GECs
Alchemy borrows household name ‘Naagin’ to create ‘Ichhapyaari’ series
MUMBAI: Some get inspired, others hop on to the success bandwagon and there are those who create spoofs. Whether some would want just their foot into the door using a namesake is a moot question.
As an audience, we have seen several supernatural characters on the Indian television. In recent times, from ‘Naagin’ to ‘Makhi’ and ‘Gorilla’ to wolfs, these were among the supernatural characters that trended on the Idiot Box. Among these, ‘Naagin’ ruled the Hindi general entertainment channels scripts for months together.
Though the concept has now grown old, Colors is among the few broadcasters who reignited this trend. After launching Naagin in 2015, broadcasters and production houses had gone gaga over supernatural series of their own.
The image of a snake in stories relayed on the Indian television is stereotypical and symbolises a negative character akin to Shakti Kapoor’s image in Bollywood. But, has one ever thought what is it being to be a snake? Do they always intend to harm human beings?
Using the character of ‘Naagin’ but in a different story line, Alchemy Productions co-founder Siddharth Malhotra, who had co-founded Cinevista, brings the friendly version of snakes in “Ichhapyaari Naagin’ which will be telecast on Sab TV. Starting from 27 September, the show will be aired at 8pm from Monday- Friday.
“The idea struck me after watching ‘Naagin’ and 20 other shows,” Malhotra said. “What would a snake think if it ever watches the show. And, what if a snake appears in front of you and says, “Hey, don’t run away. I am not that bad” are some of the ideas that germinated in our minds,” he added. “And so, we thought somebody needs to change this image. It’s a positive take on snakes!. It’s a story from the snake’s perspective,” informs Malhotra.
The story is about a ‘Ichhapyaari Naagin’, who stays in Naagistan (Naagland) and comes down to earth to change the perspective of people about snakes. According to the information available withIndiantelevision.com, the show’s production cost per episode was between 7-8 lakhs.
The show, written by Raghuvir Shekhawat, has been directed by the creative genius who directed Balaji Telefilms’ ‘Naagin’ — Santram Verma. Bunty Rathore has penned its dialogues and Jitu Verma was the VFX wizard.
Speaking about the comparison, Malhotra said, “Our show is not at all similar to ‘Naagin’ which is a genre of drama, revenge and love. ‘Ichhapyaari Naagin’ is a slice of life, sweet show.”
The channel has been aggressively promoting the show through mass media and campaign. The marketing campaign is to build excitement on basis of its new avatar. Outside the home network, the channel will be focusing on youth music, movies and kids. In print, they will be focusing on leading national and regional dailies. In radio, it is trying to market the show through 30 radio stations across key states.
GECs
ZEEL overhauls sales structure to chase growth across TV and digital platforms
New structure sharpens digital push as viewing habits fragment fast
MUMBAI: Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. is reshuffling its sales playbook as it looks to keep pace with a fast-changing media landscape, where audiences are scattered, screens are multiplying and advertisers are following the data.
According to media reports, the rejig is anchored in the company’s push to build a more integrated, data-led monetisation engine, one that can straddle both traditional television and fast-growing digital platforms with equal ease.
At the heart of the move is a reworked sales architecture designed to deliver cross-platform solutions. With connected TV gaining ground and digital consumption surging, ZEEL is aligning its teams to move quicker, think broader and sell smarter.
The restructuring is being led by chief operating officer, advertisement revenue, Sandeep Mehrotra, at a time when the company says it is seeing tremendous growth. The idea is simple: match the right talent to the right opportunity in a market that is anything but static.
As part of the overhaul, several long-serving executives have been elevated to chief sales officer roles across regions and content clusters. Sanjoy Chatterjee will head the east market, while Gunjarav Nayak takes charge of the west along with high-margin verticals such as hmg, brand works, intellectual properties and digital sales. Rajnish Gupta will oversee bengaluru and chennai markets alongside the kannada and tamil clusters.
In other key moves, Divjyot Dhanda will lead hyderabad and kochi markets and manage zee tv, zee keralam and the telugu cluster. Roshan Vasu Kotian will supervise a diverse portfolio including Zee Marathi, &tv, Zee Punjabi, Zee Anmol, Big Magic and Zee Biskope.
The company is also strengthening its bench, appointing national sales heads across retail, regional clusters, digital and brand solutions. Ankur Kapila’s appointment to lead digital sales signals a sharper push into a segment that continues to outpace traditional formats.
Behind the scenes, dedicated strategy and operations roles have been carved out for both linear and digital businesses. Nitin Shetty, Rajkiran Shrivastav and Priya Nambiar will take on key responsibilities to ensure the new structure runs with precision.
The broader aim is clear. ZEEL wants a bigger slice of advertising budgets that are steadily drifting towards digital and connected TV ecosystems. By integrating its offerings, the company hopes to deepen client relationships while unlocking new revenue streams.
The new structure takes effect immediately, with Mehrotra continuing to report to chief executive officer Punit Goenka and steer the company’s advertising revenue strategy. Senior executive Laxmi Shetty will support the transition, with her revised role expected to be announced soon.
In a market where content is everywhere but attention is scarce, ZEEL’s latest move is less about rearranging the org chart and more about staying in the game.
