MAM
‘Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aana’ As ZEE Biskope invites viewers for ‘Lagan Utsav’
When it comes to occasions that bring the entire family together, few match up to the grandeur and togetherness of Indian weddings. Over the years, this grand event has been a part of countless Bhojpuri films and has brought families regaling in the festivities of life’s most important relationship. Bhojpuri region observes the month of June especially the second week as the wedding season when there are many auspicious marriage dates. Amidst the current situation, when people are confined to their homes, the region is missing out on the celebrations of occasions like marriages. Being true to its core, Zee Biskope keeps the festive celebrations alive this wedding season, through Lagan Utsav – an unmatched collection of marriage-based movies. Themed around ‘Shaadi mein zaroor aana’, the channel invites the entire family to relive the celebrations of a wedding through a host of Bhojpuri blockbusters. from June 8-12, every morning, at 9:30 AM in the Family Chokha movie band, the film festival will rejoice the wedding season through a celebratory ride filled with drama, music and dance.
Giving the audiences a dose of cheer and happiness, the Lagan Utsav film festival will begin with ‘Nirahua Chalal Sasuraal 2’. The romantic drama featuring Dinesh Lal Yadav (Nirahua) and Amrapali Dubey depicts how a husband and wife can overcome any situation by supporting each other. Up next, the Khesari Lal Yadav and Kajal Raghwani starrer ‘Dulhin Ganga Par Ke’ is a romantic yet family drama where Khesari is in search of his life partner and after many attempts finds his true love, bringing her home as his Dulhaniya. Adding to the galore, Nirahua& Madhu Sharma’s blockbuster ‘Dulhe Raja’ features a story of how the protagonist Dulhe Raja fights against all odds for his Dulhaniya. ‘Dabang Aashiq’ is a complicated tale of love and sacrifice where love knows no boundaries and features Khesari Lal Yadav, Kajal Raghwani& Anjana Singh in the lead roles. The festival culminates with superhit movie ‘Leke Aaja Band Baaja Aye Pawan Raja’ starring Pawan Singh that depicts a story of how two souls bound together by the spirit of true love & affection stand by each other’s side through thick and thin.
Speaking about the wedding special line-up, Amarpreet Singh Saini, Business Head – ZEE Biskope and BIG Ganga said, “ZEE Biskope has always prepared its content strategy with the core intention of uplifting spirits along with regular dose of entertainment for its viewers. The endevour is to remain topical and in synch with our viewers sensibilities at any given period of time. Lagan Utsavwith a special marriage-based movie line up is yet another initiative for our audience to re-live those celebratory moments through the lens of entertainment especially at a time when such ceremonies are not a reality. We look forward to curating more such family-centric offerings in the future through our superlative collection of movies and premieres for our esteemed audience.”
Regaling audiences to their heart’s content, the channel stays true to its core proposition "Aathon Pahariya Loota Lahariya" (enjoy Bhojpuri entertainment throughout the day). The channel is available on Airtel (channel no 663), Tata Sky (channel no 1120), DEN Bihar (channel no 840), DEN Jharkhand (channel no 839), DD Free Dish (channel no 31), d2h (channel no 859), Dish TV (channel no 1555), Siti Cable (channel no 214) and Darsh Digital (channel no 189). It’ll soon be available on all other major cable platforms.
Digital
Content India 2026 opens with a copro pitch, a spice evangelist and a £10,000 prize for Indian storytelling
Dish TV and C21Media’s three-day summit puts seven ambitious projects before an international jury, and two walk away with serious development money
MUMBAI: India’s content industry gathered in Mumbai this March for Content India 2026, a three-day summit organised by Dish TV in partnership with C21Media, and it wasted no time making a statement. The event opened with a Copro Pitch that put seven scripted and unscripted television concepts before an international panel of judges, and by the end of it, two projects had walked away with £10,000 each in marketing prize money from C21Media to support development and international promotion.
The jury, comprising Frank Spotnitz, Fiona Campbell, Rashmi Bajpai, Bal Samra and Rachel Glaister, evaluated a shortlist that ranged from a dark Mumbai comedy-drama about mental health (Dirty Minds, created by Sundar Aaron) to a Delhi coming-of-age mystery (Djinn Patrol, by Neha Sharma and Kilian Irwin), a techno-thriller about a teenage gaming prodigy (Kanpur X Satori, by Suchita Bhatia), an investigative crime drama blending mythology and modern thriller (The Age of Kali, by Shivani Bhatija), a documentary on India’s spice heritage (The Masala Quest, hosted by Sarina Kamini), a documentary on competitive gaming (Respawn: India’s Esports Revolution, by George Mangala Thomas and Sangram Mawari), and a reality-horror competition merging gaming and immersive fear (Scary Goose, by Samar Iqbal).
The session was hosted by Mayank Shekhar.
The two winners were Djinn Patrol, backed by Miura Kite, formerly of Participant Media and known for Chinatown and Keep Sweet: Pray & Obey, with Jaya Entertainment, producers of Real Kashmir Football Club, also attached; and The Masala Quest, created and hosted by Sarina Kamini, an Indian-Australian cook, author and self-described “spice evangelist.”
The summit also unveiled the Content India Trends Report, whose findings made for bracing reading. Daoud Jackson, senior analyst at OMDIA, set the tone: “By 2030, online video in India will nearly double the revenue of traditional TV, becoming the main driver of growth.” He noted that in 2025, India produced a quarter of all YouTube videos globally, overtaking the United States, while Indians collectively spend 117 years daily on YouTube and 72 years on Instagram. Traditional subscription TV is declining as free TV and connected TV gain ground, forcing broadcasters to innovate. “AI-generated content is just 2 per cent of engagement,” Jackson added, “highlighting the dominance of high-quality human content. The key for Indian media companies is scaling while monetising effectively from day one.”
Hannah Walsh, principal analyst at Ampere Analysis, added hard numbers to the picture. India produced over 24,000 titles in January 2026 alone, with 19,000 available internationally. The country now accounts for 12 per cent of Asia-Pacific content spend, up from 8 per cent in 2021, outpacing both Japan and China. Key exporters include JioStar, Zee Entertainment, Sony India, Amazon and Netflix, delivering over 7,500 Indian-produced titles abroad each year. The top importing markets are Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, the United States and the Philippines. Scripted content dominates globally at 88 per cent, with crime dramas and children’s and family titles performing particularly strongly.
Manoj Dobhal, chief executive and executive director of Dish TV India, framed the summit’s ambition squarely. “Stories don’t need translation. They need a platform, discovery, and reach, local or global,” he said. “India produces more movies than any country, our streaming platforms compete globally, and our tech and creators win international awards. Yet fragmentation slows growth. Producers, platforms, and tech move in different lanes. We need shared spaces, collaboration, and an ecosystem where ideas, technology, and people meet. That is why we built Content India.”
The data, the pitches and the prize money all pointed to the same conclusion: India is not waiting for the world to discover its stories. It is building the infrastructure to sell them.
