBAI: Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC) Star Plus is all set to add a fresh breath of air to its programming with the launch of two new shows namely Silsilla Pyaar Ka and Swadhinta in the new year. These shows will replace two of the channels’ existing shows.

     

    Balaji Telefilms’ show Kuch Toh Hai Tere Mere Darmiyaan, which was launched on 28 September, will be going off air in January. The show airs at 8:30 pm from Monday to Saturday.

     

    A source close to the development informs Indiantelevision.com, “The show failed to generate sustainable ratings, and therefore it’s going off air. It might be replaced by Silsila Pyaar Ka produced by Rashmi Sharma Telefilms, which is slated to launch in first week of January.”

     

    The promos of the show have already been released. Silsilla Pyaar Ka revolves around a possessive mother, her son and the girl in his life.

     

    On the other hand, the Hindi adaptation of Warner Bros’ Everybody Loves Raymond – Sumit Sambhal Lega is also in its final phase and is slated to go off air in the last week of January. Produced by DJ’s Creative Unit, the show was launched on 31 August and airs at 10 pm from Monday to Saturday.

     

    Another source added, “The show might get replaced by Farhaan Salaruddin headed Fortune Production’s upcoming show Swadhinta. Based on courtroom drama, the show will focus on the bureaucracy in our nation. The show is slated to launch on 1 February.”

     

    Additionally, Star Plus’ Aaj Ki Raat Hai Zindagi hosted by superstar Amitabh Bachchan will soon reach its final phase. Launched on 18 October, Aaj Ki Raat Hai Zindagi airs on Sunday at 8 pm. The last episode of the show is slated to air in the second week of January.

  • Big B’s train journey inspired by ‘Aaj Ki Raat Hai Zindagi’ creates a stir on social media

    Big B’s train journey inspired by ‘Aaj Ki Raat Hai Zindagi’ creates a stir on social media

    MUMBAI: On Sunday morning, the local train commuters from CST to Bhandup were in for a surprise when they saw none other than Amitabh Bachchan in their train. In no time, #BigBAurHeroKaSafar became a trending topic across social media with several people posting pictures and videos of the actor from the train. The hashtag #BigBAurHeroKaSafar was the number one trend nationwide, on Twitter. 

     

    Big B was there to support a hero, Saurabh Nimbkar who featured on his show, ‘Aaj Ki Raat Hai Zindagi’. He was impressed by Saurabh who sings in the train to raise funds for cancer patients, and wanted to join in for this noble cause. 

     

    He not only cheered for Saurabh but sang along with him, leaving the crowds in a frenzy. The frenzy evidently wasn’t just limited to the train compartment, but spread across social media with several people appreciating this gesture or expressing how surprised they were.  

     

    ‘Aaj Ki Raat Hai Zindagi’ which celebrates life and the small joys it offers, airs on Star Plus and hotstar, every Sunday at 8pm

  • HooHaa! Amitabh Bachchan all set for ‘AKRHZ’ launch on Star Plus

    HooHaa! Amitabh Bachchan all set for ‘AKRHZ’ launch on Star Plus

    MUMBAI: Hoooo Haaaa! The excitement is almost palpable amongst one and all as the ever energetic grand old man of the Indian film industry – Amitabh Bachchan’s baritone voice and affable presence is set to yet again fill up television screens across the country this weekend.

     

    This time round, Bachchan will be seen hosting Star Plus’ new show Aaj Ki Raat Hai Zindagi, which will launch at 8 pm on 18 October. 

     

    The show, which aims to celebrate people across India making a difference in their communities, will see three personalities from the film industry as the first guests. Actors Alia Bhatt, Shilpa Shetty Kundra as well as singer Arijit Singh will be Bachchan’s first guests on the show. Aaj Ki Raat Hai Zindagi is being directed by Ken Ghosh. Actor and host Hussain Kuwajerwala will be the show’s co-host alongside Bachchan.

     

    After his stint on television started with Kaun Banega Croreapati (KBC) on Star Plus back in 2000, Bachchan has been hosting the same show on Sony Entertainment Television thereafter. Apart from the non-fiction show, his tryst with the television medium also saw him acting in the fiction series titled Yudh last year on Sony. While the audience has lapped up his avatar as anchor and host season after season ofKBC, his fiction fare didn’t find much favour from them.

     

    Now as Bachchan is back in his real avatar as the friendly and charming host on television yet again, albeit on a different kind of non-fiction format show, it remains to be seen how Aaj Ki Raat Hai Zindagi is received by the audience. That said, seeing the spring in his step and the zeal in his voice, Bachchan’s enthusiasm is almost contagious

     

  • Star Plus’ ‘AKRHZ’ aims to infuse optimism in life with Amitabh Bachchan

    Star Plus’ ‘AKRHZ’ aims to infuse optimism in life with Amitabh Bachchan

    MUMBAI: Star Plus’ upcoming show Aaj Ki Raat Hai Zindagi is soon going to beam across television screens. The show will showcase Indian superstar Amitabh Bachchan in a pivotal role as he embarks upon a journey to celebrate life and aims to infuse optimism in people.

     

    As was previously reported by Indiantelevision.com, the show will go on air from 18 October and will be aired on Sundays at 8 pm.

     

    Aaj Ki Raat Hai Zindagi aims to inspire people to change their outlook, and cherish the good that life has to offer, apart from entertaining them of course.

     

    Star India COO Sanjay Gupta said, “Entertainment when done with a sense of purpose can be a very powerful tool, one that can break the cynicism and bring about happiness. As a network, we have always strived to inspire a billion imaginations while working towards giving our audience something new and exciting. And with Aaj Ki Raat Hai Zindagi, we are happy to collaborate again with Amitabh Bachchan on a project, which is so special. Off late, an overexposure of negative news has impacted our perspective towards life, so the show is an attempt to bring back a sense of optimism.”

     

    Sharing his views about the show, Bachchan said, ”The show is all about a celebration of life and people who have made a difference. I am working with Star after a gap of 15 years and wanted a project that befitted the legacy. Aaj Ki Raat Hai Zindagi is One such endeavour that will make you smile, dance, clap and go ‘HuuHaa’ with joy. Life Is all about living, loving and celebrating moments with pepole who put a smile on your face and it is celebration that matters most.”

     

    The channel has roped in Maruti Suzuki as the presenting sponsor and Cadbury Dairy Milk as the powered by sponsor.

     

    Maruti Suzuki India marketing and sales executive director R S Kalsi said, “We at Maruti Suzuki always believe in making a difference to every Indian and our inspiration comes from one place – India’s hopes, dreams and aspirations. It’s a privilege to be associated with a show that shares the same belief. Our vision is to be the ‘Pride of India’ and Aaj Ki Raat Hai Zindagi celebrates the pride of the ordinary people who have contributed and made a difference to the society in some form or the other.”

     

    “Cadbury Dairy Milk has always stood for triggering joy through unlocking relationships and this program is all about people who go beyond to bring joy to the lives of others. CDM stands for generosity, optimism and authenticity and we felt that the stories of AKRHZ mirror those very values- hence it seemed like a great,” added Mondelez India director Prashant Peres.

     

    The show is based on the Tonight’s The Night format, which is owned and produced by BBC Worldwide.

     

    The extensive marketing campaign by Star Plus before the launch of the show, has led to immense curiosity and discussions all over. The first teaser of the campaign received over one million views on Facebook in less than 20 hours, creating a new benchmark for TV shows.  The creative campaign has been conceived by O&M and produced by Bubble Wrap Films.

     

    The punch line of the teasers, ‘Huuhaa’ got the nation talking about the show with #HuuHaa trending on social media. The entire campaign on social media has received over 400 million potential impressions till date creating a lot of positive buzz. This will be followed by a marketing blitz on television, radio, digital and outdoor.

     

    HuuHaa to that!

  • Star’s ‘Aaj Ki Raat Hai Zindagi’ set to air from 18 October

    Star’s ‘Aaj Ki Raat Hai Zindagi’ set to air from 18 October

    MUMBAI: Star India’s Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC) Star Plus is all set to launch its new show Aaj Ki Raat Hai Zindagi(AKRHZ) with Amitabh Bachchan as the host on 18 October. The show will be aired on Sundays at 8 pm.

     

    AKRHZ will replace the channel’s reality show Dance+, which is set to conclude on 11 October.

     

    On Sundays at 8 pm, Star Plus’ AKRHZ will be pitted against the following programmes across other Hindi GECs: While Colors’ airs The Anupam Kher Show – Kucch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai in the 8 pm slot on Sundays, Zee TV airs Hindi movies from 7.30 pm onwards. On the other hand, Star’s other Hindi GEC Life OK airs Dafa 420, Sab airs Police Factory, &TV airs the game show Deal or No Deal hosted by Ronit Roy, and Sony Entertainment Television airs Deva Shree Ganesha.

     

    Bachchan, who has been seen in an effervescent avatar in various promos of the show, is excited about this new show, to say the least. The veteran actor, who will soon be celebrating his 73rd birthday on 11 October, took to Facebook to say, “And now really close to the making of ‘AKRHZ’ .. its always an intense and tense moment .. but one carries on regardless .. work needs to be done .. so one does ..”

     

    Star Plus has roped in Maruti Suzuki as the presenting sponsor and Cadbury Dairy Milk as the powered by sponsor for AKRHZ.

     

    With AKRHZ, which is an adaptation of British series Tonight’s The Night, Star Plus and Bachchan come together again after a span of 15 years. Their maiden tryst together in the television space was with Kaun Banega Crorepati in the year 2000. Post that the actor hosted the same game show on Sony Entertainment Television (SET). His most recent stint on television was last year, when he was seen on SET’s psychological thriller miniseries titled Yudh.

  • Hindi GECs ace programming game as festive season descends

    Hindi GECs ace programming game as festive season descends

    MUMBAI: The Indian festival season is fast approaching and all major Hindi general entertainment channels (GECs) are pulling out new programming rabbits from their hats to lure in viewers.

     

    What’s more, with brands loosening their purses considerably for advertising purposes during the festival season, fresh programming is the best way for broadcasters to offer them a big bang for their buck.

     

    From Colors’ Bigg Boss Season 9 to Sony’s Power Couple, from Star Plus’ Aaj Ki Raat Hai Zindagi to Zee TV’s I Can Do That, broadcasters are adding muscle to their programming with star power because in a country like India, nothing works its charm better on the general public than Bollywood celebrities. So major A-list stars like Amitabh Bachchan, Salman Khan and Farhan Akhtar are prepping up to weave their magic on the small screen soon. 

     

    Be it in the fiction or non-fiction space, channels are trying hard to give exceptional shows to boost viewership. Firmly putting the saas-bahu sagas behind them, channels are now experimenting with content to stay ahead of the competition.

     

    Hindi GECs like Star Plus, Colors, Zee TV, Life OK, Sab, Sony Entertainment Television (SET) as well as &TV have multiple new shows up their sleeves, which are slated to launch in the coming months.  

     

    Here’s a look at the programming fireworks in store for the festive season across major Hindi GECs.

     

    Star Plus

     

    The leader in Hindi GECs, Star Plus has a few aces up its sleeves this festive season. And the one making the most amount of buzz as of now is the show with Amitabh Bachchan as host titled Aaj Ki Raat Hai Zindagi. Two teaser promos of the show with Big B have already managed to pique viewer interest. The show will also see Star Plus and Bachchan coming together again after a span of 15 years. Their association started back in 2000 with the first season of Kaun Banega Crorepati, which also marked Bachchan’s television debut. 

     

    In recent fiction launches, Star Plus began airing Balaji Telefilms’ new show Kuch Toh Hai Tere Mere Darmiyaan from 28 September. Apart from this, the channel has a few other shows lined up. Produced by Triangle Film Company’s Nikhil Sinha for the channel, is the mythological series titled Siya Ke Ram, which is slated to launch soon. The series will depict Sita’s story while narrating her journey with Ram.

     

    The second new fiction show on Star Plus is titled Saajan, which is produced by Rashmi Sharma Telefilms. While the show is currently under production, it is likely to launch by October end.

     

    Colors

     

    Since its prime time shows Sasural Simar Ka, Udaan and Swaragini have been rating rakers, Colors is eyeing only one new fiction show launch in the coming months called Naagin. The channel has not yet revealed the launch date of the show, which is produced by SOL Productions. That said, in the non-fiction space, Colors will be bringing back its hugely popular reality show Bigg Boss with double the vigour as host Salman Khan promises ‘Double Trouble’ this season. Not wanting to mess with its current programming line-up, Colors has slotted season nine of Bigg Boss in the new time slot of 10.30 pm on weekdays from 11 October.

     

    Zee TV

     

    While last month the channel launched a couple of new shows like Laajwanti and Yeh Vaada Raha, in October too Zee TV will continue its spree of new programming. A new fiction show called Kaala Teeka, which revolves around superstition and its impact on our society, will be launched soon. The first teaser of the show is already on air. The second new fiction show is titled Radha Krishna – Ek Aalokik Prem Gaatha, which is a romantic series that explores the love of Radha for Lord Krishna.

     

    In the non-fiction space, Zee is bringing the international non-fiction format show I Can Do That to India, which will go on air from 17 October. The show will have 12 celebrities who will perform never seen before tasks on stage. I Can Do That will be hosted by Farhan Akhtar. Another show in the non-fiction category is the second season of talent search reality show India’s Best Dramebaaz. The show will see children between the age group of 5-12 years as participants and is produced by Essel Productions.

     

    Life OK

     

    Star India’s second Hindi GEC Life OK is getting ready to herald in a couple of new shows by the end of October. The first fiction show is titled Jaane Kya Hoga Rama Re and is produced by Shobhana Desai Production. The show, which will also mark Supriya Pathak’s comeback on the small screen, was earlier titled Ram Ki Leela Rang Layegi.

     

    Two others fiction shows that are being readied for launch in the month of October are Pati Patni or Woh by Edit II Productions and Naagarjuna produced by Beyond Dream Productions.

     

    Sab TV

     

    The comedy destination on Indian television – Sab is known for quirky shows. While the channel launched a new show late last month called Police Factory, which is produced by DJs A Creative Unit, another show is slated to launch by the end of October. The new show – Chalti Ka Naam Gadi is based on a car and a family and is produced by Deepti Bhatnagar Productions.

     

    Sony Entertainment Television

     

    With an aim to reboot its programming story, Sony Entertainment Television too has a host of new shows lined up. The first in line is the fiction titled Pyar Ko Ho Jane Do starring Iqbal Khan and Mona Singh in the lead. The show will replace Reporter from 20 October in the 9 pm slot. 

     

    On the non-fiction front, the channel will be bringing the popular Israeli reality show Power Couple to India, which will be hosted by Arbaaz Khan and Malaika Arora Khan. Produced by Colosceum, the show will see 10 celebrity couples living under one roof being tested as they face extreme challenges to prove how well they know each other. The launch date of the show has not yet been announced.

     

    &TV

     

    Zee Entertainment Enterprises’ &TV will be churning out as many as three new shows across different genres. Foraying in the horror genre, the channel will be launching a mini-series called Dar Sabko Lagta Hai, which will be anchored by Bipasha Basu. Exploring other genres, &TV is soon also planning to launch its first mythological series called Santoshi Maa. The show’s teaser promo is already on air. On the other hand, a fiction titled Yeh Kaha Gaye Hum, produced by Balaji Telefilms, will be going on air from 26 October.

     

    With genres ranging from horror to mythology, reality to drama, comedy to romance, there’s a liberal dose of everything for everyone on Hindi GECs this festive season.