News Broadcasting
Sahara gets in fantasy realm with ‘Chandramukhi’
MUMBAI: Sahara Manoranjan is living up to its style of launching ambitious projects. The channel is getting ready to air fantasy-cum-adventure thriller Chandramukhi.
Produced by Applause entertainment ltd, the series will be a one-hour weekly directed by Sunil Agnihotri (Chandrakanta, Yug).
Confirming the same to indiantelevision.com, Sahara’s programming vice president Triptii Sharma said, “Chandramukhi is loosely inspired by folk fable Gul-e-Bakauli. It has been commissioned but we haven’t yet decided on the date when it will go on air.”
Asked if the programme would be slotted on Sunday mornings like the fantasy one-hour weeklies generally are, Sharma said, “We have to take a call on that, but yes, Sunday it could be.”
The shooting kicked off with a 20-day schedule in Mahableshwar, followed by a 15 day stint in Kanjurmarg, Mumbai.
Interestingly, the girl who will play the title role Chandramukhi has not yet been cast. Agnihotri Finalise an actress over the next 24 hours.
The cast comprises newcomers Sachin Khurana and Yana Sheikh alongside Deepak Parashar (Kahiin To Hoga), Krutika Desai, Natasha Sinha (Son Pari and Kehta Hai Dil fame) and Amita Nangia.
It is the story of Raja Mahendra Pratap Singh (Parashar), who has a cursed son. It has been forecast that his child would bring his doom and if he sees the kid, he would turn blind. So the child, who grows up to be Vanraj (Sachin) and the mother (Sinha) are packed away. The child is a werewolf and Urvashi (Yana) is someone who is madly in love with him. But unfortunately, he has eyes only for Chandramukhi.
According to the production house, five episodes are ready, but considering the fact that they have taken 35 days to be completed, a sufficient bank has to be built before it is put on air.
Agnihotri explained, “With a lot of special effects and scares, unlike other serials, this one cannot be done at a very rapid pace. As far as I believe, the serial may see the light of day in August.”
“I directed 89 episodes of Chandrakanta (DD) before the show went off air after 93 episodes. After two years, it was once again attempted by DD for about six episodes, but fell flat. As for Yug, I directed the first 262 episodes. The show went on for 400 plus episodes and later came as Betal Pachisi on DD.”
He further told indiantelevision.com that the idea for this serial was initiated by Sahara Manoranjan about five months ago. ” Going by the cost, there was a big question on who would take the mantle of production. We meet up Applause and they agreed.”
Sunil Munshi, Manoj Sinha and Farrokh, who have been with Agnihotri since the Chandrakanta days, are involved with the writing aspects of the show.
Meanwhile, Agnihotri has wrapped up his latest film Alibaba Aur 40 Chor starring Arbaaz Khan and Pinky Harwani. He is ready to launch into another film Friends which will star Tejaswini Kolhapure.
“Currently we are looking at 52 episodes for Chandramukhi, but you never know what happens on Indian television,” concluded Agnihotri with a smile.
Sahara Manoranjan is still looking for its first major hit. Whether Chandramukhi will be as big a money-spinner as ‘Chandrakanta’, remains to be seen. Going by the fact that the show will involve several special effects, grand costumes, and what have you, a good amount of money would be getting pumped into this. Apparently, the channel considers it as a good bet. One hopes the viewers too agree.
News Broadcasting
Network18 Q4 revenue grows 9.7 per cent, EBITDA at Rs 30 crore
PAT improves to Rs 306.6 crore, margins steady amid cost pressures.
MUMBAI: Not all news is breaking, some of it is quietly improving. Network18 Media & Investments Limited appears to be doing just that, tightening losses and stabilising margins even as costs continue to weigh on the business. For FY26, the company reported revenue from operations of Rs 1,955.1 crore, up from Rs 1,896.2 crore in FY25, signalling modest top-line growth in a challenging media environment. Total income stood at Rs 1,978.2 crore, compared to Rs 1,913 crore a year earlier.
Profit after tax came in at Rs 306.6 crore for the year, a sharp turnaround from Rs 3,225.4 crore in FY25, largely reflecting the absence of large exceptional items that had inflated the previous year’s numbers. On a more comparable basis, the company’s operating performance showed signs of gradual stabilisation.
However, the quarterly picture remained under pressure. For the March quarter, Network18 reported a loss of Rs 53.1 crore, narrower than the Rs 98.1 crore loss in the same period last year, but still indicative of ongoing cost challenges.
Expenses continued to track high. Total expenses for FY26 stood at Rs 2,235.7 crore, up from Rs 2,197.8 crore in FY25. Key cost heads included operational expenses of Rs 765.9 crore, employee benefits of Rs 475.9 crore, and marketing, distribution and promotional spends of Rs 427.1 crore, underlining the continued investment required to sustain reach and engagement.
At an operating level, margins remained under strain. Operating margin stood at 2.33 per cent for FY26, marginally higher than 1.77 per cent in FY25, while net profit margin remained negative at -13.02 per cent, though improved from -14.89 per cent.
On the balance sheet, total assets rose to Rs 8,957.6 crore as of 31 March 2026, from Rs 8,317.5 crore a year earlier. Equity strengthened to Rs 4,958.7 crore, while borrowings increased to Rs 3,112.8 crore, reflecting a higher reliance on debt to support operations.
Cash flows told a mixed story. While financing activities generated Rs 83.9 crore, operating cash flow remained negative at Rs -24 crore, highlighting ongoing pressure on core cash generation. Cash and cash equivalents, however, improved to Rs 33.9 crore from Rs 1.8 crore.
The numbers point to a company in transition growing revenues, trimming losses, but still grappling with structural cost pressures. In a sector where scale often comes at a price, Network18 seems to be inching towards balance, one quarter at a time.
