We always wanted to give a different kind of texture to our talk shows:Deepak Rajadhyaksha

Zee TV is bringing in a talk show to spruce up its weekend offering with new show, ‘JuzzBaatt… Sangeen Se Namkeen Tak’. The show, which will premiere on May 5, 2018, will have actor Rajeev Khandelwal as the host. With this, Khandelwal will be returning to the television after a gap of three years. 

Co-produced by Sandiip Sikcand Telefilms and SOL, ‘JuzzBaatt…Sangeen Se Namkeen Tak’ will air every Saturday and Sunday at 7.00 pm on Zee TV. This is a candid chat show where, through slice-of-life conversation, celebrities reveal their personality, their closest relationships, struggles and adventures, victories, setbacks, hopes, aspirations, fears and inhibitions which make them human and relatable to audiences. As host, Rajeev Khandelwal will nudge the celebrity guests to share their tales from childhood to how it all started off for them and revealing the defining moment when they found their true calling which prompted them to take charge of their destinies, build on their core talent and shoot to fame as ‘extraordinary’ achievers. Adding an element of fun and entertainment, the celebrity guests will also participate in a series of games showcasing a quirky aspect of their personality. 

Prior to this show, Khandelwal was seen on ALTBalaji’s web series, ‘Haq Se’. He had earlier donned the host’s mantle in the show, ‘Sach Ka Samna’. 

The show will feature a volley of popular celebrities from diverse fields, including television, films, sports and more. Some of the faces that will be featured on the show include Rohit and Ronit Roy, Divyanka Tripathi, Vivek Dahiya, Sudeep Sahir, Dheeraj Dhoopar, among others. 

Deepak Rajadhyaksha
Deepak Rajadhyaksha
Deepak Rajadhyaksha, Deputy Business Head, Zee TV, commented, “The first quarter of 2018 saw us present viewers with differentiated fiction concepts, including ‘Aap Ke Aa Jaane Se’, ‘Kaleerein’ and ‘Ishq Subhan Allah’, each of which has touched us and in turn directly impacts our society. And, while these shows got audiences to pause and reflect, we brought them unadulterated entertainment through ‘DID Li’l Masters’. After having tasted immense success with our last foray into the genre of celebrity chat shows with ‘Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai’, we are back with a talk show with a heart – ‘JuzzBaatt…Sangeen Se Namkeen Tak’, which will give viewers inspiring accounts of how some of their most favourite celebrities discovered themselves. We are excited to partner with Sandiip Sikcand Telefilms and SOL for this unique chat show, and hope that this association will pave the way for many more such exciting propositions in the future.” 

Fazila Allana
Fazila Allana
Co-producer Fazila Allana from SOL Production, added here, “As fans, we are always curious to know what our favourite celebrities’ lives are like, what brought them to the juncture that transformed them into idols, and fun anecdotes as they charted their journey to the top. Our show gets to the heart of these idols, as they are also human beings – what they’re like at home, what do they do for fun, their quirks, their dreams, their phobias.  We believe that the show will resonate well with Zee TV’s core target audience, the great Indian middle class, as it captures the stories and struggles of celebrities they idolise. Through oodles of fun and entertainment, along with some tales of joy and sorrow, ‘JuzzBaatt’ will unleash fascinating facts about celebrities and what inspired them to pursue their passion. The key to a good chat show is always the host, because his/her ability to create a comfort level that drives conversations, and Rajeev Khandelwal is the perfect fit; his flexible and effervescent personality can effortlessly engage with celebrities and audiences. We look forward to this partnership with Zee TV. We’ve done some great work with and hope to continue building a mutually beneficial and fulfilling long-term association with the channel.” 

In conversation with Adgully, Deepak Rajadhyaksha, Deputy Business Head, Zee TV, and SOL Production’s Fazila Allana share the insight behind the show, the programming strategies, and much more about the new show. Excerpts: 

What took Zee so long to do a chat show after ‘Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai’?
We wanted to have a chat show, but we didn’t craft something like this after “Jeena isi ka Naam hai” as we were not prepared enough. We always wanted to give a different kind of texture in the area of talk show. When we started the discussion about this show, we said that we needed a different show altogether after ‘Jeena isi ka naam hai’ because Zee is a pioneer in creating something like this. Secondly, it should also be different from other shows in the same space on various channels. And thus, in order to create a differentiating factor, we came up with an idea of reality with a pinch of entertainment. 

The personalities on the show will take us through their life journey, including their personal as well professional life. When we got ready with this concept and the design of the show, we decided to launch it. In our 26th year, we have presented this show as a gift to our viewers. 

Rajeev Khandelwal
Rajeev Khandelwal
What will Rajeev Khandelwal bring to the table?
We have seen him as a dynamic anchor. And after a long time he is coming back on the small screen. He was also interested in doing something like this after listening to the script of the show. 

Could you tell us about the other shows in the pipeline?

There are a lot many shows in the pipeline. We are currently working on multiple shows with multiple concepts. 

We have plethora of shows in the same genre on OTT platforms. How Zee is countering that part?
We are concentrating on our own discretions of the show. There could be a lot many shows across different platforms, but how to make our own mark in this space is our concentration for now. 

What is the criteria for selecting a celebrity to feature on the show?
As I said, the show is a blend of reality and some entertaining factors, which will take us through the journey of that person’s life, which will inspire the viewers to think about their own life and how they can overcome the difficulties in their life. How they can achieve their goals and take control of their own decisions. So, it perfectly fits with our brand philosophy, which is ‘Aaj Likhenge Kal’. These people (celebrities) are ordinary folks like us, but they took control of their destiny. They struggled a lot. They kept on proving themselves consistently and after a point, they became extraordinary. 

What is your strategy for the weekends?
We want to entertain our viewers 24x7 – be it on weekends or on weekdays. Whatever shows we do, we want to make them more effective so that people can enjoy and we can get a maximum share of the viewership. Talking about weekends, we are definitely planning something for weekends and will devise it accordingly from May 5, 2018. 

These days, we have many reality shows that turn out to be more engaging with ‘Live’ TV. Is Zee TV planning to foray into that section?
It’s not about innovation, but it’s something where a timeframe is needed. In terms of news, there is expectancy. For me, if the show is edited in a better way, it helps the show to grow or to connect with the audience in a better way. 

We are trying to get to the human side of celebrities: Fazila Allana, SOL Production 

What is the USP of the show ‘JuzzBaatt… Sangeen Se Namkeen Tak’?
The USP of the show is that we are trying to get to the human side of the celebrity and to the real character behind the TV/ film character. 

Could you tell us about your association with Zee TV?
We have been associated with Zee TV for years. Three years ago, we did ‘Zee Rishtey Awards’ and have done so much more with Zee. But we have not tried anything on primetime for the last few years. 

What are some of the dos and don’ts while conceptualising a chat show?
Obviously, the one thing that we all keep in our mind while conceptualising anything for the viewers is whether they will be engaged or not. Viewers’ engagement is obviously the main factor. 

At the end of day, the people who will come on our show are the guests and we can’t afford to make them uncomfortable. There will be a roller-coaster ride full of anecdotes and entertainment to engage people. 

How did you zero in on Rajeev Khandelwal as the face of the show?
The major factor is the hiatus, because there is this curiosity factor to see him on the screen after such a long break. And we felt that his personality fits the profile in the way he had dealt with the common people in ‘Sach ka Samna’. He was fabulous in that show.

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