GECs
Life OK to take ‘Comedy Classes’
MUMBAI: With high ambitions and the passion to reach the top, Life OK EVP and general manager Ajit Thakur, plans to achieve it all sans the sure-to-succeed saas-bahu soaps. “Though Life OK is not the staple diet of viewers, but whenever they want something different, they are most welcome,” he says.
After exploring crime, thriller, domestic violence through its shows, the channel is ready to tap the genre, which Thakur believes is not much explored in India – comedy.
Christened ‘Comedy Classes’, it promises to add a smile on the face of its viewers by taking them back to the classroom. Produced by Optimystix, the new show is a sitcom about an acting school called ‘Ache Din Institute’ with a crazy bunch of teachers and students.
The class consists of mad teachers such as Krushna, the flamboyant, flirtatious and artful acting coach who is a struggling actor himself and does odd jobs for a living. Bharti plays the dance instructor, whose contemporaries include Saroj Khan and Farah Khan. She has invented her own moves and grooves like Bharti-Natyamand Gambra (a mix of garba and bhangra).
The ‘Kanjus’ but romantic old music master Sudesh who never misses a chance to mix two songs to create his ‘original’ compositions and the inimitable Urdu expert from Pakistan, Shakeel Siddiqui, who can speak no more than seven sentences in Urdu.
“We thought we will not make a sitcom with the unknowns, so we have got on-board the four best stand-up comedians to create a big impact,” says Thakur on the star cast.
Thakur informs that a recently-concluded survey conducted by the channel in Uttar Pradesh highlights that Indian men want more of comedy and crime. He believes that there is still so much one can do with the genre as today most channels only focus on either stand-up and drama comedy.
“We wanted to get the genre on board and we got a lot of ideas as well. But since most of them revolved around stand-up, we said no. We finally cracked the code and settled for a sitcom,” says Thakur while adding that 10 years ago sitcoms ruled the Indian television screens with shows like Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi (1984), Wagle Ki Duniya (1988) Zabaan Sambhalke (1993), Shrimaan Shrimati (1995), Office Office (2001) and many more.
Optimystix producers Vipul D. Shah and Sanjiv Sharma are confident that with a strong creative idea and powerhouse of talent, audiences will love its new age classes. “Comedy Classes is a very entertaining concept of mad teachers and students who will bring the house down with laughter through their weird classroom sessions,” say the producers.
It won’t be all laughing business, the channel has taken it seriously and at the end of each episode, there will be a small goodness message delivered to the viewers.
The new series will air five days a week at 10 pm from 7 October. It will be facing tough competition with properties like Aur…Pyaar Ho Gaya (Zee TV), Pyar Ka Dard Hai Meetha Meetha Pyara Pyara (Star Plus), Meri Aashiqui Tum Se Hi (Colors), Maharana Pratap (Sony Entertainment Television) and Chandrakant Chiplunkar Seedi Bambawala (Sab).
MUMBAI: Lights, camera… connection because this time, the game isn’t just about winning, it’s about who’s with you. Sony Pictures Networks India is gearing up to launch a new reality game show, Tum Ho Naa, expanding its unscripted slate with a format that promises both emotion and engagement.
The show will premiere soon on Sony Entertainment Television and stream on Sony LIV, with Rajeev Khandelwal stepping in as host. Known for his measured screen presence and selective choices, Khandelwal’s return to television adds a layer of familiarity and credibility to the upcoming format.
While specific details of the gameplay remain under wraps, the positioning suggests a reality format that leans as much on emotional resonance as it does on competition, an increasingly popular blend in Indian television, where audiences are gravitating towards content that offers both stakes and storytelling.
Khandelwal, reflecting on his return, noted that his choices have often been guided by instinct rather than convention, describing Tum Ho Naa as a project that feels “close to the heart”. His association also signals Sony’s continued focus on anchoring new formats with recognisable faces who bring both relatability and depth.
The launch comes at a time when broadcasters are doubling down on original non-fiction formats to drive appointment viewing, even as digital platforms expand parallel reach. By placing the show across both linear television and OTT, Sony appears to be aiming for a dual-audience strategy capturing traditional viewers while engaging digital-first consumers.
As the countdown to premiere begins, Tum Ho Naa positions itself not just as another game show, but as a reminder that sometimes, the biggest prize on screen isn’t the jackpot, it’s the journey shared along the way.
