Movie Channels
‘Buniyaad’ set to re-create the nostalgia of partition and popularity of old-world charm
NEW DELHI: A trend-setter of sorts when it was first aired almost three decades earlier, this series remains a nostalgic reminder of the days of the partition, and will provide much needed insights to the younger generation.
Buniyaad, the mega-series written by the celebrated Manohar Shyam Joshi and helmed by the stalwart Ramesh Sippy and Jyoti Sarup laid the foundation for the evolution of India’s television entertainment industry and defined the contours of its future.
Doordarshan, which had aired it in 1986, is all set to revive the epochal series from tonight and it will be telecast every Thursday and Friday at 8.30 pm on DD National.
Producer-director Ramesh Sippy, actor Kiron Juneja, actor Neena Gupta and DD director-general Tripurari Sharan in a press meet here said the series still had its old-world charm and was being looked forward to.
At a time when DD was the only channel beaming in the country, Buniyaad saw an entire nation rooting for Master Haveliram (Alok Nath) and his family as they came to terms with their lives in an epic series set in the years preceding and after the partition.
Apart from Alok Nath, the series stars Anita Kanwal, Kiron Juneja, Asha Sharma, Sudhir Pandey, Mazhar Khan, Kanwaljit, Dalip Tahil, Soni Razdan and Neena Gupta amongst others.
Sippy said the characters played by these actors are remembered with nostalgia today by millions of viewers.
Sharan said for many years, these actors were known by the names of the characters they played. Hence for an entire generation Alok Nath was known as Masterji, Anita Kanwal was identified as his wife Laajo Ji and Kiron Juneja as Veeravali, Masterji’s sister in the serial by the viewers.
The story of Master Haveliram falling in love and eventually marrying Laajo Ji, their family, separation and reunion in the aftermath of India’s partition has as much going for it today as it did in the late eighties.
Movie Channels
Zee5 launches five free FAST channels on Samsung TV Plus India
New genre-led channels bring comedy, drama, horror, classics and South films to Smart TVs.
MUMBAI: Zee5 just turned Samsung Smart TVs into a free entertainment buffet because when premium content costs nothing, even the remote control starts smiling. Zee5 has launched five curated free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channels on Samsung TV Plus India, making high-quality, genre-specific entertainment available subscription-free to millions of Samsung Smart TV owners across the country.
The five channels now live are:
Zee Comedy Nation – Popular comedy shows and movies
Zee Dil Se – Compelling drama series
ZEE Horror Nights – Horror and supernatural content
ZEE Cine Classic – Timeless Indian films
ZEE South Flix – High-energy South Indian films dubbed in Hindi
All content is drawn from Zee5’s extensive library and programmed in a lean-back, always-on format ideal for large-screen viewing. This launch strengthens Zee5’s Connected TV strategy at a time when 64 per cent of its premium content watch time already comes from connected devices.
Zee5 chief business officer Siju Prabhakaran said, “At Zee5, we believe accessibility and scale will define the next phase of digital entertainment growth in India. Our presence on Samsung TV Plus strengthens our Connected TV strategy, enabling viewers to discover curated, genre-led content in a seamless, free, and premium environment.”
Samsung TV Plus India head of partnerships Kunal Mehta added, “Local partnerships are at the heart of how we grow Samsung TV Plus in India. Zee Entertainment is one of India’s most iconic media brands, and bringing their channels to our service means millions more Samsung Smart TV owners can enjoy premium local content, subscription-free.”
The channels are available directly through the pre-installed Samsung TV Plus app with no login or subscription required. This marks another milestone in Zee5’s CTV expansion and builds on its growing international presence, with Zee channels already available on Samsung TV Plus across Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand.
In a streaming world where paywalls often block the fun, Zee5 and Samsung have quietly opened the gates, proving that sometimes the best things in life (and on your TV) really are free especially when they come with a side of comedy, drama, horror, classics and South Indian blockbuster energy.
