GECs
Q Marathi announces its new show ‘Q Marathi YouthFull Mahakarandak’
Mumbai : QYOU Media India’s channel Q Marathi has announced first-of-its-kind non-fiction programming initiative Q Marathi YouthFull Mahakarandak.
Mumbai: The maiden non-fiction offering will showcase more than 25 handpicked One Act Plays popularly known as Ekankika. Q Marathi YouthFull Mahakarandak will premiere on 7 October and air daily at 7:30 p.m.
The show is presented by Veet and co-presented by Lizol and Garnier along with the short-format app Chingari as a digital partner.
In Maharashtra, theatre is a popular storytelling format, and this post-pandemic initiative is designed to encourage and provide a platform for emerging talent to present entertaining, relevant, and thought-provoking plays.
Q Marathi conducted city-wise judging and screening of the semi-final rounds across key cities of Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, and Aurangabad to bring the best of the plays and received a tremendous response of over 70+ entries across young theatre groups of multiple colleges and independent theatre groups. The handpicked plays will be judged by eminent marathi veteran actor Dr Girish Oak; Director, Writer, and Actor Chandrakant Kulkarni and renowned Marathi actress Aditi Sarangdhar, allowing the youth of Maharashtra to present their stories.
Q Marathi will present awards in categories such as Best Ekankika, Best Actor Female and Male, Best Writer, Director, Light, Set Design, and Music to promote these Ekankikas and encourage young talent.
Furthermore, to increase viewer engagement, the channel has launched ‘watch & vote,’ which will award one of the finalist’s plays as the ‘viewers’ choice winner.’
Speaking on the launch of ‘Q Marathi YouthFull Mahakarandak’, QYOU Media India’s CEO Simran Hoon said, “At Q Marathi, we have always innovated to launch new and meaningful ways of entertaining and engaging our viewers. Theatre takes one back to their culture and the Marathi theatre industry is rich in culture and storytelling. Through our first non-fiction show, Q Marathi YouthFull Mahakarandak, we aim to empower the real storytellers and the youth creators of Maharashtra by creating a platform that sets benchmarks and captures the ethos and love for dramatics at its best. We are very happy to have already earned Veet as the presenting partner on this initiative along with Lizol and Garnier as co-presenting partners. True to our unique approach to engaging brands, this show will offer an integrated solution for advertisers to target youth on multiple platforms, be it television, digital, radio, on-ground, and curated branded content to leverage the power of upcoming digital creators in the Marathi space.”
Q Marathi business head Neeta Thakare, said, “At Q Marathi, we are constantly looking for innovative ways to connect with our audiences across interesting and engaging initiatives. The launch of Q Marathi’s first non-fiction show, Q Marathi YouthFull Mahakarandak provides an opportunity and platform to the young creator economy, making it a notable value-driven property. Staying true to our core DNA, we are delighted to rope in Chingari as our digital partner for this show, as we look forward to leveraging the might of digital creators to further amplify and promote this initiative to take it to a wider base of youth audiences. With this launch, we are hopeful to create new benchmarks in entertaining and engaging our existing viewers as well as captivating new audiences.”
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.
