News Broadcasting
A winner All the Way
The first episode of Jeeto Chappar Phaad Ke on 26 January 2001 clearly shows what sets Sony Entertainment Television apart from the rest of the programming pack in India – and namely major rival Zee TV. Additionally, it explains why Sony has been racing up the TRP charts.
It had entertainment, it had absorbing quizzing, it had the feeling of family, it had money and consumer durable giveaways and it had interesting twists to the format that has been made popular by Who Wants to be a millionaire? But the two stars of the show were our Virar ka chokra Govinda and the production values. He gyrated, he mimicked, he sang, he chanted poetry and prayers, he quizzed, he goaded participants, he guided them, he stood throughout the show while the participants sat – it was Govinda all the way in his burnt sienna suit.
Jeeto Chappar Phaad Ke – belongs to the genre of quiz game shows – but it did not have the sombre and serious feel that a Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) does. KBC, in fact, has begun to drag – despite AB. It is interesting – but it is not fun. Amitabh Bachchan, with no disrespect to him, comes across like the Grim Reaper waiting to grill contestants as compared to Govinda who is there to comfort them and cheer them on.
There was no lock kiya jaye or fix kiya jaye – just a simple placing of a mohur when the contestant answered and finalised her answers. Also she had four friends to guide him/her along: Govinda, Sahi ya Galat (Right or Wrong), Janta Se Maang (Public question), and Chaar se do (Two from four). And the prizes to be won were limitless – not Rs 10 million, not Rs 100 million – but as much as can be won.
On the production front (a pat on Mani Iyer’s Inhouse Productions’ back?), there were none of the wildly moving camera shots that a Sawal Dus Crore Ka had in its first episode. Nor the dark foreboding audiences that the Zee TV show did. The sets were a delight and helped build the show instead of being just appendages. Four overhead circle lights coming on and going crazy before every break. Some observers thought they were gaudy – a tad overdone. And yes the lighting can do with a little less of a yellow cast.
According to Dasgupta, what made the show interesting was the giveaways. “You get evidence that you are physically winning something. When Irvender got a Videocon AC and a Compaq computer, viewers could see that she acutally took home something. And that too at a price of Re 1 only,” he says.
Additionally, the show was choc-a-bloc with advertising. However, the best part was how the time flew – one hardly got to know when the show got over. Actually, one was regrettably annoyed that it had run out of time.
If Govinda and the Sony programming team led by Kunal Dasgupta and Rekha Nigam can keep up the tempo, we could have another piece of programming history being written. Welcome to some heady days ahead!!! Yo!
News Broadcasting
Rising Bharat Summit 2026 spotlights India’s global ascent
PM Modi keynotes two-day event with ministers, diplomats and icons in New Delhi.
MUMBAI: India didn’t just host a summit, it threw a coming-out party for a nation ready to own the global stage. The News18 Rising Bharat Summit 2026, held on 27–28 February in New Delhi, emerged as a high-octane platform for ideas, vision and strategic dialogue, uniting national leadership, global policymakers, industry titans, defence strategists and cultural icons under the theme “Strength Within”.
Prime minister Narendra Modi set the tone with a keynote that framed India’s resurgence as a reclaiming of lost potential built over generations. “In previous industrial revolutions, India and the Global South were merely followers,” he said. “But in the era of Artificial Intelligence, India is a partner in decisions and shaping them.” He highlighted the country’s thriving AI startup ecosystem and the recent AI Impact Summit attended by over 100 nations.
Union minister Piyush Goyal (Commerce & Industry) stressed India’s readiness to scale exports and deepen manufacturing, while Ashwini Vaishnaw (Railways, I&B, Electronics & IT) positioned technology and infrastructure as twin engines of growth, especially in AI and digital trust. Jyotiraditya Scindia (Communications & North East Development) revealed India’s ambition to lead in 6G through the Bharat 6G Alliance and partnerships with over 30 countries.
Global voices added depth: former Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo called India’s development “self-sustaining” and strategically vital; ex-UK Chief of Defence Staff General Sir Nick Carter asserted India deserves a seat at the great powers’ table; and former US Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez joined ambassadors from Norway, Germany and Sweden in discussions on geopolitical realignment, sustainability and defence preparedness.
Other speakers included veteran investor Ramesh Damani, World Gold Council CEO David Tait, Vianai Systems founder Dr Vishal Sikka, DeepTech Bharat Foundation co-founder Shashi Shekhar Vempati, defence experts Rajesh Kumar Singh, Sunil Ambekar, Patrick McGee, Tom Cooper and Adrian Fontanellaz, plus cultural and sporting icons Kangana Ranaut, Saina Nehwal, PR Sreejesh, Mohammed Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mithali Raj, Anil Kapoor and Yami Gautam.
The summit was supported by Jio Financial Services (Presenting Partner), Phonepe and DS Group (Co-Presenting Partners), Pernod Ricard India and Kia Seltos (Powered By & Driven By), state governments of Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand (State Partners), and associate partners including NSE, M3M Foundation and Reliance Industries.
Broadcast live across News18 Network, CNBC-TV18 and CNBC Awaaz, the event reinforced India’s image as a confident democracy and emerging global power proving that when strength comes from within, the world can’t help but watch.
