Movie Channels
Zee Cinema too has Big B up its sleeve
MUMBAI: The Big B has turned out to be the golden goose of Indian television and how? No, we are not talking about his comeback with KBC2. The industry buzz is that, the market for Amitabh movies has improved tremendously in the last six months and one channel which has capitalised really well on the trend is the lead Hindi movie channel Zee Cinema.
The Shanivar Ki Raat – Amitabh Ke Saath series, which the channel launched last December, has proved a real winner. The Saturday 8:30 pm slot – which features blockbuster Amitabh movies – has been delivering consistently for Zee Cinema.
Buoyed by the response, Zee Cinema has now spruced up the property with more Amitabh movie acquisitions. So from tomorrow (6 August), we will have the Shanivar Ki Raat – Amitabh Ke Saath series being re-launched with a punchline: His Golden Years. The opening movie is going to be his 1985 hit Mard.
“By this we plan to cover the entire span of the legend’s body of work which in effect can be termed golden in the annals of the Hindi film industry. This golden years series would be a good mixture of recently acquired movies and movies that have been telecast and appreciated,” says Zee Cinema programming head Mohan Gopinath.
With the Big B now at the pinnacle of success, it has had its impact in television’s film acquisition market as well. “There has been an impact in the market. All the broadcasters have been retaining their Amitabh library. That way, there is a scarcity of Amitabh movies in the market which has affected the prices to an extent,” says an industry source.
Strategy-wise, the movie channel is fielding a much younger Amitabh Bachchan to counter KBC 2 anchored by the worldly wise and mellowed down icon that he is today. But Zee Cinema business head Bharat Ranga refuses to acknowledge the move as a calculated strategy, saying Shanivar Ki Raat… is part of an overall spruce up plan on the channel.
“See, you can’t really say we have launched a new property to counter KBC 2. Because, Shaniwar ki Raat… has already been there. What we are doing now is culminating this successful series with a fresh new set of movies. However it is a great pleasure to see a young and vibrant Amitabh taking on his gentler version and that is going to be a real feast for Indian television viewers,” he says.
“In a way, KBC 2 is plotting itself on that slot. As regards countering, we respect their programming strategy and are happy doing our job to the best of our ability. It is only incidental that an Amitabh hosted show is pitted against Amitabh’s movies,” points out Gopinath.
According to Gopinath, more than a ratings generation exercise with intentions of checking the competition and retaining the viewership, His Golden Years has conceptualised as an innovation to delight the channel’s loyal viewers. “Ratings can be garnered out of simple, intelligent back to back scheduling of films. However we believe that now is the time to pay back our viewers both active and passive,” he says.
For Friday and Sunday, Zee Cinema has its bi-weekly series Bollywood Blockbuster and the one-break movie band Rok Sako Toh Rok Lo respectively to counter KBC. But unlike Shaniwaar ki Raat.., the channel has no plans to enhance these two properties in the wake of competition. “These two properties are well-settled. So they can stand on their own,” says Ranga of the strategy.
Zee Cinema has attempted to create hype around His Golden Years by launching promotional initiatives: Superfan (a reality concept to gauge the extent of a fan’s passion and fanaticism towards his idol) and Bol Bacchan (a nugget of Big B’s best known dialogue and scenes). Other than these initiatives, an extensive outdoor campaign is currently on.
Movie Channels
Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat Premieres 14 Feb on Zee
Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat world TV premiere 14 Feb at 8pm passion meets politics.
MUMBAI: Cupid’s arrow just got a plot twist and it’s heading straight for your TV screen. This Valentine’s Day, Zee Cinema is turning up the heat with the world television premiere of Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat, a raw, rule-breaking romantic drama that proves love doesn’t always come wrapped in roses.
Set to air on Saturday, 14 February at 8pm, the film stars Harshvardhan Rane and Sonam Bajwa, directed by Milap Zaveri. It dives headfirst into obsession, heartbreak, and the kind of unconditional love that leaves scorch marks. Rane plays Vikramaditya, a powerful politician whose all-consuming passion for actress Adaa spirals into chaos when his feelings go unreturned unleashing a storm of emotion, misunderstanding, and life-altering consequences.
The timing couldn’t be sharper. Audiences are clearly craving intense love stories over sugar-coated ones, and this film taps straight into that vein. Harshvardhan Rane already has a loyal fanbase from his cult hit Sanam Teri Kasam, which cemented his status as the go-to guy for heart-wrenching romance especially among younger viewers who keep the film on repeat.
Milap Zaveri captured the film’s beating heart, “This film is about love that doesn’t follow rules. With Valentine’s Day being a time when audiences gravitate towards romantic narratives, the television premiere of Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat on Zee Cinema felt like the perfect fit. The continued love for intense romances shows there is a strong emotional appetite for such stories.”
Rane himself called it a story rooted in messy, honest emotion, “Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat explores love in its most intense and vulnerable form where emotions are messy and deeply human. It’s a story that doesn’t shy away from passion or pain on Valentine’s Day making it even more special as it reflects the many shades of love people experience.”
Sonam Bajwa added her take, “Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat is not a conventional love story, it’s raw, intense and emotional. Valentine’s Day is usually associated with happy romance but this film explores love in its most vulnerable form.”
So if your Valentine’s plans include more than chocolates and clichés, tune in to Zee Cinema at 8pm on 14 February. Because sometimes the most unforgettable love stories aren’t the ones that end neatly, they’re the ones that leave you questioning just how far passion can push before everything changes.
