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HBO’s new AIDS documentary visits India
MUMBAI: The ever menacing threat of Aids shows no signs of letting up. And making a further bid at increasing awareness about the dreaded disease is HBO, which has announced that it will air a new documentary special dedicated to this pressing concern. Titled Pandemic:Facing Aids it will air later this year in the US. It has been conceived by writer, producer, director Rory Kennedy.
This documentary takes a unique look at the epidemic, melding intimate personal stories with a global perspective. Pandemic: Facing AIDS comprises five stories of individuals with HIV and AIDS from around the globe including India revealing the diverse impacts that AIDS has had on their lives. The film aims to create a greater awareness and understanding of this epidemic, and to empower people to take action in the international fight against HIV and AIDS.
In India a former truck driver, debilitated by Aids, gives strength to his family and his village, and deals with the stigma associated with Aids. Since this connection is present it won’t come as a surprise if it pops up in the country at a later date.
HBO had earlier aired And The Band Played On which depicted the havoc Aids created in San Francisco. The Russian story focuses on a young couple whose use of IV drugs has left them infected with HIV and struggling with their parents for the right to raise their three-year-old son. We watch them cope with the epidemic in a country where the true scale of the devastation is just beginning to sink in.
At a Buddhist monastery in Thailand, viewers will get a glimpse of the pain that end-stage Aids patients suffer by following one former commercial sex worker on her quest to return to her village and family to die with dignity.
Speaking on the initiative Kennedy said, ” What I filmed in Uganda, India, Thailand, Russia, and Brazil has shaped and expanded my definition of suffering. Yes, I saw people dying from Aids. But I also saw people fighting against Aids people fighting for themselves and their families with incredible dignity and courage. And in this I found hope, in their faces and their stories I found the hope to carry me far beyond the numbers.”
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.
