GECs
Zee takes ‘Sa Re Ga Ma Pa’ to regional markets; Marathi version set to launch
MUMBAI: Zee Telefilms is taking its successful music talent hunt property Sa Re Ga Ma Pa to the regional markets. To start with, Zee Marathi will launch Sa Re Ga Ma Pa on 18 September, while plans are getting formalised to launch the format in Zee Bangla later this year.
“The original Sa Re Ga Ma Pa format will be re-launched in Marathi with some slight variations. The hunt, participated by 32 contestants, will run 39 episodes and the finals will be held on 26 January 2007. Zee Marathi will telecast the two-hour final episode live,” states Zee Marathi, Bangla & Gujarati business head Nitin Vaidya.
The programme will run on Monday and Tuesday at 10 pm as half-hour episodes. The Monday episode will be a performance episode, while on Tuesdays it will deal with the elimination process.
SMS interactivity will be introduced in the format from the 32nd episode. The popular vote will be clubbed with the jurys’ decision to decide the episode winners. The final winner will be decided entirely on the basis of viewer opinion.
Out of 5000 applicants, 32 contestants have been shortlisted from auditions held in Mumbai, Pune, Nasik and Kolhapur.
Popular television personality Pallavi Joshi will anchor the music show for Zee Marathi. The channel has opted for Marathi music director, an ex-Sa Re Ga Ma Pa winner Avdoot Gupte and the popular Marathi playback singer Devki Pandit to be the permanent judges in the contest.
The show will have celebrity guest appearances as special jury in its advanced stages. “For example, the 16th and 17th episodes will have artists from popular Zee Marathi soaps entering the show as special jury members,” offers Vaidya.
Zee has roped in Idea Cellular as the main sponsor of the property. According to Vaidya, the winner will not only get a chance to perform in the 2007 Zee Gaurav Puraskaar but will also get a flat in Talegaon from the associate sponsor, the real estate firm Disha Direct.
Zee has already kicked off the on-air promotions of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa on its network channels. “The outdoors and other marketing activities will begin in a week’s time,” Vaidya says.
MUMBAI: Lights, camera… connection because this time, the game isn’t just about winning, it’s about who’s with you. Sony Pictures Networks India is gearing up to launch a new reality game show, Tum Ho Naa, expanding its unscripted slate with a format that promises both emotion and engagement.
The show will premiere soon on Sony Entertainment Television and stream on Sony LIV, with Rajeev Khandelwal stepping in as host. Known for his measured screen presence and selective choices, Khandelwal’s return to television adds a layer of familiarity and credibility to the upcoming format.
While specific details of the gameplay remain under wraps, the positioning suggests a reality format that leans as much on emotional resonance as it does on competition, an increasingly popular blend in Indian television, where audiences are gravitating towards content that offers both stakes and storytelling.
Khandelwal, reflecting on his return, noted that his choices have often been guided by instinct rather than convention, describing Tum Ho Naa as a project that feels “close to the heart”. His association also signals Sony’s continued focus on anchoring new formats with recognisable faces who bring both relatability and depth.
The launch comes at a time when broadcasters are doubling down on original non-fiction formats to drive appointment viewing, even as digital platforms expand parallel reach. By placing the show across both linear television and OTT, Sony appears to be aiming for a dual-audience strategy capturing traditional viewers while engaging digital-first consumers.
As the countdown to premiere begins, Tum Ho Naa positions itself not just as another game show, but as a reminder that sometimes, the biggest prize on screen isn’t the jackpot, it’s the journey shared along the way.
