GECs
Looking beyond movies; Star Gold launches ‘Humse Dosti Karoge’
MUMBAI: Standing by the positioning that Star Gold is about more than just airing movies, Star’s movie channel in an endeavour to offer a complete Bollywood experience has conceptualised a show that gives the viewers an oppurtunity to get up close and personal with four attractive women in Bollywood and discover their personnae.
Ensuring interactivity, a few lucky winners will also get a chance to go on a date with all four of them – who the channel showcases as the faces of future Bollywood. The show titled Humse Dosti Karoge will debut on 25 February at 8 pm.
The four actors who will be featured on this show are Ishaa Koppikar, Celina Jaitley, Kim Sharma and Amrita Arora. The idea being Humse Dosti Karoge will create added salience for the brand and will offer viewers greater scope to interact and build a lasting relationship with the brand.
Says Star India senior vice president marketing and communications Ajay Vidyasar, “The property will reinforce the fact that only Star Gold brings you Bollywood in all its glory and brings you into Bollywood.”
Commenting further Vidyasagar explains, “The task for Star Gold was to constantly innovate and have the most representation of Bollywood. The effort is to do a set of things that can showcase the different facets of the film industry. Mujse Dosti Karoge is erssentially will aim at building consumer interactivity and drive traffic onto our short code. It also acts as a big catalyst in acquisition of viewership and therefore in turn a great medium for advertisers.”
He also stated that a similar exercise done last year with Sabsey favourite Kaun upped the channel share significantly to channel share significantly at 5.4 in July , which even beat Sony during the month.
The first episode will be all about Ishaa; followed by Ishaa’s favourite movie introduced by her. Their will be one episode on each of the other girls which will be (Celina 4 March; Kim 11 March, Amrita 18 March) followed by their favourite movies 25 March will see the show summing up the best moments of the four episodes and thereafter an event featuring performances from the girls and a Bollywood hunk will be telecast on 1 April.
ENSURING INTERACTIVITY
A contest has been weaved in which will have one big question for every episode, pertaining to the for every relevant actor. The contest is to answer all the four questions on the four episodes correctly, there being no limit on the number of entries. One big winner will win the ‘dream date’ with the girls, and a 100 winners will get to attend the televised gala event. Other winners will recieve autographed posters of the actors. The telecast of winner’s date with the 4 women will take place on 8 April.
FOR THE ADVERTISER
The channel has chalked out a comprehensive mileage on-air, on-ground and on mass media which will enable their brand to connect with audiences across the spectrum. Advertisers will be ensured sustained presence on Star Gold for almost two months as well as sustained presence on the Star Network through cross channel promos. Also, there will be a brand association with the four upcoming actors.
THE CAMPAIGN ITSELF
Touted as one of the biggest properties on Star Gold, extensive marketing and promotional efforts will surround the show which comprises on-air promotion cross channel, outdoor and print campaigns, on ground activity in both metro and non metro cities. Promotional activities will also take place in association with other media partners apart from sustained Internet and a direct marketing efforts.
Star Gold has repeatedly come up with shows and events and special programming properties. Last year Gold unveiled Sabse Favourite Kaun which was positioned as India’s biggest opinion poll which would determine the nation’s favourite stars.
A similat endeavour was done with Jabardast Janamdin Special – ‘celebrating birthdays Bollywood Ishtyle’ with in-depth interviews, co-star comments and line-up of movies featuring the star.
Gold has also got into exclusive tie-ups with the most recent Bollywood films. They being Ab Tumhare Hawale Watan Saathiyo, Black, et al allowng viewers a sneek peak into the movie even before theatrical release.
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.
