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Star One gets real with ‘Nach Baliye’
MUMBAI: After tapping the comedy genre successfully with shows such as The Great Indian Comedy Show and The Great Indian Laughter Challenge, Star One has now unveiled a big ticket reality talent hunt property Nach Baliye.
The celebrity dance talent hunt show, made on a budget of Rs 200 million approximately, will launch on 11 October.
‘Nach Baliye’ will be the first reality show in India to feature married celeb couples competing against each other
Nach Baliye will see 10 real-life television celebrity couples fighting it out in the dance floor to win the favour of the audiences as well as expert judges. The winning couple will walk away with the ‘Nach Baliye Champions’ trophy.
The half-hour show placed in the 9 pm slot will run Tuesday through to Thursday. The episodes on Tuesdays and Wednesdays will capture the reality aspects of the competition while the Thursday episodes will showcase the actual performances by the celebrity couples.
“When we launched Star One ten months back, we had set two internal objectives. One was to present differentiated programming while the other was to reach the number two position in the Hindi general entertainment space within 12 months. As you know, we have fulfilled our first objective and are clearly on track to achieve the second objective, says Star India COO Sameer Nair, adding that Nach Baliye is part of the channel’s continuing efforts to introduce variety programming.
Speaking on the conceptualisation of the show format, Nair said it was an original concept from the channel. “While doing our homework, we had gone through various Western dance shows which are of reality formats. But nothing fit our requirements and conditions. During the brain storming, this idea of bringing real life celebrity couples together as contestants evolved. That is how Nach Bali happened,” he says.
The channel hopes to explore the reality genre to its utmost by covering the real lives of the celeb couples. The Tuesday and Wednesday episodes will provide an insight into the lives of the couples – how they live, who are their families and friends, how they adapt to normalcy and how, they also go through all the trials, tribulations of any other married couple when faced with a challenge, states an official release.
By selecting stars who are supposedly “poor dancers”, the channel looks to make the show more exciting by telecasting the training sessions as well.
Star One’s decision to attempt the dance talent hunt genre coincides with the good success some of the international networks enjoy with this genre. The ABC show Dancing With The Stars, an adaptation of the successful BBC One show Strictly Come Dancing, has made dance-learning a craze in the US, according to an AdAge.com report. The show has non-dancing celebs partnering with professional dancers and having a ‘dance-off’. Additionally, Fox unveiled its American Idol spin-off So You Think You Can Dance, the search for talented dancers, this summer.
Channel to spend big on promotions:
According to a Star One executive, the channel will be spending about 40 per cent of its marketing budget on Nach Baliye. The promotional activities unfold with a promo series on KBC 2 on 2 September. Then the phase-to-phase campaign will begin with a series of teaser promos.
According to the executive, the promos initially will try to create awareness about the “marital status of the celebrities participating”, since the common man may not be aware of that connection. The channel will launch the final leg of the campaign in the last week of September.
NEW DELHI: Hamdard Laboratories gathered a cross-section of India’s achievers in New Delhi on Friday, handing out the Hakeem Abdul Hameed Excellence Awards to figures who have left their mark across healthcare, education, sport, public service and the arts.
The ceremony, attended by minister of state for defence Sanjay Seth and senior officials from the ministry of Ayush, celebrated individuals whose work blends professional success with a sense of public purpose. It was as much a roll call of achievement as it was a reminder that influence is not measured only in profits or podiums, but in people reached and lives improved.
Among the headline awardees was Alakh Pandey, founder and chief executive of PhysicsWallah, recognised for turning affordable digital learning into a mass movement. On the sporting front, Arjuna Awardee and kabaddi player Sakshi Puniya was honoured for her contribution to the game and for pushing women’s participation onto bigger stages.
The cultural spotlight fell on veteran lyricist and poet Santosh Anand, whose songs have echoed across generations of Hindi cinema. At 97, Anand accepted the honour with characteristic humility, reflecting on a life shaped by perseverance and hope.
Healthcare honours spanned both modern and traditional systems. Manoj N. Nesari was recognised for strengthening Ayurveda’s place in national and global health frameworks. Padma shri Mohammed Abdul Waheed was honoured for his research-backed work in Unani medicine, while padma shri Mohsin Wali received recognition for his long-standing contribution to patient-centred care.
Education and social development also featured prominently. Padma shri Zahir Ishaq Kazi was honoured for decades of work in education, while former Meghalaya superintendent of Police T. C. Chacko was recognised for public service. Goonj founder Anshu Gupta received an award for his dignity-centred rural development initiatives, and the Hunar Shakti Foundation was honoured for empowering women and young girls through skill development.
The Lifetime Achievement Award went to former IAS officer Shailaja Chandra for her long career in public healthcare and governance, particularly in the traditional systems under Ayush.
Speaking at the event, Hamdard chairman Abdul Majeed said the awards were a tribute to those who combine excellence with empathy. “These awardees reflect Hakeem Sahib’s belief that healthcare, education and public service must ultimately serve humanity,” he said.
Minister Seth struck a forward-looking note, saying India’s young population gives the country a unique opportunity to become a global destination for learning, health and wellness by 2047.
The ceremony also featured the trailer launch of Unani Ki Kahaani, an upcoming documentary starring actor Jim Sarbh, set to premiere on Discovery on 11 February.
Instituted in memory of Unani scholar and educationist Hakeem Abdul Hameed, the awards have grown into a national platform that celebrates those building a more inclusive and resilient India. For one evening at least, the spotlight was not just on success, but on service with substance.
