News Broadcasting
‘Sa Re Ga Ma Pa”s camera rolls in Mumbai again
MUMBAI: After the success of Hero Honda Sa Re Ga Ma Pa’s World Series in Dubai, the team is back in Mumbai again with yet another series called the Popular Choice.
The shooting for this series wound up on Wednesday in Film City. They had last shot in Mumbai in September 2003 before the Dubai series got off.
The episodes of the popular series will be on air from 14 May with the finals to be shown on 13 August which will be an Independence Day special episode. The series will showcase the talents of 12 specially invited contestants, who have participated in the show in the last two years.
The list of judges for the final round, a two episode event, is a long one with many special invitees from the world of music. It will start with a classical note by Ustad Gulam Mustafa Khan accompanied by the 12 participants. The judge’s panel include maestros like Anu Malik, Ismail Darbar, Uttam Singh, and music director duos Jatin-Lalit and Nikhal- Vinay.
Speaking to Indian television, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa creative director Gajendra Singh gave his views on the show. “This is a special show because the contestants of this show are those who have already participated in our show in the last two years and are selected and invited to participate again in this series as we think that they have potential to make it big in the world of music. The judges of this series are also special because they are the viewer’s choice”, said Singh.
Prior to the show, the participants have been trained in a month-long workshop under some of the most revered music directors, singers and lyricists of the Indian music industry like Ustad Gulam Mustafa Khan, Nida Fazli, Anand ji of Kalyanji-Anandji and Pt. Askaran Sharma, who will also grace the finals with their presence.
Anchored by Shaan, Zee TV’s Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, has, over the years, identified and nurtured many a talent in the music industry and has provided a platform to the budding singers. Amongst others, some of the talents who have already achieved success through this platform are Sanjivni Bhelande of Nikamma , Mohd. Salamat who gave his voice in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Shreya Ghosal who tasted success with Devdas and Jism and Sweta Pandit who has sung in Mohabbatein.
The show which has completed more than 100 episodes has been popular in India and abroad. Zee is also coming up with a contest for its viewers who can win prizes by guessing correctly the series’ winner.
The two winners, one male and one female, of this series will get an opportunity to release their music album under the Saregama Music banner and also get a chance to work and prove themselves with the renowned Indian musicians.
News Broadcasting
Senior media executive Madhu Soman exits Zee Media
Former Reuters and Bloomberg leader says he leaves with “no regrets” after brief stint at WION and Zee Business
NOIDA: Madhu Soman, a veteran of global newsrooms and media sales floors, has stepped away from Zee Media Corporation after a short stint steering business strategy for WION and Zee Business.
In a reflective LinkedIn note marking his departure, Soman said his time within the network’s corridors was always likely to be brief. “Some chapters close faster than expected,” he wrote, signalling the end of a nearly two-year spell in which he oversaw both editorial partnerships and commercial strategy.
Soman joined Zee Media in 2022 after more than a decade abroad with Reuters and Bloomberg, returning to India to take on the role of chief business officer for WION and Zee Business. His mandate was ambitious: bridge the newsroom and the revenue desk while expanding digital and broadcast reach.
During the stint, Zee Business reached break-even for the first time since its launch in 2005, while WION refreshed programming and strengthened its digital footprint across platforms such as YouTube and Facebook.
But Soman suggested the cultural fit proved uneasy. Describing himself as a “cultural misfit”, he hinted at deeper tensions between editorial instincts shaped in global newsrooms and the realities of India’s television news ecosystem.
Before joining Zee, Soman spent more than seven years at Bloomberg in Hong Kong as head of broadcast sales for Asia-Pacific, expanding the company’s news syndication business across several markets. Earlier, he held senior editorial roles at Reuters, overseeing online strategy in India and managing Reuters Video Services from London.
His career began in television and wire reporting, including a stint with ANI during the 1999 Kargil conflict, before moving into digital publishing as India’s internet media landscape took shape.
Now, after nearly three decades in broadcast and digital media, Soman is leaving Delhi NCR and returning to his hometown, Trivandrum.
Exhausted, he admits. But unbowed. And with one quiet line that sums up the journey: he didn’t sell his soul — because some things, after all, are not for sale.
