-Solo, But Not Hollow-||Ham Seedhe Ke Seedhe, Tede Ke Tede|| CC#3~IO~ - Page 85

Zindagi has been receiving an overwhelming response from viewers across all age groups. It seems to be fulfilling its promise of breaking the stereotypes of traditional TV viewing in India'. The core essence of Zindagi resonates with Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd's (ZEEL's) corporate philosophy Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam - The world is my family' and the warm response that it has received further strengthens its proposition Jodey Dilon Ko'. Its USP lies in its finite shows along with its fast paced storylines written by award winning authors and literary stalwarts. In the first year, Zindagi will premiere 45 new serials.

Zindagi, which launched with shows from Pakistan in the first phase, will treat audiences to new shows every month. The two shows that have all of India talking, Zindagi Gulzar Hai at 8 PM and Aunn Zara at 8:55 PM will soon end on 18th July and 12th July respectively. And, keeping its promise to offer fresh programming every month, Zindagi will launch two new shows- Maat & Noorpur Ki Rani - in its place.

Starting 19 July at 8 PM, Maat will replace the mature love story Zindagi Gulzar Hai and is the story of two sisters, Aiman and Saman who are poles apart. Aiman is generous and Saman is the mean sister who always tries to snatch whatever her sister has. The story takes a turn when Saman claims her right on something that is very dear to Aiman giving rise to very interesting twists and turns. With viewers raving about the natural talent and irresistible good looks of Fawad Khan, Sanam Saeed, Osman Khalid Butt and Maya Ali, the new show, Maat will bring to Indian Television, two of Pakistan's most talented actresses- the beautiful Aminah Sheikh and the vivacious Sabah Qamar. To air at 8:55 PM from 13 July onwards, Noorpur Ki Rani, will replace the refreshing rom-com Aunn Zara and is a story of paradoxes brought out by contrasting characters of Noorie and Princess Rania. Orphaned at a young age, Noorie comes from an impoverished background and goes through turbulent times before her life takes a magical turn and she finds a new life in the palace. On the other hand, Princess Rania, the owner of the palace, is brought by fate to circumstances she never imagined possible. The gorgeous Sanam Baloch will enact the character of Noorie and it also stars the veteran actor, Naumaan Ijaz in a central role.

Commenting on the feedback received from audiences and the industry, Priyanka Datta, Business Head, Zindagi & ZEEL's FTA Cluster, says, "Zindagi presents an insightful snapshot of lives across our borders with its differentiated and refreshing content. It's a rarity for a new channel launch to get such a unanimous and positive review from the media fraternity and we thank them for their generous support on Zindagi. This is similarly echoed by audiences, distributors and advertisers as they speak of a wave of change in the Indian television industry. Being the only Hindi entertainment channel in India to have a national launch, the response from Southern markets has also been astounding. Studies done by research agencies also indicate that the channel has been very well received by audiences."

"The shows on Zindagi have struck a chord with viewers and their word of mouth has the social networking sites abuzz with tweets, wall posts and blog posts. It has resulted in our mail boxes being flooded with congratulatory messages and we are truly humbled at the overwhelming appreciation that Zindagi has received. We hope that the success of Zindagi will be a proof point for changing viewing habits of Indian television viewers," she added.

Shows on Zindagi are shot in real life locations across the world, as opposed to studio sets. Every show has its own original soundtrack with soul stirring music composed by well-known musicians like Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Abida Parveen, Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan amongst others. The current line-up of shows on Zindagi, Zindagi Gulzar Hai, Aunn Zara, Kaash Mein Teri Beti Na Hoti, Kitni Girhain Baaki Hain, air seven days a week, every Monday to Sunday and do not follow the routine 22 minutes format currently seen on Hindi GECs.

They came, they saw and they hugged each other before going their separate ways. Exactly a year after they famously hugged each other at politician Baba Siddiqui's Iftar party, history repeated itself yesterday when the politician yet again got the warring Khans to hug each other at the same venue like last year.

Sporting a beard, pony tails and dressed in a sharp black shirt and pant, Shah Rukh Khan was the first one to arrive. Without any further delay, Bollywood's chronic bachelor Salman Khan too trooped in with his entourage which comprised of his brothers - Arbaaz and Sohail and father Salim Khan. And with Salman's arrival came the moment everyone especially the media had been waiting for with bated breath.

With the two Khans under the same roof, Baba Siddiqui swung into action and got his two boys to hug it out for the delight of all those present. Without any hesitation, both Salman and SRK locked each other in a warm embrace. Baba later joined them for the mandatory group photo-ops.

Post the hug, Salman moved into a separate corner with his brothers while SRK settled down with Salim Khan and CM Prithiviraj Chavan to complete the Iftar feast.

While the warring Khans have remained cordial whenever they have crossed each other's paths, their competitive rivalry still lives on with both unfailingly taking a dig at each other at public events whenever possible.

We feel, Baba Siddiqui should host more parties so that the Khans end up meeting and hugging more often. For only that would get the Khans more closer to each other like the good old times.