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Colors pads up for post IPL programming

MUMBAI: Colors is gearing up for content, post IPL. The channel is launching a new fiction show, 'Madhubala...Ek Ishq, Ek Junoon', on 28 May, a day after the Indian Premier League ends.

The channel will also launch the fifth season of celebrity dancing reality show 'Jhalak Dikhla Jaa' in mid-June. Colors had acquired the rights of the show, the first four editions of which got telecast on rival Hindi general entertainment channel Sony.

'Madhubala...Ek Ishq, Ek Junoon' will air at 8.30 pm, a slot which Star Plus' fiction property, 'Ek Hazaron Mein Meri Behna Hai' leads. Sony Entertainment Television airs 'Dekha Ek Khawab' at this time band while Zee TV airs 'Yahaaan Main Ghar Ghar Kheli'.

Produced by Nautanki Films, 'Madhubala...Ek Ishq, Ek Junoon' is shot in a 'filmy' manner and is inspired by the blockbuster Bollywood movie 'Sholay'. With this show, the channel is paying a tribute to the completion of 100 years of Indian Cinema.

The show replaces Veer Shivaji, a historical saga based on the life of Shivaji, the great Maratha Warrior.

The channel believes that 'Madhubala...' is not a show, it is a saga. Colors Weekday programming head Prashaant Bhatt says, "With a show like Madhubala, the gratification is little more because it is a show that has gone beyond story-telling. A lot more effort has been put into it. Here we are trying to take a subject which is very unconventional and trying to give it a language which appeals universally."

The story begins in the town of Motihari in the interiors of Bihar and shifts focus to Mumbai. Bridging the gap between the simpletons and the superstars of the Indian film industry, 'Madhubala...Ek Ishq, Ek Junoon' aims to take viewers through a ride that connects the ordinary man to the glamour of this 'sapnon ki duniyaan'. From being a nobody to suddenly being somebody, Madhubala, played by Drishti Dhami, sees her life undergo incessant ups and downs that creates a domino-effect taking her down a path she never chose for herself – she joins the film industry with the help of superstar Raj Kapoor, portrayed by Vivian Dsena, and turns a star overnight.

With behind-the-scenes insights from the industry, this show traces Madhubala's journey from being a simple girl next door to becoming a superstar.

Nautanki Films producer Saurabh Tewari says, "Using the canvas of the film industry, the show provides insights into the ups and downs faced by everyone involved in the making and building of a superstar. To amplify the overall experience while highlighting the larger than life film industry, we have shot scenes not only in real locations across Mumbai, but also ventured into Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad."

Colors has launched three new shows in the last four-five months - 'Na Bola Tum Na Maine Kuch Kaha', 'Chhal...Sheh Aur Maat' and 'Kairee'.

According to Bhatt, 'Chal...' and 'Kairi' got launched just before the IPL ,so they are not fetching good numbers. "The shows have hardly got their fair share of viewers, still they have maintained a steady TRP. We are now waiting for the IPL to get over."