GECs
‘Welcome 2’ back with ‘zaikedar dilli’
MUMBAI: As things heat up in the national capital with the political parties battling it out for aam admi’s attention, Life OK’s second season of the reality show Welcome 2- Baazi Mehmaan Nawaazi is all set to add more spice to the existing drama!
The ‘desi’ version of the international reality series, Come Dine with Me, will now explore the Delhi cuisine and culture with common man, this time around.
Unlike the first season which was hosted by actor Ram Kapoor, this one will be sans a host and celebrities. The previous season featured actors hosting dinner at their places and will bring together a bunch of New Delhi-based strangers from different walks of life. They will be seen bonding over food, entertainment and ‘mehmaan nawaazi’ (hospitality) with one specific theme each week.
Produced by Miditech, the series started from 17 March and is aired every week Monday to Friday at 10:00 pm and will run for eight weeks.
India Gate Basmati Rice continues to be the presenting sponsor of the show. Moreover, the channel has roped in Pantene 6 Oil Nourish as the powered by sponsor.
The reason behind having no host this time around is, the makers wanted to focus on the five contestants. “This time we just wanted to focus on the five contestants each week. The show concentrates on Dilwalon Ki Dilli, the melting pot of cultures offered with a dash of masala, drama and entertainment. This season is all about laughter, food, excitement, drama and different personalities,” echoes Miditech co-founder Niret Alva.
Fifteen episodes have been canned till now. The makers and the channel believe that it is going to be a fun ride. Celebrities are expected to come in but much later. “This time we are keeping this season more on the lines of the international format. Some celebs will definitely join in every now and then to pep up the drama and entertainment quotient, but that will come much later,” reveals Alva.
 |
Life OK general manager Ajit Thakur expounds: “It is our endeavor to introduce clutter-breaking content and our reality shows are always served with a twist. As five contestants from culturally diverse backgrounds come together, the show moves away from the run of the mill kitchen politics and takes you into the actual kitchen conversations.”
Alva revealed that selecting the contestants was very tough. “We were looking for the characters from different walks of life. We needed permissions to invade their homes. Apart from this, we also needed the contestants for five days without even telling them what’s going around.”
In its first season, the show aired from 21 January to 23 March 2013. There were nine groups that involved 45 celebrities, with five celebrities featuring in the show every week.
While the channel has pinned high hopes on this series, whether they will succeed it or not is a different story altogether. Says a highly placed media planner (name withheld on request): “The channel has been innovating and launching new shows time and again to sustain viewership and maintain numbers. But according to me, they should not try content which has not worked for them in the past. The first season did not work well for the channel and that was the clear indication that audiences are not interested in such content.”
The media planner further goes on to say that: “To fill the vacant slot, they could have extended the shows which are doing well for the channel like Mahadev and Shapath. This strategy would have got them a few numbers.”
GECs
Sebi sends show-cause notice to Zee over fund diversion, company responds
Regulator questions 2018 letter of comfort and governance lapses; company vows robust legal response
MUMBAI: India’s markets watchdog has reignited its long-running scrutiny of Zee Entertainment Enterprises, issuing a sweeping show-cause notice that drags the broadcaster and 84 others into a widening governance storm.
The notice, dated February 12, has been served by the Securities and Exchange Board of India to Zee, chairman emeritus Subhash Chandra and managing director and chief executive Punit Goenka, among others. At its heart: allegations that company funds were indirectly routed to settle liabilities of entities linked to the Essel Group.
The regulator’s probe traces its roots to November 2019, when two independent directors resigned from Zee’s board, flagging concerns over the alleged appropriation of fixed deposits by Yes Bank. The deposits were reportedly adjusted against loans extended to Essel Group entities, triggering questions about related-party dealings and board oversight.
A key flashpoint is a letter of comfort dated September 4, 2018, issued by Subhash Chandra in his dual capacity as chairman of Zee and the Essel Group. The document, linked to credit facilities availed by certain group companies from Yes Bank, was allegedly known only to select members of management and not disclosed to the full board—an omission SEBI believes raises red flags over transparency and governance controls.
Zee has pushed back hard. In a statement, the company said it “strongly refutes” the allegations against it and its board members and will file a detailed response. It expressed confidence that SEBI would conduct a fair review and signalled readiness to pursue all legal remedies to protect shareholder interests.
The notice marks the latest twist in a saga that has shadowed the broadcaster since 2019. What began as boardroom unease has morphed into a full-blown regulatory confrontation. The final reckoning now rests with SEBI—but the reputational stakes for Zee, and the message for India Inc on governance discipline, could scarcely be higher.
