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DD eyes balance of role as entertainer & pubcaster; to launch 4 new shows
NEW DELHI: Doordarshan is making headway in playing dual roles of being an entertainer and at the same time shouldering its responsibilities as a public service broadcaster.
Senior Doordarshan (DD) executives indicate that they have to walk on the razor’s edge as they have take care of their public service broadcaster responsibilities even as they entertain audiences.
As a step towards achieving this goal, the pubcaster will soon be launching four new shows in various genres. It may be recalled that in August too, DD had revamped its programming by launching five new shows.
DD director general C. Lalrosanga and deputy director general Deepa Chandra said that DD could not be complacent because it had the largest reach in the country. “Bringing a channel on television and then ensuring it gets good viewership is a major task in itself, particularly for a public service broadcaster,” Chandra said.
Chandra added, “The slow and steady approach adopted by us to garner good viewership and ratings has started to show promising results. Keeping with that, our second stage of introducing fresh content in prime time band is beginning from 19 October.”
The four new shows that will go on air this month include two crime shows – IPS Diary and Mashaal, a love saga titled Albeli – Kahaani Pyaar Ki and a musical reality show called Sur Sagar.
Sur Sagar will, for the first time, see music bands competing against each other and not just singers or dancers. The weekend reality show will have three judges namely Leslie Lewis, Soham Chabraborty and Shilpa Rai. The show will go on air from 31 October and will be aired on Saturday and Sunday at 9 pm.
The USP of the hourly show will lie in the fact that both bands and singers share a common platform, and 20 bands and 20 singers have been shortlisted to compete for the title in the show. Live auditions were held in six cities: Delhi, Amritsar, Lucknow, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Mumbai.
The show will also be unique in that it will promote the original compositions of the singers and bands and not depend on film songs. The first season will have 52 episodes.
Lewis said he had agreed to be on the show after seeing the massive change in content on DD National, adding that a good song appeals to all. Director Shonal Bose and music director Siddharth added that bands were being given recognition for the first time, despite the fact that all shows featuring singers or dances always had a musical accompaniment.
The second show – IPS Diary, will see Kavita Chaudhary as the presenter and anchor. The show will be telecast from 19 October everyMonday and Tuesday at 10.30 pm.
It may be recalled that Chaudhary had became a cult figure with her role of a woman police officer in Doordarshan’s Udaan series almost two decades earlier. In IPS Diary, she appears as a retired IPS officer relating the tale of some of the crimes solved by her.
Chaudhary said that the aim of the show will not be to frighten people as crime shows on some other channels did, but to send out a positive signal that there were ways to fight the crime wave. At the same time, she said being a public service channel did not mean that DD should stop entertaining people. Producer Rajesh Beri, who is known for his crime shows on other channels said, “I do not want to sell the pains of others.”
The third show is yet another crime show titled Mashaal, which will launch on 21 October and will be telecast on Wednesday and Thursdayat 10.30 pm. Actor director Rajiv Kumar said that this series was based on actual crime stories, which have been cleverly changed to avoid any controversies. The show’s aim was to tell the people how they could change the system.
The fourth show titled Albeli will see actor Karan Trivedi, who had appeared as a child star in the Hamraahi many years earlier, as the show’s male lead. The series is the story of a poor girl marrying a rich boy, and will be telecast five days a week at 9.30 pm from 26 October.
The show has been written by Harsha Jagdish. “Entertainment cannot be without a message and a soul. It is often said that the man and the woman in a relationship are like two wheels of a horse-pulled cart but I have attempted to show that there are times when either the husband or the wife have to take on the role of the ‘saarthi’ (driver) as well,” she said.
In reply to a question, Chandra said that unlike the previous practice of some series being run only twice or once a week, DD was gradually moving to the five days a week pattern. However, she added that DD would make sure that no series went on endlessly.
DD officials also said that they were aware that the channel’s largest audience was in the 15 to 40 age group and had therefore planned its programmes accordingly.
NEW DELHI: Hamdard Laboratories gathered a cross-section of India’s achievers in New Delhi on Friday, handing out the Hakeem Abdul Hameed Excellence Awards to figures who have left their mark across healthcare, education, sport, public service and the arts.
The ceremony, attended by minister of state for defence Sanjay Seth and senior officials from the ministry of Ayush, celebrated individuals whose work blends professional success with a sense of public purpose. It was as much a roll call of achievement as it was a reminder that influence is not measured only in profits or podiums, but in people reached and lives improved.
Among the headline awardees was Alakh Pandey, founder and chief executive of PhysicsWallah, recognised for turning affordable digital learning into a mass movement. On the sporting front, Arjuna Awardee and kabaddi player Sakshi Puniya was honoured for her contribution to the game and for pushing women’s participation onto bigger stages.
The cultural spotlight fell on veteran lyricist and poet Santosh Anand, whose songs have echoed across generations of Hindi cinema. At 97, Anand accepted the honour with characteristic humility, reflecting on a life shaped by perseverance and hope.
Healthcare honours spanned both modern and traditional systems. Manoj N. Nesari was recognised for strengthening Ayurveda’s place in national and global health frameworks. Padma shri Mohammed Abdul Waheed was honoured for his research-backed work in Unani medicine, while padma shri Mohsin Wali received recognition for his long-standing contribution to patient-centred care.
Education and social development also featured prominently. Padma shri Zahir Ishaq Kazi was honoured for decades of work in education, while former Meghalaya superintendent of Police T. C. Chacko was recognised for public service. Goonj founder Anshu Gupta received an award for his dignity-centred rural development initiatives, and the Hunar Shakti Foundation was honoured for empowering women and young girls through skill development.
The Lifetime Achievement Award went to former IAS officer Shailaja Chandra for her long career in public healthcare and governance, particularly in the traditional systems under Ayush.
Speaking at the event, Hamdard chairman Abdul Majeed said the awards were a tribute to those who combine excellence with empathy. “These awardees reflect Hakeem Sahib’s belief that healthcare, education and public service must ultimately serve humanity,” he said.
Minister Seth struck a forward-looking note, saying India’s young population gives the country a unique opportunity to become a global destination for learning, health and wellness by 2047.
The ceremony also featured the trailer launch of Unani Ki Kahaani, an upcoming documentary starring actor Jim Sarbh, set to premiere on Discovery on 11 February.
Instituted in memory of Unani scholar and educationist Hakeem Abdul Hameed, the awards have grown into a national platform that celebrates those building a more inclusive and resilient India. For one evening at least, the spotlight was not just on success, but on service with substance.
