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Zee
TV is quietly putting together some fresh programming ideas
that it hopes will connect with audiences that have yet
to take to what the channel is offering in any great numbers.
A
new daily soap Tu Kahe Agar... begins telecast tonight
and will be airing Monday to Thursday in the 10:30 pm slot.
One thing Tu Kahe Agar... will have to do and fast
is get off the blocks with all guns blazing because it is
pitted against the top soap in Hindi entertainment television
today - Star Plus' Kyunki Saas Bhi Bahu Thi.
 Tu
Kahe Agar... follows on the back of what definitely
looks to be a winner for the channel - Jeena Isi Ka Naam
Hai - a celebrity talk show hosted by noted actor Farooque
Sheikh and produced by Prannoy Roy's New Delhi Television
(NDTV). Jeena... aired its second episode last Friday.
The
first episode of Jeena... featured Bollywood hearthrob
Shah Rukh Khan while the second had ex-beauty queen and
now filmstar Aishwarya Rai in the spotlight.
Jeena...
is seen as a chance for celebrities to catch up with
those they knew in their past. It offers a glimpse into
what the stars were like in their childhood and formative
years before becoming household names.
Coming
back to the two episodes that have aired thus far, while
the Shah Rukh episode was witty, intelligent and entertaining,
Aishwarya Rai's simpering sweetness grated on the nerves
somewhat.
Expectedly,
friends and acquaintences have nothing but nice things to
say and that can get rather cloying. In all this "goody
two shoes" kind of refrain from the guests, the role of
anchor Sheikh becomes that much more crucial to holding
the show together by keeping the mood light.
Sheikh
might want to look at doing a Whoopi Goldberg (remember
the Oscars?) and putting in some irreverence into the show.
On
the plus side, the effort put into tracking down teachers,
school principals, fellow actors and other old friends and
acquaintances shows. And that is likely to work as far as
getting the viewers in is concerned.
'AMANAT' TO FAST FORWARD 20 YEARS:
One
sign that an idea is working is if someone else cottons
on to it. And by that yardstick Star Plus Kyunki...
is on a good wicket because Zee TV is doing the same thing
for its long running soap Amanat.
One
sign that an idea is working is if someone else cottons
on to it. And by that yardstick Star Plus Kyunki...
is on a good wicket because Zee TV is doing the same thing
for its long running soap Amanat.
A
new director Mukul Abhyankar has been roped in. Anupama
Mishra will do the dialogues and Vandana Oberoi will be
responsible for the screenplay. Fresh faces among cast members
include Mohit Chaddha.
Reports
indicate that Zee was keen on keeping the show going as
it is still popular in North India although the show's producer
Sapna Bhattacharya has said that she wanted to wrap things
up.
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