News Broadcasting
Will the weekend viewer bite Zee telefilm bait?
MUMBAI: It may have slipped from the top 100 in the ratings stakes yet again, but the Original Movies, scheduled to start on Zee from this Saturday, is yet another programming innovation designed to lure in the recalcitrant viewer
the new slot win over viewers’ hearts? Production houses, including Tony & Deeya Singh’s DJ’s Creative Unit and Manjul Sinha’s company have been roped in to make full length feature films for Zee for the initial run. Zee TV president Apurva Purohit says the channel decided to zero in on the Saturday night 8 pm slot after in house research showed that there was a viewer demand for original content on weekend nights. The potent mix of passion and crime has been used as the thread which binds the original movies together in the Kambakht Ishq slot.
Purohit says the once- a-month films have been shot in the feature film format with similar big scale music, lighting and camera work. The channel has however planned only for a television release for the films and there are no plans for a theatre release for the movies in the near future.
Spun out of a ‘reasonable’ budget, Purohit expects the strategy to click, as the channel’s restructuring of ‘weekday programming’ has been a success with audiences. The Singhs’ first offering, Chura Ke Dil Mera, is also their first foray into feature film making. Makers of Banegi Apni Baat, Just Mohabbat and Dil Se Dosti for Zee, the Singhs say they decided on the feature film format as they had decided to do something very unusual and different, because almost every genre of programming has been done on television.
While most channels, wary of venturing into fresh programming prior to the World Cup, have still gone ahead and announced new daily serials, Zee too is likely to launch a couple of new year long dailies. Purohit however is loath to divulge details at this stage.
Chura Ke Dil Mera is a story of a journalist, played by Ram Kapoor and a famous socialite(Divya Datta) who is the bahu of a business family. They meet at a function and the journalist who had never had a relationship before develops an obsession for her. But as the obsession grows and the relationship gets passionate, strange and unexpected things start happening, leading to a totally unexpected climax. It deals with perfectly normal characters in a realistic milieu but things go awry and there is no point of return.”
News Broadcasting
Rising Bharat Summit 2026 spotlights India’s global ascent
PM Modi keynotes two-day event with ministers, diplomats and icons in New Delhi.
MUMBAI: India didn’t just host a summit, it threw a coming-out party for a nation ready to own the global stage. The News18 Rising Bharat Summit 2026, held on 27–28 February in New Delhi, emerged as a high-octane platform for ideas, vision and strategic dialogue, uniting national leadership, global policymakers, industry titans, defence strategists and cultural icons under the theme “Strength Within”.
Prime minister Narendra Modi set the tone with a keynote that framed India’s resurgence as a reclaiming of lost potential built over generations. “In previous industrial revolutions, India and the Global South were merely followers,” he said. “But in the era of Artificial Intelligence, India is a partner in decisions and shaping them.” He highlighted the country’s thriving AI startup ecosystem and the recent AI Impact Summit attended by over 100 nations.
Union minister Piyush Goyal (Commerce & Industry) stressed India’s readiness to scale exports and deepen manufacturing, while Ashwini Vaishnaw (Railways, I&B, Electronics & IT) positioned technology and infrastructure as twin engines of growth, especially in AI and digital trust. Jyotiraditya Scindia (Communications & North East Development) revealed India’s ambition to lead in 6G through the Bharat 6G Alliance and partnerships with over 30 countries.
Global voices added depth: former Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo called India’s development “self-sustaining” and strategically vital; ex-UK Chief of Defence Staff General Sir Nick Carter asserted India deserves a seat at the great powers’ table; and former US Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez joined ambassadors from Norway, Germany and Sweden in discussions on geopolitical realignment, sustainability and defence preparedness.
Other speakers included veteran investor Ramesh Damani, World Gold Council CEO David Tait, Vianai Systems founder Dr Vishal Sikka, DeepTech Bharat Foundation co-founder Shashi Shekhar Vempati, defence experts Rajesh Kumar Singh, Sunil Ambekar, Patrick McGee, Tom Cooper and Adrian Fontanellaz, plus cultural and sporting icons Kangana Ranaut, Saina Nehwal, PR Sreejesh, Mohammed Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mithali Raj, Anil Kapoor and Yami Gautam.
The summit was supported by Jio Financial Services (Presenting Partner), Phonepe and DS Group (Co-Presenting Partners), Pernod Ricard India and Kia Seltos (Powered By & Driven By), state governments of Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand (State Partners), and associate partners including NSE, M3M Foundation and Reliance Industries.
Broadcast live across News18 Network, CNBC-TV18 and CNBC Awaaz, the event reinforced India’s image as a confident democracy and emerging global power proving that when strength comes from within, the world can’t help but watch.
