Movie Channels
‘Project Swades’ to mark Star Gold re-launch
MUMBAI: If the indications are anything to go by, for the first time in 2005, Television’s Hindi movie space is going to witness some major shake-ups. Triggering an interesting battle of sorts will be the aggressive posture taken by Star India’s Hindi movie channel Star Gold.
Sameer Nair with Ashutosh Gowarikar at ‘Project Swadesh’ announcement
As already reported by indiantelevision.com, Star Gold, presently positioned third in the market behind Zee Cinema and Set Max, is in the middle of a major revamp. The channel, inspired by recent acquisitions such as the Vashu Bhagnani library and biggies including Virudh and Paheli, will fire the first shot on 15 August by premiering Ashutosh Gowarikar’s Shahrukh Khan starrer Swades at 1 pm.
“The game plan for this year is to place Star Plus ahead of its competitors in the weekends and make Star Gold the number one movie channel. For Star Gold, our strategy is to bring every possible movie on the channel. The target is to overtake our competitors in the next four to five months,” says Star India COO Sameer Nair.
When queried how he would achieve the target in the given time, Nair expressed his confidence that the big movies that are in the possession of the channel would trigger the turnaround. “In the coming months, you will get to watch a lot of big as well as popular movies on Star Gold. The strategy may not wholly depend on big blockbusters. We have got a good bank of popular movies as well,” Nair says.
Following Swades will be the Big B starrer Black, scheduled for a September screening. Speaking on the time slot for movie premieres, Star Gold vice president Alif Surti said the channel was yet to finalise the details. “Premiering Swades at 1 pm on a Monday is a one-off case. We are yet to zero in on the time slot for our big movies,” Surti says.
‘Project Swades’ goes beyond TRPs
Staying away from the promotional gimmicks that channels normally resort to when it comes to big movie premieres, Star Gold has initiated Project Swades to boost the confidence of those hidden Mohan Bhargawas (the character played by Shahrukh Khan in Swades) across the country. The channel has joined hands with Gowarikar and the NGO portal Indianngos.com to launch the project, which takes a cue from the film. Project Swades will work on generating electricity for a village in rural India.
To create awareness of the project, Star is banking on on-air promos. The promos urge viewers to SMS Swades to 7827 and each SMS will be a donation of Rs 10 to the Project Swades Fund. Star Gold will match each donation with an equal amount and the fund management will be executed under the guidance of indianngos.com.
The selection of the target village would be done by a panel consisting of all partners of the project. The ground work and implementation will kick off on 30 September.
Star has also shot promos featuring three real life ‘Mohan Bhargawas’ — the ex-IIT Mumbai & rain water harvester Janak Dafatari, aerospace engineer Dr Kari Appa and returned NRI duo Manjunath and Chandrasekhar. Then we have more promos featuring Gowarikar and Shahrukh Khan where they pose the question: “Do you have a Mohan Bhargawa in you?” The promos are placed across the network with a special emphasis on KBC 2.
Movie Channels
Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat Premieres 14 Feb on Zee
Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat world TV premiere 14 Feb at 8pm passion meets politics.
MUMBAI: Cupid’s arrow just got a plot twist and it’s heading straight for your TV screen. This Valentine’s Day, Zee Cinema is turning up the heat with the world television premiere of Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat, a raw, rule-breaking romantic drama that proves love doesn’t always come wrapped in roses.
Set to air on Saturday, 14 February at 8pm, the film stars Harshvardhan Rane and Sonam Bajwa, directed by Milap Zaveri. It dives headfirst into obsession, heartbreak, and the kind of unconditional love that leaves scorch marks. Rane plays Vikramaditya, a powerful politician whose all-consuming passion for actress Adaa spirals into chaos when his feelings go unreturned unleashing a storm of emotion, misunderstanding, and life-altering consequences.
The timing couldn’t be sharper. Audiences are clearly craving intense love stories over sugar-coated ones, and this film taps straight into that vein. Harshvardhan Rane already has a loyal fanbase from his cult hit Sanam Teri Kasam, which cemented his status as the go-to guy for heart-wrenching romance especially among younger viewers who keep the film on repeat.
Milap Zaveri captured the film’s beating heart, “This film is about love that doesn’t follow rules. With Valentine’s Day being a time when audiences gravitate towards romantic narratives, the television premiere of Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat on Zee Cinema felt like the perfect fit. The continued love for intense romances shows there is a strong emotional appetite for such stories.”
Rane himself called it a story rooted in messy, honest emotion, “Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat explores love in its most intense and vulnerable form where emotions are messy and deeply human. It’s a story that doesn’t shy away from passion or pain on Valentine’s Day making it even more special as it reflects the many shades of love people experience.”
Sonam Bajwa added her take, “Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat is not a conventional love story, it’s raw, intense and emotional. Valentine’s Day is usually associated with happy romance but this film explores love in its most vulnerable form.”
So if your Valentine’s plans include more than chocolates and clichés, tune in to Zee Cinema at 8pm on 14 February. Because sometimes the most unforgettable love stories aren’t the ones that end neatly, they’re the ones that leave you questioning just how far passion can push before everything changes.
