GECs
Zee’s ‘Aati Rahengi Baharein’ high on melodrama
The first episode of the new Zee soap, which airs Mondays to Fridays in the 8:30 pm slot, was high on melodrama. How the plot unfolds remains to be seen.
Zee‘s latest soap-Aati Rahengi Baharein is old wine in a new bottle. The story of a conservative Gujarati family in the textile business, the narrative begins with the family eagerly awaiting the return of their only son, Amar, who is coming back to India after a study stint abroad.
The plotline has the mandatory bad guy in the form of Amar‘s maternal uncle who has it in for the boy. Throw in a couple of childhood buddies on the other side of the economic divide and the story is all about the hero‘s dilemma – duty to family or keeping the faith with his friends.
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The first episode of Zee‘s newest offering was overly melodramatic with too many elements all squeezed in simultaneously. While the attempt on the part of the producers (It‘s a co-production between Cinevistaas and Kaarnik), seems to have been to strike the right balance between the Balaji brand of loud family drama and a fresh youthful feel, the absence of a storyline that would not give the audience a feeling of deja vu serves as a bit of a deterrent. |
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The strong point of the serial is the competent performances by all its central characters. Direction by Kaushik Ghatak is taut. The screenplay is passable, though (unless making the first episode overly melodramatic was a strategy) a bit over the top. |
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There is wide speculation on how the story will unfold in the succeeding episodes with strong rumours that the story will follow the film Anand track where the protagonist discovers that he is suffering from a terminal disease. If that happens, it will again be interesting to see how the story holds after this revelation especially, because it‘s too linear a plot for a daily soap. |
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.
