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Tag: Zee Classic

  • Zee Classic raises toast to Rajesh Khanna

    Zee Classic raises toast to Rajesh Khanna

    MUMBAI: It was said that when he walked on dusty roads, women used to treat the dirt as their ‘Mang Ka Sindoor’. If his car was even in sight, it used to be entirely covered with lipstick marks. Female fans went into a frenzy of depression when they heard about his marriage. No one in the Indian film industry has enjoyed or even commanded the kind of stardom that Superstar Rajesh Khanna did. The original ‘King of Romance’ was the epitome of the overpowering charisma and thus to celebrate the greatness of India’s first superstar, Zee Classic has flagged off a special ‘SRK: Superstar Rajesh Khanna’ film festival commencing from Thursday 12 March till Sunday 15 March at 9:00 PM every night.

    The festival will begin with the Rajesh Khanna and Sridevi starrer romantic-comedy Masterji on 12 March. A box office hit Masterji is about a precocious village belle, Radha (Sridevi) trying her best to seduce the widowed school-master.

    Premiering for the first time on Zee Classic – Dard, a crime thriller co-starring Hema Malini is slated to air on 13 March. Incidentally, the film marked his ninth appearance in a double role. Blended with melodious music by Laxmikant Pyarelal, Mehboob Ki Mehandi a runaway hit also starring Leena Chandravarkar will be telecasted on 14 March. The festival will conclude with super hit romantic-comedy Mere Jeevan Saathi that hosted eternal romantic numbers like “O Mere Dil Ke Chain” or  “Aao Na Gale Lagao Na” will be showcased on Zee Classic for the first time on 15 March.

  • Zee Classic to celebrate Sanjay Dutt’s debut in Bollywood

    Zee Classic to celebrate Sanjay Dutt’s debut in Bollywood

    MUMBAI: With the 8 Days of 80s film festival having commenced, Zee Classic, India’s only classic Hindi movie channel, is all set to showcase Sunil Dutt’s blockbuster film Rocky starring Sanjay Dutt, Tina Munim, Reena Roy, Amjad Khan, Raakhee and Shakti Kapoor.

     

    The movie that launched  our very own ‘Sanju Baba’ as the ‘Next Big Thing’ will also be remembered for the demise of Sanjay’s mother and veteran actress Nargis Dutt just three days before the film’s release.

     

    Rocky a revenge drama revolves around Shankar (Sunil Dutt), an educated young man employed in the construction business as a union leader. During his stint, Shankar is accidentally killed leaving behind his wife, Parvati (Raakhee) and young son, Rakesh. Upon hearing this young Rakesh goes into massive trauma renouncing Parvati to move away. He is later adopted by Robert (Amjad Khan) and his wife Kathy (Aruna Irani) christening him as ‘Rocky’.

     

    Years later, Rocky a carefree young man, falls in love with the gorgeous Renuka (Tina Munim). As the plot progresses, Rocky learns his real identity and the ultimate truth of his father’s murder. Rocky thus sets out on a journey to avenge his father’s murder with the help of a rape victim, Lajwanti (Reena Roy). But he is unaware that his days just like those of his near and dear ones may be numbered.

     

    Will Rocky successfully avenge his father’s death? Will he re-unite with his mother?

  • Zee Classic turns the clock back to ‘8 Days of 80’s’

    Zee Classic turns the clock back to ‘8 Days of 80’s’

    MUMBAI: It was known as the decade of experiments, slice-of-life cinema and unforgettable rise of mainstream commercial cinema. As a special treat to its viewers, Zee Classic is all set to air smashing blockbusters from 1980’s.

     

    Ranging from hits like Mr India to Woh 7 Din, the channel will showcase a variety of movies in its brand new season of ‘8 Days of 80’s’.

     

    It will start from 22 February till 1 March 2015 everyday at 6 pm.

     

    ‘Mugambo Kush Hua’ the haunting dialogue immortalized by none other than Amrish Puri in  Anil Kapoor and Sridevi starrer Sci-Fi Mr. India will be the first film to be telecast under ‘8 Days of 80’s’ on 22 February.

     

    Directed by Showman Subhash Ghai and the movie that made Jackie Shroff a proverbial star- Hero is slated to air on 23 February. The next classic in the line-up to air on 24 February is Anil Kapoor starrer Woh 7 Din, incidentally, the inspiration behind Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s magnum opus – Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam.

     

    The movie that made heads turn with Dimple Kapadia’s sensual performance alongside superstars Rishi Kapoor and Kamal Haasan – Saagar is scheduled to air on 25 February. Subsequently, 26 February will see the airing of Sanjay Dutt’s debut film Rocky.

     

     The film featuring a sizzling chemistry between Mithun and Padmini Kolhapure, Pyar Jhukta Nahin will air on 27 February. Based on the theme of reincarnation, the musical drama Karz starring Rishi Kapoor and Tina Munim is all set to entertain viewers on 28 February.

     

    ‘8 Days of 80’s’ will conclude with Dharmendra and Hema Malini starrer adventure flick Ali Baba aur 40 Chor on 1 March.

  • Zee Action to go full-throttle in two months’ time

    Zee Action to go full-throttle in two months’ time

    MUMBAI: With the numerous award shows being held across the world, one thing is clear – everyone loves movies.

     

    And with the number of movie channels increasing in the country, the competition is only growing multifold. Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (Zeel), which boasts of six movie channels – Zee Cinema, Zee Classic, Zee Action, &Pictures, &Pictures HD and Zee Cinema HD – under its banner, plans to revamp its 24/7 action movie channel.

     

    Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, Zeel Hindi movie channel business head Ruchir Tiwari said, “In terms of content, action movies are the most preferred choice for the audiences. This makes us feel very confident of the potential for a focused 24/7 action movie channel and the year 2015, will see a revamped Zee Action in full gear.”

     

    “The channel will explore its maximum potential with an aggressive line-up. We would be experimenting a lot with Bollywood, Hollywood and southern content catering to the needs of voracious action movie lovers,” Tiwari further added.

     

    Come March, and the channel will get into full action with an aggressive marketing plan in its core markets. Been worked upon for the last one year, the channel can now boast of a sizable and fresh library.

     

    “We will launch with a primetime property,” highlighted Tiwari without revealing much. However, he did add that with the content revamp underway, the packaging will too undergo a change to keep up with the new strategy.

     

    Currently, the channel is focusing on a 360 degree robust marketing plan, which will highlight Zee Action as the best in its genre like the network’s other movie channels.

     

  • 2014: The year of fatigue for Hindi movie channels

    2014: The year of fatigue for Hindi movie channels

    2014 has been an interesting year for the Hindi movie genre.

     

    The Hindi movie genre holds about 17 per cent of the total TV viewing pie which has been flat compared to 2013 and on an average per week, it clocked 1,187 GVM (Gross Viewership in Millions) in the year. One of the most positive trends observed in the category is the rise of new and smaller channels finding their share of voice in a cluttered environment. Digitisation has given the consumers today many options to tune in to varied content. Riding on this phenomenon, the Hindi movie genre has finally started to carve out more differentiated offerings and the viewership trends on these channels have been extremely positive.

     

    Let me first share our experiences on Zee’s Hindi movie cluster.  Zee Cinema, the premier leading movie channel launched in India, also enhanced its movie library by premiering recent releases like ‘Entertainment’ and ‘Holiday’. In fact, ‘Entertainment’ was the highest rated premiere of this year. The Independence Day premiere of ‘Holiday’ also raked in good ratings for the channel.  In a unique offering, the channel also premiered Prakash Jha’s ‘Satyagraha’. The film was extensively promoted by the film’s lead talent Amrita Rao and director, Prakash Jha in key HSM regions.

     

    &pictures was launched as India’s first interactive and premium Hindi movie channel in August 2013 and it continues to deliver on its brand promise. The channel that has grown from strength to strength in a very short span of time has pioneered trends in the movie channel industry. For instance, &pictures launched a documentary movie ‘Chale Chalo’ endorsed by Aamir Khan receiving thunderous response for this one-of-a-kind initiative from the industry and consumers alike. It also opened avenues for interactivity by introducing live call-ins for viewers with Aamir Khan for the first time in India. In fact, this concept of engaging with the viewers was again replicated by Aamir in promoting ‘Dhoom3’ television premiere and ‘Satyamev Jayate’. Helming the social cause, &pictures also premiered ‘Manjunath’ a true story of a whistleblower murdered for exposing the petrol adulteration scam in UP.

     

    Zee Classic, on the other hand, has progressed tremendously this year. This re-instates our faith in good quality timeless cinema. The season 3 of ‘Classic Legends’ hosted by Javed Akhtar is the most viewed film based show on television. Zee’s Hindi movie cluster has gained its dedicated viewer base. The entry of Sony Max 2 in the same content space as Zee Classic has created exciting competition and it will only help us nurture the category and carve a niche in this segment.

     

    2014 has also seen bigger channels undergoing a slight decline in viewership. One of the key reasons for this can largely be attributed to their dependence on premiering the latest blockbuster commercial films which add immense excitement to the content mix for all the channels. The comeback of commercial potboilers such as ‘Wanted’ and ‘Dabangg’ in 2009-10 made way for a series of such content being dished out from Bollywood.

     

    However, 2014 shall be remembered as ‘the year of fatigue’ for such films.  For instance, the TV premiere ratings of films like ‘Kick’, ‘Singham Returns’ and ‘Dhoom 3’ almost shrunk by 50 per cent as compared to the record breaking ratings achieved by movies like ‘Singham’, ‘Dabangg’ and ‘3 Idiots’ between 2010-2012. 

     

    This fatigue was even more startling at the box office with releases like ‘Humshakals’ and ‘Action Jackson’ that were expected to do well in theatres failed miserably. This occurrence also indicates that there is no fixed formula for success. Bidding for any film after a certain price is definitely not a commercially viable option and even exclusive star led deals struck with A-list actors such as Salman Khan and Ajay Devgn cannot guarantee definite success. Interestingly, these trends in overall viewership and revenues have finally led to the long overdue correction of overpriced satellite rights of most Hindi Movies in 2014. 

     

    2014 has been a great year for Indian cinema as the so-called small films not only increased in numbers but also emerged into huge commercial blockbusters and with them, we also witnessed the younger actors achieve huge successes at the Box office.  Cinema like ‘Queen’, ‘2 States’, ‘Main Tera Hero’, ‘Heropanti’, ‘Highway’ and ‘Mardaani’ are clearly indicating  the mood of the cinegoers and the need of fresh and new ideas right now is more than ever before.  It’s only a matter of time such movies that get maximum footfalls in a multiplex will also find its space on television. The acceptance of such films will help us garner more eyeballs and I see a wonderful fit for such movies with the High Definition (HD) movie channels.  Zee Cinema HD and &pictures HD have already pioneered its presence in this space.   

                                                                                                  

    With the unremitting motto to engage, innovate and entertain, we are excited and geared up with all our six movie channels. Zee’s Hindi movie cluster offers a very distinct and differentiated content mix and has a lot to look forward in the year 2015.

     

     (These are purely personal views of Zee’s Hindi movie cluster business head Ruchir Tiwari and indiantelevision.com does not necessarily subscribe to these views.)

  • Zee Classic rings in the New Year with the biggest hits of the livewire Shammi Kapoor!

    Zee Classic rings in the New Year with the biggest hits of the livewire Shammi Kapoor!

    MUMBAI: Zee Classic, the Hindi movie channel known for its vast library of India’s evergreen classic movies is all set to entertain its viewers with back to back movie Marathon of the effervescent Shammi Kapoor on New Year’s Day. For the first time as part of its New Year Special programming, viewers can watch Shammi Kapoor’s biggest hits – Prince co-starring Vyjayanthimala and Professor co-starring Lalita Pawar and Kalpana on January 01, 2015only on Zee classic.

     

    Embellished with Peppy chartbusters like ‘Badan Pe Sitare Lapete Huye’ Prince (1969) is a charming film about an arrogant prince having a change of heart post living a life of a commoner. The film also boasts of melodious music from legendary duo Shankar-Jaikishan.

     

    Another swinging sixty’s blockbuster– Professor (1962) is a hilarious film about a young man inadvertently disguising himself as an elderly professor to meet the employment criteria set by the strict Aunt Lalita Pawar. What follows is an entertaining turn of events of Pritam’s double-life as both the old, single professor who charms the otherwise tough aunt and the young man who woos her beautiful niece.

     

    Viewers are in for an enjoyable day this New Year with Prince airing on Zee Classic at 11.45 am followed by another great classic of Shammi Kapoor’s Professor at 2.45 pm. With a line-up of such captivating movies, Zee Classic invites the viewers to be part of Bollywood’s most melodic and sparkling era.

     

    So don’t miss out on the festive fervour and tune-in to Zee Classic on Thursday, January 01, 2015 to catch Shammi Kapoor’s greatest hits for the first time only on India’s number one channel of everlasting movies, Zee Classic!

  • Comic maestro Mehmood gave Big B his first break in Bollywood!

    Comic maestro Mehmood gave Big B his first break in Bollywood!

    MUMBAI: After three insightful episodes on Classic Legends Season 3, the popular show is all set to showcase its fourth episode which is dedicated to screen icon and comic genius – Mehmood. Traditionally hosted by the living legend – Javed Akhtar himself, the show provides its viewers a sneak peek into the lives of some of the best talents from the golden era of Indian Cinema.

     

    Javed Akhtar dishes out details on how Mehmood was not just multi-faceted himself but had an eye for spotting talent.The story goes that when Amitabh Bachchan was trying to mark in the Indian Film industry, Mehmood was one of the first people to recognise the potential talent in Amitabh Bachchan. Mehmood saab was so confident about the talent that Amitabh possessed that he offeredhim his first break in the movie ‘Bombay to Goa’.

    Apart from possessing the knack of spotting true talent, Mehmood saab also had a strong passion for good music. He always sang in his movies and all his songs became tremendously popular because he was able to strike the right emotional chord in the heart of the audience with his mesmerizing voice.

     

    Tune-in to Classic Legends as Javed Akhtar provides viewers with a glimpse into the life of the king of comedy-Mehmood on Sunday, 23 November at 8pm only on Zee Classic!

     

  • Javed Akhtar to host ‘Classic Legends Season 3’

    Javed Akhtar to host ‘Classic Legends Season 3’

    MUMBAI: Zee Classic, the one-stop destination for classic and blockbuster movies of yesteryears, returns with the third season of its popular series, Classic Legends. Reviving the nostalgic memories of these Bollywood legends, host Javed Akhtar will take the audiences through this journey of 13 weeks starting 2 November at 8 pm. India’s only classic Hindi movie channel,  Zee Classics has  the largest library of classic films with over 500 exclusive titles from the 1940’s to the 1970’s.

    ‘Classic Legend Season 3’ will be featuring biographies of 13 Bollywood Legends to familiarize cine-lovers with their lives and careers in the industry. Some of the legends being featured in this season include Sanjeev Kumar, the blockbuster film maker Yash Chopra, the evergreen comedian Mehmood, a heart-throb for millions Dharmendra, the nightingale of India Lata Mangeshkar, the stunningly beautiful Nutan, Manoj Kumar, well-renowned director O.P.Nayyar and many other luminaries. These industry stalwarts have left an indelible footprint in the world of Indian films and the series will give viewers an opportunity to know these film luminaries up close and personal.

    Commenting the third season of the show, Javed Akhtar said, “It gives me immense pleasure in hosting the show in its third season. The response from viewers for ‘Classic Legends’ over the last two seasons has been overwhelming. To bring the journey of each of these legends gets more and more interesting as it brings them closer to today’s generation. Having worked with most of them in Bollywood, I enjoy taking the audiences through this journey on these stalwarts as they have immense learning for all the true lovers of cinema.”

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Premiering on November 2, at 8 pm, Zee Classic’s ‘Classic Legend Season 3’ will kick off with Javed Akhtar taking the viewers into the life of the Yash Chopra. The renowned director, producer has many blockbuster films to his credit and has had a very inspiring journey. Tune in as Zee Classic gives its viewers a closer look into what went behind the making of these ‘Classic Legends’.

    Zee Classic presents ‘Classic Legends – Season 3’ premiering on Zee Classic at 8 pm starting November 2, 2014

     

  • Zee Classic celebrates the spirit of Good over Evil this Dussehra!

    Zee Classic celebrates the spirit of Good over Evil this Dussehra!

    MUMBAI: The festive season has begun and Zee Classic, India’s only Classic Hindi Movie Channel, is all set to entertain its viewers with an exciting line-up of movies from the timeless era of Hindi cinema this Dussehra, Friday, 3 October starting from 7:30 AM in the morning. Celebrating the grand message of ‘The victory of good over evil’, the movie line-up will star some of Bollywood’s iconic villains giving audiences that extra pinch of masala combined with thrill, drama and the ultimate heroic act of saving the day.

    Celebrated villains and evil masterminds of Indian Cinema – Pran, Ajit, Kanhaiyalal, Ranjeet, Kadar Khan, Jeevan, Shakti Kapoor, Amrish Puri and the infamous Kulbhushan Kharbanda aka Shakaal – come together this Dussehra in a series of movies back to back all day!

    Speaking of creating innovative programming for their viewers, ZEEL deputy business head, Hindi movie channels Ruchir Tiwari stated, “Keeping the festive season of Dussehra in mind, we will showcase a fascinating line-up of movies that show heroes conquering the villains. We are hopeful that our audiences of all ages will love some of the best villainous movies of all time in Hindi cinema.”

    Kick-starting Dussehra with Brahmachari starring Shammi Kapoor up and against Pran, the festival line-also airs Kalicharan featuring an inspector – criminal duo played by Shatrughan Sinha and Ajit. While movies with male leads exhibit Ram’s victory over Ravana, Mother India showcases the victory of Goddess Durga over Demon Mahishasur with Nargis standing up and tall with Sunil Dutt against Kanhaiyalal, a prominent villain of the evergreen times of Indian Cinema. Geraftar starring some famous evils of all time like Ranjeet, Kadar Khan, Jeevan and Shakti Kapoor also features popular actors Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Hassan, Rajnikanth, Satyendra Kapoor along with leading ladies Madhavi, Poonam Dhillon and Nirupa Roy and showcases Lord Ram and Goddess Durga fighting. Shaan starring Sunil Dutt, Amitabh Bachchan, Shashi Kapoor and Shatrughan Sinha against Kulbhushan Kharbanda aka the very popular Shakaal along with Hum Paanch featuring an all-star cast Sanjeev Kumar, Shabana Azmi, Mithun Chakraborty, Naseeruddin Shah, Raj Babbar, Gulshan Grover and Amrish Puri will also be aired during the day to entertain the viewers.

    All in all, viewers will be in for a fun day in front of their television screens as they watch some of the best villainous movies of all times with a captivating line-up of good over evil.

     

    The movie line-up is stated as below:

  • Zee Classic showcases ‘Har Din Bachchan’ film festival

    Zee Classic showcases ‘Har Din Bachchan’ film festival

    MUMBAI: Zee Classic, India’s only Hindi movie channel that showcases eternal movies from the evergreen era of Indian Cinema, has brought alive the nostalgic memories of Bachchan fans with the ongoing ‘Har Din Bachchan’ film festival. With his baritone voice, charisma and acting prowess, superstar Amitabh Bachchan has ruled the silver screen for nearly three decades. Now watch the versatile actor on Zee Classic in a three week-long festival with some of his finest mega-hits from 7 to 21 September at 9 PM.

     

    This unique festival of truly unforgettable films showcases Big B as a brilliant actor, the inimitable angry young man and intensely romantic hero, besides other genre of roles that he has portrayed. Each film that will be screened has been meticulously handpicked, presenting Bachchan through his years in the film industry in his most memorable roles. These films show him sharing the screen with some of the leading actresses of Hindi cinema include Praveen Babi, Jaya Bachchan, Reena Roy, Dimple Kapadia and Sonam.

     

    Speaking of their effort to constantly create properties to entertain their viewers at Zee Classic, Ruchir Tiwari, Deputy National Business Head, Hindi Movie Channels, ZEEL stated, “We have handpicked some of Amitabh Bachchan films that bring alive the magic of the golden era and will surely entertain viewers across generations.”

     

    The film festival kick-started with Amitabh’s fabulous performance in action-thriller movie ‘Shaan’, the festival also features ‘Deewar’ which brings out Amitabh’s emotional side and ‘Zanjeer’ that brought his rustic persona to the fore. Over three weeks, the channel will also air some of his famous blockbuster movies like ‘Andha Kanoon’, ‘Muqaddar Ka Sikander’, ‘Ajooba’, ‘Sharaabi’ amongst others that will not only entertain the viewers but will also display Amitabh’s charisma and versatility as an actor and have audiences fall in love with him all over again.