GECs
Bengali GEC Aakash Aath to launch new show format ‘Ek Maasher Galpo’
KOLKATA: Bengali general entertainment channel (GEC) Aakash Aath is launching a new format called Ek Maasher Galpo, which will showcase stories that will end within a month.
The half hour show format goes on air today (2 February) and will be aired from Monday to Saturday at 7 pm.
“We have been doing dailies and weeklies and now we thought of doing monthlies. People are bored of the mega serials. The stories we will showcase are from novels by famous writers. Stories all some eminent writers would be aired from 7pm till 7.30 pm, six days a week,” said Aakash Aath director.
When queried on the new format, Surana said that with this, the channel aims to educate people. “I want to entertain them with short monthly stories,” she said.
For instance, in the month of February, famous Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasrin’s Jhumur would be aired. “We have 24 episodes, which will be directed by Sushanta Basu. The cast includes Kaneenika Banerjee, Pijush Ganguly, Bhaswar Chatterjee, Rajashree Bhowmick, Anamika Saha and Tulika Basu amongst others,” she said.
Similarly, in March, the channel will air Abul Basar’s Musafir, which will have 26 episodes. This series will be directed by Debidas Bhattacharya. The cast includes Neel Mukherjee, Debdoot Ghosh and Monami Ghosh amongst others.
For the months of April and May, the channel has planned Pratibha Basu’s Sahasa Kuyasha Chhire (26 episodes) and Syad Mustafa Siraj’s Point Zero (26 episodes) respectively.
“All shootings have been planned for the next four months and if the show format clicks with viewers, then we will shoot further and look for other good short stories and writers close to any Bengali’s heart. It all depends on the response. If the viewers like the content and concept, we would love to make many more,” Surana added.
The channel is looking at Bengali writers only as they are close to Bengali hearts and have the Bengali feel, she reiterated.
Speaking about the marketing initiatives that are being planned by the channel around the new format, Surana said, “We would be promoting this through our own channel, paper ads, SMS and Whatsapp. We are doing extensive promotion on the channel and the teasers are already on air,” she concluded.
GECs
Sahara One reports financial results, notes director exit and business realignment
Muted revenues, steady expenses and strategic adjustments shape company’s current phase
MUMBAI: In a tale where the sands seem to be slipping faster than they can be gathered, Sahara One Media and Entertainment Limited has reported another quarter of wafer-thin income and widening losses, even as a boardroom exit adds to the unease.
The company informed the Bombay Stock Exchange that its board, in a meeting held on April 4, approved its unaudited financial results for the quarter ended September 30, 2025. The numbers paint a stark picture. Total income for the quarter stood at just Rs 0.13 lakh, unchanged sequentially and sharply down from Rs 0.26 lakh a year earlier.
Losses, meanwhile, deepened. The company posted a net loss of Rs 24.16 lakh for the quarter, compared to Rs 18.81 lakh in the June quarter and Rs 39.69 lakh in the same period last year. For the six months ended September 2025, the cumulative loss stood at Rs 39.69 lakh, while the full-year loss for FY25 was reported at Rs 60.72 lakh.
Expenses continued to outweigh income by a wide margin. Total expenses for the quarter came in at Rs 24.30 lakh, led by employee benefit costs of Rs 6.51 lakh and other expenses of Rs 17.78 lakh. Earnings per share remained in the red at Rs (0.11) for the quarter.
The balance sheet reflects a company with significant assets on paper but limited operational momentum. Total assets stood at Rs 23,065.57 lakh as of September 30, 2025, broadly unchanged from March 2025. Equity share capital remained steady at Rs 2,152.50 lakh, while total equity was reported at Rs 18,004.85 lakh.
Cash and cash equivalents saw a modest uptick to Rs 6.75 lakh from Rs 4.68 lakh earlier, supported by a positive operating cash flow of Rs 180.01 lakh for the period.
Yet, beneath these numbers lies a more complex narrative. The company’s auditors flagged their inability to obtain sufficient evidence to form a conclusion on the financial statements, citing lack of access to records. They also raised concerns over the company’s ability to continue as a going concern, pointing to insufficient funds, delayed recoveries, and stalled content investments.
Adding to the governance overhang, the company disclosed that Rana Zia has resigned as whole-time director, effective October 16, 2025, citing other professional commitments. The resignation, noted and accepted by the board, also brings an end to her role across company committees.
Regulatory pressures continue to loom large. The Securities and Exchange Board of India has already initiated penal actions for non-compliance with listing norms, with trading in the company’s shares remaining suspended. There is also a risk of promoter demat accounts being frozen.
Legacy legal issues remain unresolved. A substantial deposit of Rs 694,027.88 thousand linked to the long-running OFCD dispute involving Sahara group entities is still under the purview of the Supreme Court of India. Restrictions on asset disposal continue to weigh on the company’s financial flexibility.
Operationally, challenges persist across multiple fronts. Advances worth Rs 1,92,916 thousand given for film content remain stuck, with delays in project completion and uncertain recoverability. The company’s YouTube channel, despite being operational, has generated no revenue for over three years due to compliance lapses. In a further twist, management has indicated that revenues may have been fraudulently diverted through unauthorised changes to its AdSense account, with a police complaint in the works.
There are also missed revenue opportunities. Television content rights continue to be used by a related party despite the expiry of the licence agreement, with fresh negotiations still underway.
For now, Sahara One Media and Entertainment Limited appears caught between legacy disputes and present-day operational hurdles. As losses linger and governance questions mount, the road to recovery looks less like a sprint and more like a slow trudge through shifting sands.
