Movie Channels
Zee Classic lines up Bimal Roy Film Festival in February
MUMBAI: Zee Classic is gearing up to present an ode to the pioneer of Indian cinema – Bimal Roy by celebrating noteworthy work from the golden era.
Commemorating Roy’s 50th death anniversary, Zee Classic will celebrate the life and work of the legendary filmmaker with the Bimal Roy Film Festival, which will be presented by Boman Irani.
Irani will present some of extraordinary and undiscovered facts and trivia about the filmmaker whose films, even after five decades, are still innovative and relevant today. In a five-part weekly series, the channel will showcase Roy’s awe-inspiring films every Saturday at 8 pm starting with Do Bigha Zamin on 6 February followed by Devdas on 13 February, Madhumati on 20 February, Sujata on 27 February andBandini on 5 March.
The channel has roped in State Bank of India as the co-powered by sponsor for the festival.
Satyajit Ray referred to Roy as the ‘Pioneer of Indian Cinema.’ He was known to be everyone’s first choice as a director and he received a lot of international accolades. Roy began his career as a cinematographer under director, P.C. Barua. His first project as a cameraman was Devdas, based on the novel of Sarat Chandra. He turned director with a Bengali film, Udayer Pathe. After shifting his base to Mumbai, he made few films but the world took notice of this gentle legend with the classic film, Do Bigha Zamin.
One of his popular films that represented India in 1960 Cannes Film Festival was Sujata. It is based on a Bengali short story written by Subodh Ghosh and dealt with the subject of untouchability starring Nutan. The actress repeated her outstanding performance in Roy’s melodious Bandini, an intense romantic drama that shed light on mental and physical rehabilitation of a female murderer. To top it all, his Madhumati was the first Indian film to be launched abroad and its opening shot was taken in front of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival Theatre in Czechoslovakia.
Speaking about presenting the film festival on Zee Classic, Irani says, “I am honoured to be presenting the Bimal Roy Film Festival on Zee Classic. Bimal Da was an institution in himself. Decades have passed and there is still a lot more to learn from his school of filmmaking. Through this festival, we are aiming not only to appreciate but relive his passion, his outlook towards society and its reform which are still relevant today.”
Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd business head – Hindi movie channels Ruchir Tiwari added, “We pride in showcasing the best of the golden era to our audiences with our positioning being ‘Woh Zamaana Kare Deewana’! And, any mention of the golden era is incomplete without its plinth, i.e., Bimal Roy. We wanted to commemorate the work of this legend and it all fell in place when Boman Irani agreed to be a part of this series. He is the perfect presenter for this series as he not only believes in the ideology of Zee Classic but is also a huge admirer of Bimal Roy’s work. It will be interesting to see how his passion for the filmmaker translates on-screen with anecdotes and unheard facts.”
Movie Channels
Zee5 launches five free FAST channels on Samsung TV Plus India
New genre-led channels bring comedy, drama, horror, classics and South films to Smart TVs.
MUMBAI: Zee5 just turned Samsung Smart TVs into a free entertainment buffet because when premium content costs nothing, even the remote control starts smiling. Zee5 has launched five curated free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channels on Samsung TV Plus India, making high-quality, genre-specific entertainment available subscription-free to millions of Samsung Smart TV owners across the country.
The five channels now live are:
Zee Comedy Nation – Popular comedy shows and movies
Zee Dil Se – Compelling drama series
ZEE Horror Nights – Horror and supernatural content
ZEE Cine Classic – Timeless Indian films
ZEE South Flix – High-energy South Indian films dubbed in Hindi
All content is drawn from Zee5’s extensive library and programmed in a lean-back, always-on format ideal for large-screen viewing. This launch strengthens Zee5’s Connected TV strategy at a time when 64 per cent of its premium content watch time already comes from connected devices.
Zee5 chief business officer Siju Prabhakaran said, “At Zee5, we believe accessibility and scale will define the next phase of digital entertainment growth in India. Our presence on Samsung TV Plus strengthens our Connected TV strategy, enabling viewers to discover curated, genre-led content in a seamless, free, and premium environment.”
Samsung TV Plus India head of partnerships Kunal Mehta added, “Local partnerships are at the heart of how we grow Samsung TV Plus in India. Zee Entertainment is one of India’s most iconic media brands, and bringing their channels to our service means millions more Samsung Smart TV owners can enjoy premium local content, subscription-free.”
The channels are available directly through the pre-installed Samsung TV Plus app with no login or subscription required. This marks another milestone in Zee5’s CTV expansion and builds on its growing international presence, with Zee channels already available on Samsung TV Plus across Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand.
In a streaming world where paywalls often block the fun, Zee5 and Samsung have quietly opened the gates, proving that sometimes the best things in life (and on your TV) really are free especially when they come with a side of comedy, drama, horror, classics and South Indian blockbuster energy.
