GECs
Reliance Big Synergy CEO Rajiv Bakshi calls it quits, joins ZeeL
KOLKATA: Reliance Big Synergy CEO Rajiv Bakshi has stepped down from his position. Bakshi has now joined Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZeeL) as its chief operations officer – revenue. According to sources close to the development, he will report to ZeeL South Asia business president Rahul Johri.
The Harvard Business School alumnus has more than 20 years of diverse work experience in business transformation, P&L and commercial operations, corporate strategy, brand management, product development, digital strategy and market expansions across varied industries.
According to the source mentioned above, he will work towards achieving ZeeL’s revenue objectives by identifying and leveraging internal synergies across all linear and digital platforms. In his new role at ZeeL, Bakshi will lead the sales strategy and operations function. In addition to that, he will also be responsible for leveraging technology to augment the revenue vertical. He will drive the marketing initiatives and focus on strengthening relations with key external stakeholders and partners.
Bakshi joined Reliance Big Synergy back in 2018. During his stint at the company, he led it to branch out the content studio across all genres with high focus on fiction while it was earlier known as a non-fiction powerhouse. Along with that, he aggressively scaled its hold over regional language shows as well. The company has produced content for Star Maa, Zee Punjabi, Dangal, Zee5 and many more under his guidance. Enterr10 TV Network’s Bhojpuri channel launched a social mythology series produced by Reliance Big Synergy in January, a genre where the production house never worked earlier.
Under his leadership, the studio produced some of the top rated TV shows across national and regional networks in Hindi, Telugu, Punjabi, Bhojpuri and other languages. More importantly, he pushed the business in the booming OTT segment as well to produce web series for both international and homegrown platforms.
He was conferred the ‘CEO Of the Year’ 2020 award by the jury of World Brand Congress, World Marketing Congress and CMO Global. The award was given in recognition of Bakshi’s differentiated strategy to establish Reliance Big Synergy as a leading content development and production powerhouse in India.
Earlier in his career, Bakshi also turned around Discovery Networks’ India and South Asia business as the head of products and marketing, and is credited for building its 11-channel portfolio.
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.
