News Broadcasting
Star Plus to premiere ‘Rang De Basanti’ on 20 August
MUMBAI: Star Plus, the leading general entertainment Hindi channel in its endeavor to provide the viewers with compelling entertainment has gone a step further this time, leaving no stone unturned, the channel will celebrate & mark the pride of 59th year of India’s Independence, as it will do the satellite premiere of Bollywood’s biggest box-office grosser and the mega blockbuster movie of the year- Rang De Basanti, on the small screen come Sun, August 20th, at 12.00 p.m.
Rang De Basanti (RDB) a movie, translated into rage-has witnessed the awakening of the country’s spirit & its youth, ever since its launch in January this year. A story full of rebel it actually transcends time & age, and is sure to completely sweep the viewers off their feet, once again as they will get to watch the high-energy drama and a power-packed performed tale, on their telly-tubes this month!
An intense story about a young London based film-maker, who chances upon her grandfather’s diary, once served in the British Police force in India during the years’ of country’s freedom struggle. RDB, evokes a high sense of pride & patriotism, as we watch this foreigner girl’s ordeal together with her unmoved determination to live-up to her grandfather’s dream of making a movie on the five young Indian partisans, of his time. Stirred by the boisterous passion of the young blood, the officer who once wished to document their lives was oblivious to his own life’s plans for him.
Today, in her tryst to fulfill her grandfather’s unmet wish, the granddaughter comes to India’s very own capital–Delhi, to realize her life’s biggest goal, but is left dismayed once again, due to lack of funds to shoot her movie. But, not calling it quits! This indomitable spirit instead decides to casts a group of five young friends from the city’s University itself, to play the historical characters of the five revolutionaries, in her movie.
However the going becomes even tougher as she discovers the aim of these five-young friends is anything but patriotism & self–sacrifice, for them it is all but the subject that should best remain closed in the fat old books of history. They would instead party than be patriots. RDB is the movie which dabbles and draws a parallel contrast between the 1930’s British India and the India of today’s time. The story finds an interesting overlap of time & age, on crucial points, and eventually heads towards a resolution, where the line between past & present blurs, and conjoins itself with the spirit of oneness!
Exhilarated on the movie’s television premiere, quoted Mr. Deepak Segal, Executive Vice President, Content, STAR India Pvt. Ltd., “The satellite premiere of ‘Rang De Basanti’ is yet another endeavor on our part to offer viewers most compelling entertainment, on the small screen. And, we can safely say that this is just the beginning of it! Going forward STAR PLUS is sure to premiere many more satellite premieres of the biggest blockbusters of recent times, as we plan to continue entertainment in the best & the most innovative ways, possible.”
Directed by well-known director Rakyesh Omprakash Mehra, the movie casts the finest ensemble of talent including-Aamir Khan, Om Puri, Sharman Joshi, Kunal Kapoor, Siddharth, Madhavan, Soha Ali Khan, Atul Kulkarni and Waheeda Rehman. Having rocked the nation with its already famous, soul-searching, foot-tapping soundtracks like Rang De Basanti, Khalbali, Luka Chupi and Roobaroo, the music of the movie is composed by the veteran – A.R Rehman, RDB is a must watch as India celebrates its 59th year of Independence, this August.
So stay tuned to colour your spirits in the tricolor of-passion, pride and patriotism. Watch Rang De Basanti on Sunday, August 20th, 12:00 p.m., Only on Star Plus.
News Broadcasting
Senior media executive Madhu Soman exits Zee Media
Former Reuters and Bloomberg leader says he leaves with “no regrets” after brief stint at WION and Zee Business
NOIDA: Madhu Soman, a veteran of global newsrooms and media sales floors, has stepped away from Zee Media Corporation after a short stint steering business strategy for WION and Zee Business.
In a reflective LinkedIn note marking his departure, Soman said his time within the network’s corridors was always likely to be brief. “Some chapters close faster than expected,” he wrote, signalling the end of a nearly two-year spell in which he oversaw both editorial partnerships and commercial strategy.
Soman joined Zee Media in 2022 after more than a decade abroad with Reuters and Bloomberg, returning to India to take on the role of chief business officer for WION and Zee Business. His mandate was ambitious: bridge the newsroom and the revenue desk while expanding digital and broadcast reach.
During the stint, Zee Business reached break-even for the first time since its launch in 2005, while WION refreshed programming and strengthened its digital footprint across platforms such as YouTube and Facebook.
But Soman suggested the cultural fit proved uneasy. Describing himself as a “cultural misfit”, he hinted at deeper tensions between editorial instincts shaped in global newsrooms and the realities of India’s television news ecosystem.
Before joining Zee, Soman spent more than seven years at Bloomberg in Hong Kong as head of broadcast sales for Asia-Pacific, expanding the company’s news syndication business across several markets. Earlier, he held senior editorial roles at Reuters, overseeing online strategy in India and managing Reuters Video Services from London.
His career began in television and wire reporting, including a stint with ANI during the 1999 Kargil conflict, before moving into digital publishing as India’s internet media landscape took shape.
Now, after nearly three decades in broadcast and digital media, Soman is leaving Delhi NCR and returning to his hometown, Trivandrum.
Exhausted, he admits. But unbowed. And with one quiet line that sums up the journey: he didn’t sell his soul — because some things, after all, are not for sale.
