GECs
India vs Pak now on Star Plus with the launch of ‘LOC’
MUMBAI: After the big bang launch of Kavyanjali last week (25 January) from the Plus platform, the channel is all gung-ho about its next property in the offing titled Life Out Of Control (LOC).
LOC hits the tube on 25 February and is slotted as a Friday one-hour weekend offering airing from 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm.
It is important to bear in mind here that after Khichdi, which did quite well for the comedy genre on Plus and has now extended the brand on Star One in a “new, improved avatar” titled Instant Khichdi, LOC is the second major effort of Plus in the comedy genre.
Why comedy?
Explains Star India creative director Shailja Kejriwal, “Comedies are really hard to come by. Secondly, one is always looking at providing variety and a change that is refreshing.”
Friday, seems to be the chosen day as the channel believes that it is a good day to watch something light and fresh which is a fun filled entertainer for the whole family.
Although, a point in note here is that Sony’s Friday line up has always been strong. Also, slotted between 8:30 – 9:30 pm is half of Sony’s newest reality show titled Dance Dance and 9 – 9:30 pm being Aahat 2. Both of which have made decent openings.
The sitcom essentially revolves around a restaurant called ‘St Martins Spice- Indian Restaurant’, in the heart of Central London. However, there is no peace within the restaurant because of the perpetual tensions between India and Pakistan.
The tangy humour angle comes in with the head chef being Gurpreet Singh Mallik who is Indian and the head waiter, Chand Mohammed who is a Pakistani. Mallik and Chand are undoubtedly enemies who often turn the restaurant into a plates and glasses War Zone the moment tension arises between the two countries.
The owner of the restaurant, a British, Simon York is in a catch 22 situation – for all he can do is curse his forefathers for partitioning India. To make matters worse, he can’t fire either of them because his clientele love Gurpreet’s curries and the Moghul treatment given by Chand.
Against this love hate relationship are played out the lives of these two families from which emerge great moments of laughter at the restaurant and at home. Produced by Rajeev Mehra of Eagle Films, the sitcom casts Manoj Pawa, Chand Mallik, Tom Alter who play the main protagonists of the show.
Will this be a move to strengthen the Friday band and eat into competition? Or will for the first time Star Plus be wary about the competition’s forte? Well, this will definitely be worth the wait.
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.
