News Broadcasting
Sahara One gives Indian Television the first ever FIRANGI BAHU
MUMBAI: As more and more foreign nationals come to India, one is often prompted to ask “Can a foreigner feel at home in India?” Sahara One will address this question through its brand new, light hearted family show ‘FIRANGI BAHU’ to go on air from Monday, November 11 at 7:30 p.m. The show will put forth a concept that has never been seen in the history of Indian Television: a foreigner who comes to stay in her sasural in India.
It is a well known fact that foreigners are fascinated by India, its colorful festivals, traditions and diverse cultural heritage. This fascination makes them want to try and become a part of Indian culture. At the same time Indians too, are quite curious about the West. They have accepted Western influences on Indian food, attire, art, music and many other things. However when it comes to the sacred institution of marriage, Indians still consider people from the West to be unwelcome representatives of a world that is too different and alien. And it is amidst this background that ‘FIRANGI BAHU’ is set.
The show will take viewers through the journey of a British girl, Camili Jonathan, who marries into the conservative Desai family in Rajkot, Gujarat.
The story starts with Pranay Desai (Rohit Bhardwaj) the youngest son of the Desai family, who is in London for higher studies and meets Camili Jonathan (Sippora).
Slowly through her eyes, Pranay begins to see India, his own country, in a new light. He begins to admire things that he had overlooked over the years, despite being an Indian himself. In the process, Pranay falls in love with Camili’s simple lifestyle and her perspective of India.
Aware of his conservative family background, he decides to marry Camili in London and return to India.
Commenting on this, Sharad Raj, Content and Programming Head, Sahara One, says, “At Sahara One we are constantly innovating with the aim of providing interesting and novel content to viewers. This is the first time that a foreigner is playing a bahu in a Hindi serial. This is clutter breaking; a real FIRST TIME event on Indian television. Moreover, this provides sufficient scope for drama and lighter moments. Viewers will enjoy watching a European lady adapt to a conservative Gujarati family. At the same time, her journey will result in a lot of drama. I hope viewers support us in our endeavour to bring them something new. And I hope they appreciate the effort we have made to do this.”
Adds Vipul D Shah, Managing Director & CCO (Chief Creative Officer), Optimystix Entertainment India Pvt. Ltd., “Firangi Bahu is a clutter breaking concept, which is an unusual and never-seen-before concept on Indian Television. Firangi Bahu is a slice of life, dramedy (Drama & Comedy) story of Camili Jonathan, a 20 year old British citizen, who falls in love with a Gujarati boy in London.
Motivated purely by love and devotion, she decides to settle in India in a joint Gujarati family (her sasural). This is in a way, a celebration of India and Indianness through a foreigner’s point of view. All characters and situations in the serial are endearing and believable.”
Sahara One’s show ‘FIRANGI BAHU’, showcases the struggle of Camili Jonathan, a British girl, who enters India and its culture that is rich, diverse and different from her own. In the process she discovers her own ability to adapt, after getting married into a traditional, conservative Indian family and winning over members of the family with her knowledge and love of Indian culture.
‘FIRANGI BAHU’ will introduce the beautiful SIPPORA ZOUTEWELLE, a Dutch debutant actress, who will play the title role of FIRANGI BAHU. The Desai family will see an ensemble of seasoned actors like Indira Krishna, Pranoti Pradhan, Deepmala Parmar, Dilip Darbar, Hetal Puniwala, Paresh Bhatt and Rohit Bhardwaj.
News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 to air live counting day coverage for five state election results on May 4
The channel is rolling out its biggest election coverage machinery yet for results day on 4th May
NOIDA: The votes have been cast. Now comes the reckoning. CNN-News18 is pulling out all the stops for results day on 4th May, when counting begins across five battleground states — West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and the Union Territory of Puducherry — in what promises to be one of the most closely watched electoral verdicts in recent memory.
The channel’s coverage, titled Battle for the States: The Verdict, kicks off at 7am and runs through the day across linear TV, connected television and YouTube. It is the culmination of CNN-News18’s multi-format editorial initiative, Battle for the States, which has tracked the polls from the beginning under the theme Road to Power.
At the operational heart of the coverage will be the Live Results Hub, the channel’s central command centre built to collate, verify and process real-time data flowing in from reporters stationed at counting centres across constituencies. The hub combines newsroom intelligence, analytics and on-the-ground reporting to deliver what the channel promises will be the fastest and most accurate results coverage in English news.
Leading the on-air charge will be primetime anchors Rahul Shivshankar, Anand Narasimhan, Aman Sharma, Nabila Jamal and Shivani Gupta. They will be joined by a wide panel of commentators including author Chetan Bhagat; GVL Narasimha Rao, senior leader of the BJP; Smita Prakash, editor of ANI; activist Saira Shah Halim; political analyst Sumanth C Raman; Abhijit Iyer Mitra, senior fellow at IPCS; Amitabh Tiwari, founder of VoteVibe; columnist Abhijit Majumdar; Nalin Mehta, managing editor of MoneyControl; political analyst Tehseen Poonawalla; senior journalist Subir Bhaumik; and political analyst Manojit Mandal.
Shivshankar, who serves as editorial affairs director at CNN-News18, set out the stakes plainly. “Counting day is one of the most watched events in the electoral cycle, where speed and credibility are tested in real time,” he said. “Battle for the States: The Verdict is built on that promise, combining ground reporting, sharp analysis and cutting-edge election technology to give viewers the clearest and fastest route to the verdict. On May 4, CNN-News18 will once again be the nation’s most trusted channel to witness democracy in action.”
Smriti Mehra, chief executive of English and Business News at Network18, framed the coverage in broader terms. “Elections are defining national events, and audiences turn to brands they trust in moments that matter,” she said. “CNN-News18 has consistently led from the front in every election coverage, and this special programming reflects the scale of our ambition and editorial strength.”
The channel has form here. It claims to have been India’s most preferred English news destination for election results for the past 20 years, covering everything from the 2024 general elections to the Delhi, Maharashtra, Bihar and BMC polls on the back of what it calls an “Always First, Always Right” record. Five states, one day, and a nation waiting for answers. The clock starts at 7am on 4th May.
