Zee to bring bouquet of fresh talent with India's Best Cinestar Ki Khoj 2014

Zee TV, one of the most renowned channels on television has been successful in showcasing the country’s best talents in terms of acting, singing and dancing. Presently running back to back seasons of Dance India Dance, Zee in the past has also presented some of the best talent hunt shows like India’s Best Dramebaaz, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, India's Best Cinestars Ki Khoj and Idea Zee Cinestars. Keeping pace with the times, Zee TV has decided to bring back their popular property, India's Best Cinestars Ki Khoj 2014, a hunt for India's next cinestar.

Adgully caught up with Namit Sharma, Programming Head, Zee TV and Producer of Essel Vision Productions Ltd. Nitin Keni to get an insight about India’s Best Cinestar Ki Khoj 2014, a concept which is being revived after a decade.

This season of India’s Best Cine Star Ki Khoj, which first premiered in 2004, is now being produced by Essel Vision Productions Ltd.

Nitin Keni explained how this time round the show will unearth talent that will stand participants in good stead giving them a wider scope in their future endeavours.   “This time we are going wider in terms of reach. India’s Best Cinestar Ki Khoj (IBCKK) 2014 is basically a search for male and female stars who aim to make it big in television and cinema both. Essel Vision Productions Ltd. (EVPL) a property which we started a few years ago did not exist during the last season of IBCKK when it aired way back in 2004. So, now with this season we have a bigger role to play in getting the right talent. Since EVPL is both in the television and film space these participants get an opportunity to be cast in our television shows and films in the future, depending on their skills and talent,” said Keni.

Elaborating further on how times have changed and how the scope for contestants has widened Keni added, “If we see today what is the definition of a star? A star is somebody who does a little bit of everything including acting, singing, dancing, and plays sports like cricket too. The definition of what a star is or who can be a star today has changed since the previous seasons of the show. Today we see more people who hail from ordinary families with no film background becoming stars. It is also evident that most of the TV actors are getting launched as film stars and we want to reflect all of that. We are in a new time zone right now where definition of cine star is a matter of concern and in the new season the show will reflect all these changes.”

IBCKK is a platform where contestants showcase their acting capabilities to the world.  This show provides a platform to every person who has dreamt of acting on television or the big screen. People in the age group of 18-40 years are eligible to participate, showcase their talent and try their luck which can ultimately lead to fame and success.

Commenting on the show and the concept behind it Sharma said, “With its return to the television screens after 10 years it is obvious that the show cannot be the same.  At the same time it’s too early to talk about what we have exactly planned to offer as we are still working on it. But we can assure viewers that they will see loads of innovations with IBCKK 2014.”

Keni sharing his viewpoint added “You always get few people who are at a tangent and on the other hand there are some who give their best and enough content which is entertaining though they are not star material and don’t have talent which we are looking out for.  Likewise, we have had certain amount of good moments and since we are just done with the auditions we are still in the process of confirming a few things.”

The auditions for India’s Best Cine Star Ki Khoj, Zee TV’s reality based show wrapped up this month.  Apart from India, the show is being followed in other countries such as UK, North America, South East Asia and many more.

When asked as a producer what he would look out for in a participant, Keni opined that it has not really been a challenging task since ultimately it is the talented participants who give good content rather than the producers and the organizers. “We are looking out for unique talent and spark with this season of India’s Best Cinestar Ki Khoj. Many of the celebrities went off reel soon because they had only limited or initial attraction, but we all know that talent is the basis of  this show and hence we are looking out for great talent. We are focused on participation and moment rather than structuring any other content,” he said.

Sharma adding his views on the same said, “Currently we are reviewing talent post the auditions and I would say that we really got a good response. We will get a clear picture in the next 3-4 weeks as we progress.”

The show is powered by Glam Up and the channel is actively utilizing all the mediums as a part of their media mix to promote India’s Best Cinestar Ki Khoj 2014. 
Although the show is all set to go on air soon, essential information with regard to the host and the judges for the show is yet to be confirmed.