MUMBAI: TV network Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) announced Monday, that it will launch a new Hindi general entertainment channel Zindagi nationally on June 23. The channel will focus on catering to viewers with stories that have a universal emotional appeal. It will air syndicated shows from Pakistan, bringing Indian viewers, some of the best Pakistani shows. Zindagi will have fiction shows – mainly those that dwell on romance, love and family drama – produced overseas and targeted at family audiences.
According to IndianTelvision.com, the channel is the brainchild of Zeel chief, creative special projects, Shailja Kejriwal, who has spent close to two years viewing and handpicking global content that can resonate with Indian audiences. I was bored with what I was creating myself, she says. This channel is a great opportunity to see another culture which isnt much different from ours. We will begin with the best shows from Pakistan because it has the greatest language affinity and then go on to co-producing our own shows depending on viewer feedback, she adds. The channel will soon also telecast Pakistani movies.
While there is no dearth of channels to choose from in India, with nearly 400 general entertainment channels (GECs) in various languages currently operating, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (Zeel) believes that its new offering- Zindagi that goes on air from 23 June, will be a league apart from the existing Hindi GECs including its own Zee TV.
Peoples tastes are evolving and so we have to create a standard for our offerings. There is a need for categorisation in Hindi GECs too. Many audiences in SEC A, SEC B and metros want good shows but dont get them. This number represents about 40% of the total audience but their time spent is less than 20% to 25% because they dont get such good shows back-to-back. Zindagi seeks to create a new category here, says Zeel chief content and creative officer Bharat Ranga.
Sourcing content for the new channel isnt limited to Pakistan. Shows from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Latin America and Iran are also in the pipeline. Unlike the now extinct channel from Sahara-Firangi- that aired dubbed international content, Zee will be recreating international shows with Indian and Pakistani talent. The shows that have story affinity but not language will be remade and not dubbed. So we will buy the licences for these shows and co-produce it using Indian and Pakistani producers, actors, directors, writers etc. Alongside we will also produce telefilms in a similar manner, informs Kejriwal.
According to Kejriwal, telefilms are a necessity whether or not they get TAM ratings. It will give an opportunity to new talent and new stories to be shown. When serials run for more than three or four years, they dont leave space for new talent, she says.
Zee also has plans for commissioned shows that will be created in both India and Pakistan. So while we will have some Pakistani production houses making shows exclusively for Zindagi: shot, written and directed in Pakistan, there will also be shows that will be created here in India, adds Kejriwal.
While some shows will be weekly, a few will be dailies. All the shows on the channel are periodic with about 45 shows to be aired every year. The channel is available on all major DTH and cable TV platforms except for Sun Direct. The Rs 100 crore marketing plan entails a lot of outdoor, digital and print across the country in upscale areas with the concentration being in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab and Haryana.
Speaking at a press conference, Pakistani TV actor Imran Abbas who will be seen as a lead in the show Mera Naseeb highlighted that Indian shows are very popular in Pakistan but awareness about Pakistani lifestyles is limited in India. You will see something about Pakistan which you dont see on news channels. People think that women in Pakistan only wear burqas which isnt true. In fact even films dont show the real side, he says.
With the launch of Zindagi, the network is fully focusing on its tagline Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam meaning The World is my Family. As Abbas puts it, People need Visas to travel, stories dont.
Follow this link to join our WhatsApp group: Join Now
Be Part of Quality Journalism |
Quality journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce and despite all the hardships we still do it. Our reporters and editors are working overtime in Kashmir and beyond to cover what you care about, break big stories, and expose injustices that can change lives. Today more people are reading Kashmir Observer than ever, but only a handful are paying while advertising revenues are falling fast. |
| ACT NOW |
| MONTHLY | Rs 100 |  |
| YEARLY | Rs 1000 | |
| LIFETIME | Rs 10000 | |
