After no 'Pak show', Zindagi rebrands itself with local dramas

Zindagi, which became popular for bringing stories from Pakistan on Indian small screen, is now coming up with new Indian and Turkish dramas after announcing discontinuation of shows from the neighbouring country.

Zindagi was launched in 2014 and courtesy Pakistani dramas like "Humsafar", "Zindagi Gulzar Hai", "Maat", "Shehr-e-Zaat" and "Dastaan", it soon found a loyal audience.

Lately the channel had premiered a few Indian productions but none of them could match the popularity and TRPs of their Pakistani counterparts.

Now, the channel has re-branded itself by launching new Indian shows and serials from Turkey. The new line-up, which will have finite series format, will go on air from October 3.

One of the shows is Bollywood actor Anupam Kher's maiden TV production, "Khwaabon Ki Zamin Par".

Featuring Ashish Kadian, Megha Chakroborty and Deeksha Sonalkar in the lead roles, the series is about a young aspiring actor, Arya, who goes to Mumbai to fulfill his dreams.

"Khwaabon Ki Zamin Par" will show relationship conflict between Arya and his girlfriend Niyati (Megha).

Talking about the show, Kher said here, "I could see some moments of my life in the show because I also started from a small town and struggled my way to become an Indian actor. I also left a love story behind me when I came to Mumbai...

"So, I can relate to the show and I know a lot of aspiring actors/actresses will also relate to it."

The show's screenplay and dialogue writer said he has been influenced by shows like "Humsafar" and has tried to keep "Khwaabon Ki Zamin Par" true to reality and subtle.

"Agar Tum Saath Ho" is another upcoming production, which is a love story between a girl from an affluent Delhi family and a middle-class tuition teacher in Delhi.

"We have shot entirely in Delhi and Bhopal (where the characters are based) because we wanted the show to be realistic, like other shows which earlier aired on Zindagi.

"There is a different high in shooting finite series and I am hopeful other channels will take a cue to encourage more fixed-duration shows," said Gulshan Sachdeva, who has directed and produced the show.

"Agar Tum Saath Ho" centres around the journey of Neema, who marries a simpleton Ravi, much against her father's wishes and how the couple deals with the meddling father.

It stars Hitesh Bharadwaj, Ritu Barmecha, Dolly Ahluwalia, Sabina Mehta and Kamal Tiwari in the lead roles.

A spoof on daily soaps titled, "TV Ke Uss Paar" is a tongue-in-cheek sitcom about the obsession of Indian society with television shows. It stars Marathi actress Amita Khopkar and Aaksh Ahuja in principal roles.

Turkish shows like "Fatmagul", "Feriha" and "Little Lord" will also be shown on Zindagi.