GECs
Colors bets big on cookery show with Farah Khan as host
MUMBAI: Food is an important part of general entertainment channel’s (GEC) programming line-up these days and this time round Colors is adding the entertainment quotient to it.
Colors is all set to bring to the table a variety of dishes with the launch of its new cookery show – Farah Ki Daawat, which will be hosted by filmmaker Farah Khan.
After her successful stint in the channel’s reality TV show, Bigg Boss Halla Bol, Khan is set to return to the small screen with the new series. Produced by Wizcraft Entertainment, the new programme will see Bollywood and television celebrities showcasing their culinary skills by tossing up some delectable dishes. What’s more, Khan will be seen breathing down their neck and emphasizing on perfection as the judge cum host.
Talking about the concept of the show, Colors CEO Raj Nayak feels that the new offering will provide viewers with an uninhibited glimpse into the kitchen of their favourite celebrities – a concept which has never been seen on television before.
Nayak says, “At Colors, it is our constant endeavour to present differentiated content, which adds to our bouquet of offerings while making the channel a one-stop entertainment destination for our viewers.”
The show will see celebrities from different walks of life sharing their favourite food recipes and memories from their kitchen. The series will also feature challengers who, teamed up with the celebrities, to raise the entertainment quotient while engaging in quirky tasks and activities.
Nayak is of the opinion that apart from the novel concept, Khan – a multi-faceted personality, who is a closet foodie, will be the cherry on the cake. “The combination of good food and great conversations convinced us that the concept could be a potential attention grabber amongst viewers,” asserts Nayak.
According to Nayak, currently the plan is to shoot 15 episodes. However, that could change on the basis of viewer feedback towards the episodes. As of now, five-six episodes have already been canned.
If industry sources are to be believed, keeping in mind the celebrity quotient on the show, a 10-sec ad slot on Farah Ki Daawat demands anywhere between Rs 1 – 1.2 lakh per episode.
Apart from the promos on-air, Khan herself has been aggressive about promoting the show on the social media platform – Twitter. From posting pictures while shooting with celebs to inviting people for the ‘dawaat’ on 22 February, she has created a lot of buzz.
The celebs that have shot with Khan till now are Abhishek Bachchan, Alia Bhatt, Riteish and Genelia Deshmukh, Avinash Gowariker, Manish Paul, Boman Irani, Sonu Sood, Malaika Arora Khan. What’s more Bigg Boss 8 winner Gautam Gulati and housemates like Pritam Singh, Diandra Soares, Sambhavna Seth, Rahul Mahajan, Ajaz Khan and Praneet Bhat will also be seen on the show.
For Farah Ki Daawat, the channel has already got thumbs up from advertisers. Colors has roped in a volley of sponsors including Videocon as presenting sponsor, Kenstar as associate sponsors and Everest Masala as taste sponsors. The show will be powered by Mahakosh Cooking Oil.
According to a media planner the cookery chat show will manage to grab some eyeballs with the celebrity quotient factor. “Initially, the show will have a certain audience, but in the end content is king. Let’s see if Farah is able to pull off her host element well and secondly if an hour-long session is entertaining enough.”
It may be recalled that channels have for long experimented with food based cooking shows. From brief cookery episodes on Surabhi (DD) to Zee TV’s Khana Khazana, which launched Sanjeev Kapoor as a celebrity chef, the small screen has had a lot of shows revolving around producing gastronomic delights, apart from dedicated food channels like Zee Khana Khazana, Food First and Food Food.
Competition is hotting up in this space too. Post MasterChef India’s (Star Plus) launch in 2010, a plethora of cookery talent hunt shows followed suit, including Kitchen Champion, with celebrity chef Gauti (Colors), Cook It Up with Tarla Dalal (Sony), Zaike Ka Safar (Zee TV), Mirch Masala (Star Plus) and Shipra Khanna Cookery Show (Star Plus), amongst others. What’s more, in a renewed attempt at the segment in 2013, Sony had launched Sanjeev Kapoor Ke Kitchen Khiladi, its first cookery-based competition show. Star Plus too continued its MasterChef series with MasterChef Junior.
Today’s broadcasters realise that there is a show for every segment of the audience, from kids to grand-parents, from a 10-year old to health conscious corporate executives, house wives, working men and women to a 70-year old grandmother, is discussing food and tuning into food shows on television for recipes and more. It remains to be seen whether Farah Ki Daawat is able to tingle the audiences’ taste buds.
Farah Ki Daawat will air from 22 February every Sunday at 8 pm and will see competition from shows like Private Investigator on Star Plus, Adaalat on Sony, Peterson Hill on Sab, Neeli Chatri Waale on Zee TV and Savdhaan India on Life OK.
GECs
Sahara One reports financial results, notes director exit and business realignment
Muted revenues, steady expenses and strategic adjustments shape company’s current phase
MUMBAI: In a tale where the sands seem to be slipping faster than they can be gathered, Sahara One Media and Entertainment Limited has reported another quarter of wafer-thin income and widening losses, even as a boardroom exit adds to the unease.
The company informed the Bombay Stock Exchange that its board, in a meeting held on April 4, approved its unaudited financial results for the quarter ended September 30, 2025. The numbers paint a stark picture. Total income for the quarter stood at just Rs 0.13 lakh, unchanged sequentially and sharply down from Rs 0.26 lakh a year earlier.
Losses, meanwhile, deepened. The company posted a net loss of Rs 24.16 lakh for the quarter, compared to Rs 18.81 lakh in the June quarter and Rs 39.69 lakh in the same period last year. For the six months ended September 2025, the cumulative loss stood at Rs 39.69 lakh, while the full-year loss for FY25 was reported at Rs 60.72 lakh.
Expenses continued to outweigh income by a wide margin. Total expenses for the quarter came in at Rs 24.30 lakh, led by employee benefit costs of Rs 6.51 lakh and other expenses of Rs 17.78 lakh. Earnings per share remained in the red at Rs (0.11) for the quarter.
The balance sheet reflects a company with significant assets on paper but limited operational momentum. Total assets stood at Rs 23,065.57 lakh as of September 30, 2025, broadly unchanged from March 2025. Equity share capital remained steady at Rs 2,152.50 lakh, while total equity was reported at Rs 18,004.85 lakh.
Cash and cash equivalents saw a modest uptick to Rs 6.75 lakh from Rs 4.68 lakh earlier, supported by a positive operating cash flow of Rs 180.01 lakh for the period.
Yet, beneath these numbers lies a more complex narrative. The company’s auditors flagged their inability to obtain sufficient evidence to form a conclusion on the financial statements, citing lack of access to records. They also raised concerns over the company’s ability to continue as a going concern, pointing to insufficient funds, delayed recoveries, and stalled content investments.
Adding to the governance overhang, the company disclosed that Rana Zia has resigned as whole-time director, effective October 16, 2025, citing other professional commitments. The resignation, noted and accepted by the board, also brings an end to her role across company committees.
Regulatory pressures continue to loom large. The Securities and Exchange Board of India has already initiated penal actions for non-compliance with listing norms, with trading in the company’s shares remaining suspended. There is also a risk of promoter demat accounts being frozen.
Legacy legal issues remain unresolved. A substantial deposit of Rs 694,027.88 thousand linked to the long-running OFCD dispute involving Sahara group entities is still under the purview of the Supreme Court of India. Restrictions on asset disposal continue to weigh on the company’s financial flexibility.
Operationally, challenges persist across multiple fronts. Advances worth Rs 1,92,916 thousand given for film content remain stuck, with delays in project completion and uncertain recoverability. The company’s YouTube channel, despite being operational, has generated no revenue for over three years due to compliance lapses. In a further twist, management has indicated that revenues may have been fraudulently diverted through unauthorised changes to its AdSense account, with a police complaint in the works.
There are also missed revenue opportunities. Television content rights continue to be used by a related party despite the expiry of the licence agreement, with fresh negotiations still underway.
For now, Sahara One Media and Entertainment Limited appears caught between legacy disputes and present-day operational hurdles. As losses linger and governance questions mount, the road to recovery looks less like a sprint and more like a slow trudge through shifting sands.
