Aiming to make its weekday primetime band stronger, Hindi general entertainment channel Life OK is all set to introduce some changes in the time slot of its shows along with the launch of two new ones.
Come 7 October, viewers will be treated to Balaji Telefilms-produced ‘Ajeeb Daastaan Hai Ye’ at 9:30 pm from Monday to Friday, followed by the channel’s first sitcom ‘Comedy Classes’ at 10 pm.
However, the twist here is that the channel’s love saga ‘Tumhaari Paakhi’ will shift from 9 pm to the 8:30 pm band replacing ‘Nadaan Parindey’, while the popular show ‘Laut Aao Trisha’ will now air in the primetime slot at 9 pm instead of 10 pm. The show will replace ‘Ek Boond Ishq’ which will go off air.
Life OK EVP and GM Ajit Thakur said, “We have always done six-month to one-year stories. ‘Nadaan Parindey’ and ‘Ek Boond Ishq’ have run its course, and this is coming at 9:30 pm as it is the highest viewership period and we want to give it the biggest slot. We are also trying to create a powerful heroine primetime band with ‘Paakhi’ at 8:30, followed by Amrita from ‘Laut Aao Trisha’ at 9 and Shobha from ‘Ajeeb Daastaan Hai Ye’ at 9:30.”
As reported earlier by TelevisionPost.com, the channel plans to undergo a brand refresh around Diwali and will launch six new shows within the next three months. The new show is the first step towards the channel’s refresh and also rings in the festive season for them.
While the show marks Bollywood actor Sonali Bendre’s debut on TV in a fiction show, ‘Ajeeb Daastaan Hai Ye’ is also the first show that Ekta Kapoor is producing for Life OK. “We started the channel with a show on domestic violence and this one is about marriage and a woman’s right to have economic independence, so we have come a full circle. It is a fairly edgy show but in an Ekta Kapoor style so is entertaining. Ekta and I discussed, and we wanted a high impact casting. We discussed quite a few people and it was great to get Sonali,” he added.
The discussions for the show commenced two years back and it is different from the typical Ekta Kapoor shows. It is for women whose marriage has failed and gives them the strength to make their life on their own. The show is a finite series and will air for seven to nine months.
An interesting aspect is that Kapoor has not yet written the ending of the show and will plan the ending based on viewers’ feedback.
Kapoor describes the show as funny, emotional with quirky characters and a light-hearted approach. It also touches on the secluded issue of infidelity.
The show highlights the journey of a tenacious woman Shobha (Bendre) who fights against all odds for her family and their well-being. She was happy and content until her politician husband Samarth (Harsh Chhaya) was put behind bars for breach of information. Overnight, she is left holding the reigns of her family, and while trying to collect all the pieces and settle, she ends up meeting Vikram (Apurva Agnihotri). a coffee-shop owner who hires her as an assistant.
The show has already got on board Venus as the presenting sponsor and India Gate Basmati Rice as the co-powered-by sponsor.
It will witness a 360-degree marketing through TV, print, digital and radio, and the promo of the show will be aired with the upcoming film ‘Bang Bang’ trailer in theatres.
Source: Televisionpost.com
