GECs
Sony creative head Saurabh Vanzara quits
MUMBAI: It’s time for some goodbyes at Sony. Creative head Saurabh M Vanzara has called it quits. He put in his papers about a week ago and is currently on a holiday, while serving his notice period.
Vanzara has been with Sony for over seven and half years. His career credits include Heena, Saaya, Hum Sab Ek Hai, and Devi. He was also on of the key members to get Sony’s much talked about show Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin on board.
Speaking to indiantelevision.com Vanzara offered, “I needed to move on. I had been working as a director before Sony came along. I will now go back to directing. I am already working on couple of scripts and am in talks with a few people from the industry.”
Vanzara joined Sony in August 1996 as a creative head. He was in charge of developing new shows and monitoring on-air shows like Heena, Saaya, Hum Sab Ek Hai, Aahat and Bhanwar till July 2000.
“I would say that 2000-2001 was by and large the most memorable and challenging period during my stint at Sony. It was the time when Hum Sab Ek Hai, Saaya and it’s likes were launched. But since the past one and half years, one feels that there hasn’t been much freedom to do anything” he reminisced.
One of the key person, who handled projects like Jassi… right from the conceptual stages till January 2004, Vanzara has been hands on with many projects like Devi till recently. “In the past four five months the channel has undergone quite a few changes. And different looks means different outlook, so I thought I needed to change,” he says.
Vanzara holds a Diploma in Cinema (Film direction specialisation) from FTII (Film and Television Institute of India) Pune. During his stint as a director, he produced and directed a short film With Little Rhyme And No Reason, which won critical acclaim at 13 international film festivals, including Oberhaussen Film Festival, Germany. He has also worked on two Hindi films and one Canadian film as an assistant director.
From July 2000 to October 2001 he was appointed as creative head feature film production with SET Pictures, a subsidiary of SET India. Later in November 2000, he moved back to television as the creative head and has been holding the same portfolio ever since.
At SET, he has also directed various in-house projects like short fiction films, multi camera coverages of live events and studio-based shows, documentaries and various stand-alone programmes.
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.
