News Broadcasting
Jay Mehta to produce show for Zee, Sahara
MUMBAI: Jay Mehta, the son of film producer and distributor Pranlal Mehta, will be producing two new TV shows: Vishwas in the afternoon slot for Zee and another one for Sahara TV which is in the early stages of conceptualisation.
Mehta has acted in films such as Muskurahat and produced feature films such as 100 Days. On TV, he has earlier done shows such as Mujhe Door Koi Kiche (Zee), Jung (Doordarshan), Zara Suneye To (Sahara) and a Gujarati serial Karo Kankuna for Alpha Gujarati. Mehta is also waiting for the right script for his Gujarathi theatre project which he bills as his dream.
“Vishwas is a social thriller which will be aired in the afternoon. I have already finished shooting some episodes and am waiting for Zee’s officials to give me the exact telecast timings,” says Jay Mehta. Mehta however, states that that the Sahara project is in the early stages of conceptualisation.
Vishwas stars Vijayendra Ghatge, Gautam Chaturvedi, Anang Desai, Raju Kher and Usha Bachani amongst others. Mehta states that he has worked with Zee and is comfortable working with the programming team.
When queried about the difference between feature films and TV productions, Mehta says: “Both are similar in the sense that the hard work and creativity are part and parcel of the two separate mediums. On TV, one has to make some adjustments as the channel officials have a say in the scheme of things. In the case of films, one has a lot of freedom.”
Mehta also states that the channel’s creative team provides the independent producers with invaluable inputs about the look and feel of the show. “It is a combined effort. However, the independent producers have to assert themselves in certain creative aspects. The channels’ programming team shouldn’t interfere much in the scripts,” he adds.
Mehta has his own creative team and script-writers. The panel of experts comes up with various story ideas based on current affairs, literature and other sources.
When asked as to why he has no projects on DD, Mehta states:”I have had some good experiences during my earlier stint with Doordarshan. However, I don’t have much time on hand now to complete the extensive paper work and formalities. Also, I used to visit DD’s headquarters in Delhi often but haven’t done so in a long time.”
Mehta’s afternoon show on Zee will be eagerly awaited as it would fill in the void created by Balaji Telefilm’s production Kohi Apna Sa!
News Broadcasting
Times Network to air JVC Exit Poll across 5 regions on April 29
Four-hour broadcast spans states and Puducherry with data-led analysis
MUMBAI: Times Network is set to roll out what it calls one of its most expansive election programming efforts yet, culminating in the JVC Exit Poll on 29 April, with a multi-hour broadcast spanning key poll-bound regions.
The exit poll will air across Times Now and Times Now Navbharat, beginning at 5pm and 4pm respectively. Co-powered by Vedanta and Jindal Stainless, the programming aims to combine on-ground reportage with data-driven projections across West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry.
The network has deployed over 50 journalists across these regions, gathering voter sentiment and local insights in the run-up to polling. The effort builds on its ongoing election formats such as Election Yatra and Election Premier League, which have tracked campaign narratives and community-level issues.
In parallel, Times Now Navbharat has focused on constituency-level reporting in West Bengal through its Jan Gan ka Mann series, capturing voter opinions across diverse segments.
The coverage has also featured interviews with prominent political leaders. Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Congress leaders Ramesh Chennithala and V D Satheesan have appeared on the network’s election specials. From Tamil Nadu, voices including deputy chief minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran, BJP leader K Annamalai and NTK’s Seeman have also featured in discussions.
On the day of the exit poll, the network’s primetime anchors, including Navika Kumar, Zakka Jacob and Sumit Awasthi, will lead the coverage. They will be joined by a panel of political analysts, psephologists and senior journalists offering real-time insights and interpretation of trends.
The programming will integrate grassroots reportage with analytics from the JVC Exit Poll, aiming to give viewers an early sense of electoral outcomes ahead of the official results on 4 May.
With its combined English and Hindi broadcast reach, Times Network is positioning this effort as a comprehensive look at voter sentiment, blending field reporting, data and debate to decode what could lie ahead when the final mandate is revealed.
