GECs
Colors to premiere new show ‘Vidya’ on Sept 9
MUMBAI: Viacom 18's Hindi GEC Colors is all set to premiere a new show ‘Vidya’ from September 9, Monday to Friday at 7 pm. The show is produced by Mahesh Pandey and Meera Deosthale, Namish Taneja and Waqar Sheikh will be seen in the lead role.
A for Apil, B for Baal, C for Cau! Though it sounds strange and amusing, this is what Vidya will teach in her ‘Englisss’ class.Contrary to her name, Vidya is an illiterate army widow who gets a compensatory government job as an English teacher. But while it is an unfamiliar language to her, she gathers all the courage and strength to teach English, incorrectly at first but gradually learns and overshadows her weakness. COLORS new social drama offering Vidya will not only take the viewers back to school but also generate spurts of laughter through Vidya’s linguistic quirks and innocence.
Set against Devgarh, a small village in Uttar Pradesh, the show brings to fore Vidya’s apprehensions and struggles as she steps into the role of a school teacher to financially support her family after her husband’s demise. In the process, she has an encounter with the Pradhan of the village (played by Waqar Sheikh) who poses as a big hindrance in her outing. As she goes along in her journey, Vidya discovers many loopholes in her school and the overarching education system. There is only one person, district magistrate Vivek Vardhan Singh (played by Namish Taneja), who recognizes Vidya’s efforts and acts as her support. Ultimately, she not only ends up winning over her personal struggles but also pins down the people plaguing the education system. As life throws curveballs at her, Vidya keeps overcoming them with her spirit and wit while entertaining the audience along the way.
Viacom18 Hindi Mass Entertainment and Kids TV network Head Nina Jaipuria said, “COLORS has been a pioneer in presenting strong and socially relevant concepts that have changed the entertainment landscape of our country. Along with unique storylines, we have successfully created characters which have left an everlasting mark on the minds of the Indian audience. With Vidya, our attempt is to give viewers, yet another relatable character, who will entertain them with her interesting nuances and idiosyncrasies. Vidya’s journey from being an innocent uneducated widow to a resilient woman will add the right amount of freshness and fun to our existing fiction lineup.”
Viacom18 Hindi Mass Entertainment Chief Content Officer Manisha Sharma said, “We live in a society wherein people are quick to pass judgments about each other basis their language skills. But there are very few who try to correct them or motivate them to learn better. Vidya is a quirky take on many such moments that we experience in our life through the perspective of an illiterate teacher with the same name. She faces criticism and disparagement, but she tides over them and turns her weakness into her strength to become an English teacher.”
Producer Mahesh Pandey, said, “I hail from a small town in UP and have witnessed how education is still a major concern in these villages. A lot has been spoken of when it comes to our education system, but it’s us who have failed to address these challenges and help spread awareness about illiteracy. Therefore, to bring to light a topic of great importance, Vidya was conceptualized. A strong lady, conscious about her challenges but has the determination to overcome them, she will not only self- educate herself but will also fight the people who are corrupting the system and at the same time, change it.”
GECs
Sahara One reports financial results, notes director exit and business realignment
Muted revenues, steady expenses and strategic adjustments shape company’s current phase
MUMBAI: In a tale where the sands seem to be slipping faster than they can be gathered, Sahara One Media and Entertainment Limited has reported another quarter of wafer-thin income and widening losses, even as a boardroom exit adds to the unease.
The company informed the Bombay Stock Exchange that its board, in a meeting held on April 4, approved its unaudited financial results for the quarter ended September 30, 2025. The numbers paint a stark picture. Total income for the quarter stood at just Rs 0.13 lakh, unchanged sequentially and sharply down from Rs 0.26 lakh a year earlier.
Losses, meanwhile, deepened. The company posted a net loss of Rs 24.16 lakh for the quarter, compared to Rs 18.81 lakh in the June quarter and Rs 39.69 lakh in the same period last year. For the six months ended September 2025, the cumulative loss stood at Rs 39.69 lakh, while the full-year loss for FY25 was reported at Rs 60.72 lakh.
Expenses continued to outweigh income by a wide margin. Total expenses for the quarter came in at Rs 24.30 lakh, led by employee benefit costs of Rs 6.51 lakh and other expenses of Rs 17.78 lakh. Earnings per share remained in the red at Rs (0.11) for the quarter.
The balance sheet reflects a company with significant assets on paper but limited operational momentum. Total assets stood at Rs 23,065.57 lakh as of September 30, 2025, broadly unchanged from March 2025. Equity share capital remained steady at Rs 2,152.50 lakh, while total equity was reported at Rs 18,004.85 lakh.
Cash and cash equivalents saw a modest uptick to Rs 6.75 lakh from Rs 4.68 lakh earlier, supported by a positive operating cash flow of Rs 180.01 lakh for the period.
Yet, beneath these numbers lies a more complex narrative. The company’s auditors flagged their inability to obtain sufficient evidence to form a conclusion on the financial statements, citing lack of access to records. They also raised concerns over the company’s ability to continue as a going concern, pointing to insufficient funds, delayed recoveries, and stalled content investments.
Adding to the governance overhang, the company disclosed that Rana Zia has resigned as whole-time director, effective October 16, 2025, citing other professional commitments. The resignation, noted and accepted by the board, also brings an end to her role across company committees.
Regulatory pressures continue to loom large. The Securities and Exchange Board of India has already initiated penal actions for non-compliance with listing norms, with trading in the company’s shares remaining suspended. There is also a risk of promoter demat accounts being frozen.
Legacy legal issues remain unresolved. A substantial deposit of Rs 694,027.88 thousand linked to the long-running OFCD dispute involving Sahara group entities is still under the purview of the Supreme Court of India. Restrictions on asset disposal continue to weigh on the company’s financial flexibility.
Operationally, challenges persist across multiple fronts. Advances worth Rs 1,92,916 thousand given for film content remain stuck, with delays in project completion and uncertain recoverability. The company’s YouTube channel, despite being operational, has generated no revenue for over three years due to compliance lapses. In a further twist, management has indicated that revenues may have been fraudulently diverted through unauthorised changes to its AdSense account, with a police complaint in the works.
There are also missed revenue opportunities. Television content rights continue to be used by a related party despite the expiry of the licence agreement, with fresh negotiations still underway.
For now, Sahara One Media and Entertainment Limited appears caught between legacy disputes and present-day operational hurdles. As losses linger and governance questions mount, the road to recovery looks less like a sprint and more like a slow trudge through shifting sands.
