GECs
Star Plus’ ‘DMNHC’ adopts a new twist in tale
MUMBAI: So it is the No 2 option that Star Plus has opted for… After the tragic death of the original protagonists- Pammi and Dev, Des Mein Niklla Hoga Chand will take a leap into future.
Hitherto unheard move, the show will now spout new faces. The new season, as the channel calls it, will be the story of Heer aka Gungun- Pammi and Dev’s child.
Marking the television debut of Neha Mehta, the 7 June episode, has another surprise in offing. It will mark the comeback of actor-turned-producer Neena Gupta to the small screen after a sabbatical of four years.
Amongst the older faces retained on the show, will be Aroona Irani as the grandmother of Heer and Vir as her great grandfather ‘Bauji’.
“We wanted to adopt some novel change before the media decides that it has had enough with the old track,” Star Plus Sr VP Deepak Segal jocularly offered about the reason for change. He insisted that it had nothing to do with the fickle TRP issue or that the people were tired of the same old faces. “They are still quite popular,” he added.
The longest running love story, as Star Plus claims it to be will showcase protagonist Heer’s life as she grows up with her step aunt Tina played by popular teleactor Karishma Tanna. Both the girls grow up together, very close to each other.
Heer is overprotected by Bauji, who tries to keep her away from falling in love as he believes it is love that destroyed his beloved Pammi and he would not want Heer to go through the same tragedy again. On Bauji’s instance, Heer is to get married to young handsome Yash Diwan played by Rohit Roy. But as luck would have it, Heer falls head over heels in love with Jai played by another newcomer Manav.
As for Gupta, the channel claims that she has an author backed role in the show. She will be playing Heer’s would be mother-in-law.
Mehta, who play the protagonist, although a novice to the small screen has done several Telugu movies. She has also be signed by Ram Gopal Verma for his forthcoming movie D. Whilst Manav, is a Haryanvi lad who has a background in Punjabi movies.
Although the channel does not have an elaborate plan to promote the new “season”, Segal offered that they would be using the channel extensively for the promotions. Several teasers are currently on air.
GECs
Sahara One reports financial results, notes director exit and business realignment
Muted revenues, steady expenses and strategic adjustments shape company’s current phase
MUMBAI: In a tale where the sands seem to be slipping faster than they can be gathered, Sahara One Media and Entertainment Limited has reported another quarter of wafer-thin income and widening losses, even as a boardroom exit adds to the unease.
The company informed the Bombay Stock Exchange that its board, in a meeting held on April 4, approved its unaudited financial results for the quarter ended September 30, 2025. The numbers paint a stark picture. Total income for the quarter stood at just Rs 0.13 lakh, unchanged sequentially and sharply down from Rs 0.26 lakh a year earlier.
Losses, meanwhile, deepened. The company posted a net loss of Rs 24.16 lakh for the quarter, compared to Rs 18.81 lakh in the June quarter and Rs 39.69 lakh in the same period last year. For the six months ended September 2025, the cumulative loss stood at Rs 39.69 lakh, while the full-year loss for FY25 was reported at Rs 60.72 lakh.
Expenses continued to outweigh income by a wide margin. Total expenses for the quarter came in at Rs 24.30 lakh, led by employee benefit costs of Rs 6.51 lakh and other expenses of Rs 17.78 lakh. Earnings per share remained in the red at Rs (0.11) for the quarter.
The balance sheet reflects a company with significant assets on paper but limited operational momentum. Total assets stood at Rs 23,065.57 lakh as of September 30, 2025, broadly unchanged from March 2025. Equity share capital remained steady at Rs 2,152.50 lakh, while total equity was reported at Rs 18,004.85 lakh.
Cash and cash equivalents saw a modest uptick to Rs 6.75 lakh from Rs 4.68 lakh earlier, supported by a positive operating cash flow of Rs 180.01 lakh for the period.
Yet, beneath these numbers lies a more complex narrative. The company’s auditors flagged their inability to obtain sufficient evidence to form a conclusion on the financial statements, citing lack of access to records. They also raised concerns over the company’s ability to continue as a going concern, pointing to insufficient funds, delayed recoveries, and stalled content investments.
Adding to the governance overhang, the company disclosed that Rana Zia has resigned as whole-time director, effective October 16, 2025, citing other professional commitments. The resignation, noted and accepted by the board, also brings an end to her role across company committees.
Regulatory pressures continue to loom large. The Securities and Exchange Board of India has already initiated penal actions for non-compliance with listing norms, with trading in the company’s shares remaining suspended. There is also a risk of promoter demat accounts being frozen.
Legacy legal issues remain unresolved. A substantial deposit of Rs 694,027.88 thousand linked to the long-running OFCD dispute involving Sahara group entities is still under the purview of the Supreme Court of India. Restrictions on asset disposal continue to weigh on the company’s financial flexibility.
Operationally, challenges persist across multiple fronts. Advances worth Rs 1,92,916 thousand given for film content remain stuck, with delays in project completion and uncertain recoverability. The company’s YouTube channel, despite being operational, has generated no revenue for over three years due to compliance lapses. In a further twist, management has indicated that revenues may have been fraudulently diverted through unauthorised changes to its AdSense account, with a police complaint in the works.
There are also missed revenue opportunities. Television content rights continue to be used by a related party despite the expiry of the licence agreement, with fresh negotiations still underway.
For now, Sahara One Media and Entertainment Limited appears caught between legacy disputes and present-day operational hurdles. As losses linger and governance questions mount, the road to recovery looks less like a sprint and more like a slow trudge through shifting sands.
