ITV

Tag: Ridhi Dogra

  • Nat geo’s ‘postcards from Saudi Arabia’ paints a new picture of travel

    Nat geo’s ‘postcards from Saudi Arabia’ paints a new picture of travel

    MUMBAI: Talk about a trip worth writing home about. National Geographic is sending viewers on an unforgettable journey with its new four-part travel series Postcards from Saudi Arabia, streaming on Jiohotstar and airing on Nat geo channel from 6 September.

    Hosted by actor and presenter Ridhi Dogra, the series peels back the curtain on Saudi Arabia’s hidden gems, from ancient wonders to modern marvels. The show takes viewers across three Unesco world heritage sites such as Jeddah’s Al-Balad, Riyadh’s At-Turaif and Diriyah, and AlUla’s awe-inspiring Hegra.

    In Aiuia, audiences encounter iconic landmarks such as Elephant Rock and Old Town, where local crafts, music and desert luxury blend seamlessly. Jeddah offers a different rhythm with souks, vibrant street art, and sunsets over the Red Sea, while Riyadh balances tradition and innovation, showcasing bustling markets, art galleries and a city on the rise.

    For Dogra, the series carried a personal resonance. “As a woman travelling through the location, I felt an unexpected sense of freedom, warmth, and welcome,” she shared. “I hope viewers, especially women, see this as an invitation to explore freely.”

     

  • Balaji raises the stakes with Kull: a royal drama poised to rule the streams

    Balaji raises the stakes with Kull: a royal drama poised to rule the streams

    MUMBAI:  Balaji Telefilms, the name long synonymous with India’s soap-operatic swagger, is charging ahead in the digital domain. Its newly energised arm, Balaji Digital, is making a bold play for streaming supremacy with its third original for JioHotstar – Kull – The Legacy of the Raisingghs, set to premiere on 2 May 2025.

    Featuring a heavyweight cast of Nimrat Kaur, Ridhi Dogra, and Amol Parashar, the series dives deep into dynastic dysfunction, weaving a rich tapestry of loyalty, betrayal, legacy, and secrets best left buried. The recently released trailer has sparked a torrent of buzz across platforms, with fans dissecting every brooding glance and cryptic one-liner.

    “At Balaji, storytelling has always been our lifeblood — and digital is just another canvas, albeit a thrilling one,” said , Balaji Telefilms head digital originals Aparna Ramachandran. “With Kull, we’re venturing into new tonal territory. It’s layered, political, emotional – and unafraid to ask hard questions about what families choose to remember, and what they’d rather forget.”

    The move marks a sharp creative pivot for Balaji Digital, which has already made a streaming splash with Dus June Ki Raat – a dark, emotionally charged drama – and Power of Paanch, a long-format youth series that drew praise for its raw depiction of campus life.

    “Power of Paanch was an important moment for us – it showed that youth stories can have depth, nuance, and emotional consequence,” Ramachandran added. “And with Dus June Ki Raat, we demonstrated that Balaji could tackle mystery and emotional realism in a slow-burn format.”

    Kull, however, is a different beast. Set against the backdrop of a powerful royal family navigating present-day ambition and past sins, the show blends opulence with angst. Think Succession meets Gulzar — with the emotional complexity dialled all the way up.

    “The digital viewer is restless, sharp, and demands emotional authenticity,” said Ramachandran. “They’re sampling Korean thrillers, Spanish crime sagas, and British slow-burns — so we have to be at our sharpest. The brief at Balaji Digital is simple: break moulds, not hearts.”

    While Kull promises  a spectacle, it’s also being pitched as a narrative about power and truth in the age of curated legacies. The Raisingghs, the show’s central family, are emblematic of India’s royal residues — clinging to relevance, shrouded in secrecy.

    At the helm of this digital renaissance is Ekta Kapoor, who, after conquering TV and film, is reshaping her empire for the age of OTT. “Ekta has always believed in staying ahead of the curve,” Ramachandran said. “Balaji Digital is her next act — and Kull is just the beginning of what we have in store. We’re forging deep collaborations with platforms, and are already developing a slate that pushes the boundaries of genre and storytelling.”

  • Nach Baliye 6 to take a bold turn this season

    Nach Baliye 6 to take a bold turn this season

    MUMBAI: Come 9 November, Star Plus’ viewers are going to get to witness the flavours of love, passion and romance amongst reel and real life TV star couples once again as the channel flags off Nach Baliye Season 6. The 13-week long series will air every weekend at 9.00 pm, coming in as a replacement for Junior Masterchef which is coming to a close.

    With a brand new season, the channel, says it plans to make Nach Baliye bigger, better and bolder this year, though with the same format and the seductive campaign line “Hadh se badhega romance…is bar hoga Aisa dance.”

    Produced by Frames Productions, Nach Baliye season six brings together 11 celebrity couples that include: Raju and Shikha Shrivastava, Rakesh Vashisht and Ridhi Dogra, Kanika Maheshwari Ghai and Ankur Ghai, Gurmeet Choudhary and Debina Bonnerjee, Ripu Daman Handa and Shivangi Verma, Yash Sinha and Amrapali Gupta, Kiku and Priyanka Sharda, Bruna Abdalah and Omar Farooque, Sanjeev and Lataa Seth, Rithvik Dhanjani and Asha Negi and last but not the least Vinod and Raksha Thakur.

    “After making successful seasons of four and five, this season, we plan to take it to the next level. Our endeavour is to sustain this legacy of success achieved so far and bring viewers much closer to their favourite stars. Behind every couple there is a unique story not known to the public. We will strive to bring out each of their unique stories to engage Nach Baliye fans,” says Frames Production producer Hemant Ruprell.

    “Normally, these TV couples are so busy with their day to day schedules they may not give each other so much time. Participating in the show enables them to come together and explore more than what they know about each other over three months of competition. Nach Baliye is based on the principle that dancing together will bring you closer and it serves to reignite romance between couples,” Star Plus non-fiction head Ashish Golwalkar exults. “And of course on top of this there is a strong layer of entertainment in terms of comedy and moments that get played out on TV. People sitting at home will enjoy the journey.”

    The channel has retained the judges this season. Viewers will get to see Bollywood’s yummy mummy and dancing diva Shilpa Shetty, celebrated choreographer Terrence Lewis and director Sajid Khan. Hosts Gautam Rode and Karan Wahi are expected to add their brand of humour and banter to this drama filled dance show. Interestingly, the shooting has already begun with two episodes been canned in Filmistan Studio, Mumbai even as this story is being penned.

    “There is nothing subtle about this season,” asserts Star India EVP content strategy Gaurav Banerjee. “Each act will be conceived to show you a vibrant and exciting expression of love.”

    The Star Plus programming team is quite sanguine that Nach Baliye 6 will have no problems in getting in the TVTs once again.

    “Last year our content was pure and because of that purity of content, we were the No 1 show from the launch day till the end,” asserts Golwalkar. “There is going to be competition in any slot and at any given point of time on TV. But viewers have really appreciated and supported us. We have done our bit, and have really worked hard to put it together and it will be bigger, different and better than any other show.”

    Even though an announcement of the presenting sponsor was not made at the time of writing, the show’s season 6 facebook page, has Vaseline associated as presenting sponsor once again with Babool being the powered-by sponsor. Last year, LR Active Oil was the powered-by sponsor.

    The channel is really pressing hard on the marketing pedal in a bid to get the viewership numbers it hopes to achieve. For starters, there’s TV. A series of promos revealing the main contestants, Gurmeet and Deblina, and Raqesh and Riddhi Vashist has already hit the Star Network channels. Secondly, its facebook page has attracted around 6,500 likes, a fortnight before launch.

    Then the various couples’ online fan clubs have been encouraged to talk about them on twitter, apart from the handle #NachBaliye6 being flashed on its @StarPlus account to generate the buzz.

    Thirdly, activities revolving around traditional media (hoardings, television spots, radio, cinema) are already being rolled out. According to an estimate, close to Rs 2 crore has been set aside as marketing spend for the show.

    With that kind of muscle being put behind Nach Baliye 6, it is quite likely that it could well match its main rival Dance India Dance Season 4 step for step on the performance front.

  • Nach Baliye 6 to take a bold turn this season

    Nach Baliye 6 to take a bold turn this season

    MUMBAI: Come 9 November, Star Plus’ viewers are going to get to witness the flavours of love, passion and romance amongst reel and real life TV star couples once again as the channel flags off Nach Baliye Season 6. The 13-week long series will air every weekend at 9.00 pm, coming in as a replacement for Junior Masterchef which is coming to a close.

    With a brand new season, the channel, says it plans to make Nach Baliye bigger, better and bolder this year, though with the same format and the seductive campaign line “Hadh se badhega romance…is bar hoga Aisa dance.”

    Produced by Frames Productions, Nach Baliye season six brings together 11 celebrity couples that include: Raju and Shikha Shrivastava, Rakesh Vashisht and Ridhi Dogra, Kanika Maheshwari Ghai and Ankur Ghai, Gurmeet Choudhary and Debina Bonnerjee, Ripu Daman Handa and Shivangi Verma, Yash Sinha and Amrapali Gupta, Kiku and Priyanka Sharda, Bruna Abdalah and Omar Farooque, Sanjeev and Lataa Seth, Rithvik Dhanjani and Asha Negi and last but not the least Vinod and Raksha Thakur.

    “After making successful seasons of four and five, this season, we plan to take it to the next level. Our endeavour is to sustain this legacy of success achieved so far and bring viewers much closer to their favourite stars. Behind every couple there is a unique story not known to the public. We will strive to bring out each of their unique stories to engage Nach Baliye fans,” says Frames Production producer Hemant Ruprell.

    “Normally, these TV couples are so busy with their day to day schedules they may not give each other so much time. Participating in the show enables them to come together and explore more than what they know about each other over three months of competition. Nach Baliye is based on the principle that dancing together will bring you closer and it serves to reignite romance between couples,” Star Plus non-fiction head Ashish Golwalkar exults. “And of course on top of this there is a strong layer of entertainment in terms of comedy and moments that get played out on TV. People sitting at home will enjoy the journey.”

     

    The channel has retained the judges this season. Viewers will get to see Bollywood’s yummy mummy and dancing diva Shilpa Shetty, celebrated choreographer Terrence Lewis and director Sajid Khan. Hosts Gautam Rode and Karan Wahi are expected to add their brand of humour and banter to this drama filled dance show. Interestingly, the shooting has already begun with two episodes been canned in Filmistan Studio, Mumbai even as this story is being penned.

    “There is nothing subtle about this season,” asserts Star India EVP content strategy Gaurav Banerjee. “Each act will be conceived to show you a vibrant and exciting expression of love.”

    The Star Plus programming team is quite sanguine that Nach Baliye 6 will have no problems in getting in the TVTs once again.

    “Last year our content was pure and because of that purity of content, we were the No 1 show from the launch day till the end,” asserts Golwalkar. “There is going to be competition in any slot and at any given point of time on TV. But viewers have really appreciated and supported us. We have done our bit, and have really worked hard to put it together and it will be bigger, different and better than any other show.”

    Even though an announcement of the presenting sponsor was not made at the time of writing, the show’s season 6 facebook page, has Vaseline associated as presenting sponsor once again with Babool being the powered-by sponsor. Last year, LR Active Oil was the powered-by sponsor.

    The channel is really pressing hard on the marketing pedal in a bid to get the viewership numbers it hopes to achieve. For starters, there’s TV. A series of promos revealing the main contestants, Gurmeet and Deblina, and Raqesh and Riddhi Vashist has already hit the Star Network channels. Secondly, its facebook page has attracted around 6,500 likes, a fortnight before launch.

    Then the various couples’ online fan clubs have been encouraged to talk about them on twitter, apart from the handle #NachBaliye6 being flashed on its @StarPlus account to generate the buzz.

    Thirdly, activities revolving around traditional media (hoardings, television spots, radio, cinema) are already being rolled out. According to an estimate, close to Rs 2 crore has been set aside as marketing spend for the show.

    With that kind of muscle being put behind Nach Baliye 6, it is quite likely that it could well match its main rival Dance India Dance Season 4 step for step on the performance front.