Factual
‘Naam Gum Jaayega’ to exit after 28 August
MUMBAI: Another big ticket Sony show bites the dust. Naam Gum Jaayega, launched two months ago amid much fanfare by the channel, will air its last episode on 28 August. Killed abruptly, the Shobhna Desai production was supposed to be one of the major launches on the channel this year.
An innovative theme about changelings belonging to different religions whose families discover the swap 20 years later, the concept initially broached sensitive communal feelings. The channel dropped the communal angle when it did not find favour with audiences and shifted focus on to the romantic liaisons of the protagonists. That track did not work either, admits Sony’s online programming head Anupama Mandloi.
With the TRPs of NGJ keeping the show out of the top 100 shows on satellite channels in the country as well as the top shows of Sony, the channel has decided to kill it in infancy. Sony did this earlier this year with Balaji Telefilms’ Kahaani Terri Merri replacing another Balaji show Kutumb. Ektaa Kapoor’s TV take on the film Devdas however, did not set the ratings on fire. KTM was dropped and NGJ brought in its place. Now NGJ makes way for Jassi Jaissa Koi Nahin, an Indianised version of Yo Soy Betty La Fea, the Latin American show that has captivated a reported 80 million viewers in 25 countries.
Sony had got NGJ lead protagonists Shilpa Kadam and Gauri Pradhan to sign a year long exclusivity contract, which will now be utilised on some other programming, says Mandloi.
In April, SET India executive vice president Sunil Lulla, when queried as to whether the show would be given an extended run unlike the fate that befell two earlier attempts at being different Dhadkan (a medical drama) and Hubahu (about twins switching identities), had said the series was planned with an extended duration in mind. Careful background work had gone into the creation of the show keeping all issues in mind, he had said at the time. Today, he maintained that keeping up with the competition had caused the closure of NGJ.
While KTM launched on 20 January and ended on 15 May, NGJ started on 19 May and had a run of 60 episodes. Jassi, according to director Tony Singh, will have a run of over 300 episodes. “The series has a set script and hence a finite number of episodes – it should not go on for over a year and a half,” he says.
It is to be hoped that Jassi completes its run as per the current plan. This continuing chop and change must be leaving the viewers rather confused.
MUMBAI: India’s most famous hot seat is about to welcome an unlikely first-timer. For the first time on Hindi general entertainment television, industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla will appear on Kaun Banega Crorepati, the iconic quiz show hosted by Amitabh Bachchan.
The special episode marks a rare meeting point of boardroom heft and prime-time television, bringing one of India’s most influential business leaders face to face with the country’s most enduring screen legend. It is a crossover that blends intellect, leadership and popular culture, all under KBC’s familiar spotlight.
Birla’s appearance dovetails neatly with the show’s current theme, Jahaan Akal Hai, Wahan Akad Hai, which celebrates the confidence that comes from clarity of thought and knowledge. His presence lends weight to the idea that sharp thinking and conviction are as vital in life as they are in the quiz chair.
In a thoughtful conversation with Bachchan, Birla shared an upbeat view of India’s economic journey, pointing to the nation’s rapid growth and the scale of opportunity opening up across industries and communities. He spoke of momentum, ambition and a future shaped by enterprise and ideas.
The episode is not all serious talk. In lighter moments, Birla confessed his long-standing admiration for Bachchan, calling him his favourite actor and admitting to a touch of nervousness at answering questions in front of the Shahenshah himself. The candour adds a human touch to a man more often seen in headlines than on television sets.
The special episode airs on Monday, 29 December at 9.00 pm on Sony Entertainment Television and Sony LIV.
