GECs
Comedy power to buttress Zee’s 8 pm
MUMBAI: Zee seems all set to tickle that funny bone. The next big launch to buttress the line-up is Sanjay Chhel Telefilms Pvt Ltd’s Hum Sab Baraati, which will launch on 4 April 2004.
Zee’s latest sitcom, airing Sunday-Wednesday at 8 pm, is a light and frothy sitcom with ‘a touch of a soap opera’ revolving around a family of wedding planners.
A quirky look at marriages in India- complete with the sangeet- mehndi- shaadi- bidaai (wedding specials-wedding-farewell) routines, never-ending dahej (dowry) problems- Sanjay Chhel’s maiden television venture has its heart in right place.
Launched at a media meet in Juhu Hotel organised by the production house, the event started unsually late, but the opulence had to be seen. The host Chhel had hired a music band, palmists, mehendiwalli, flower sellers, all that and more in addition to the overflowing bar.
Speaking about the venture Chhel said, “Every story will be split into either two or four episodes. It’s a feel good comedy with integrally woven songs and dances.” In addition to the dialogues, Chhel has also penned songs for the show.
What did strike the eye at the event was actor Delnaz Paul’s optimism. She said that Hum Sab Baraati Hai would be as big as her last release, Karan Johar’s blockbuster Kal Ho Na Ho!
Starring Dinyar Contractor, Tiku Talsania, Bhavna Balsaver, Dilip Joshi, Sulbha Arya and Raju Kher, besides Paul, in main roles, the show has been commissioned by Zee for a year.
In a release issued by Zee, Zee Telefilms president Sunil Khanna was quoted saying, “Hum Sab Baraati has all the ingredients of being a successful comedy show. Keeping in mind the multi-combination of the audiences we cater to, we plan to very carefully built and expertise on multi-genre programming. Hum Sab Baraati is filled with spicy characters, which are interconnected with each other, and they create lot of possibilities for a hilarious comedy to tickles the ribs to no end. Join us with the Baraati parivar and keep smiling always.
However, quite a few goof-up were noticed in the dialogues. Something that is definitely not expected from veteran television script-writer Chhel.
According to Chhel, the road to its telecast has been easy. “I spoke to other channels as well about this show, but somehow thought that Zee TV was the least interfering of all.”
Present at the meet was also BAG Films films division head Mejoo Khan and actor Rajiv Paul escorting his wife Delnaz. In addition to Hum Sab Baarati, Zee will also be premiering next edition of 64 Panne on the same day at 8:00 pmLavanya , starring Shilpa Saklani, Rohit Bakshi and Gaurav Chopra is journey of a young adolescent girl to a matured woman completely in control of a situation.
Speaking about Lavanya Khanna said, “Lavanya is another feather to our popular slot, 64 Panne, the prime time band which has offered captivating heart tugging stories like Dil NA Jaane Kyun, Mansha and Aandhi, which has captured tremendous response from viewers. Lavanya portrays a riveting saga of the protagonist caught between a non-committed love and fulfilling the wishes of her parents. Lavanya also exhibits the thinking of an independent woman from the new generation who is looking forward to her Mr. Right, who will get into terms with the new paradigm.”
The show is jointly produced by Rajiv Mehta’s Dream Team Software and Moving Pictures Company.
Lets see if April launches bring any luck to Zee’s flagship Hindi entertainment channel.
GECs
Zee scales syndication with global tie-ups, 350 plus channel MCN
Vertical, dubbed and audio formats boost digital reach
MUMBAI: Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. is giving its content library a fresh passport. The company has stepped up its syndication push, signing global partnerships, experimenting with new-age formats and building a multi-channel network that now spans more than 350 channels.
With the newly secured MCN licence, Zee can manage, distribute and monetise content across leading digital platforms at scale, strengthening its presence in the fast-growing creator and short-form ecosystem.
To keep pace with changing viewing habits, the company is also reshaping its content into formats built for the small screen in your hand. In a tie-up with micro-drama platform Story TV, select titles are being reworked into vertical, short-duration episodes tailored for mobile-first audiences.
Beyond India, the syndication team is widening its global footprint with foreign-language dubbing and regional partnerships across Europe, Africa and Latin America, opening up fresh markets for Indian stories.
Zee is also tapping into the audio boom. It has begun licensing audio remake rights for legacy properties such as Zee Horror Show, with several more titles lined up for audio-first adaptations.
On the digital front, the company has made progress in monetising non-exclusive rights for library films, while converting select shows and movies from horizontal to vertical formats to improve discoverability on short-form platforms.
Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. business head syndication Vinod Johri, said syndication has emerged as a strong growth lever for the company. He noted that the combination of a large MCN network, global partnerships and new formats such as vertical video and audio is helping build a future-ready engine that extracts more value from the content library.
Together, these moves signal a platform-agnostic approach to storytelling, as Zee repackages, localises and redistributes its IP across geographies, formats and screens, ensuring its catalogue keeps working long after the first broadcast.
