MUMBAI: Zee Telefilms chairman Subhash Chandra will make his debut appearance on television in the network's big budget reality business talent hunt show Business Baazigar.
The one-hour show will launch in the last week of March as a weekly.
Chandra will be seen playing the role of a no-nonsense judge to perfection, as the show promises to give Zee TV lots of scope for reality-oriented programming.
According to market estimations, Zee TV has spent in the range of Rs 100 to 120 million for the first season of Business Baazigar. The season will have 24 episodes, from which 15 episodes have completed the post-production phase. One winner will be chosen at the end of the season.
Chandra and Passionfunds CEO Mahesh Murthy, along with a new guest judge each week, will judge the contestants through personal interviews. MTV veejay Cyrus Sahukar will anchor the show.
Business Baazigar will enter the marketing and promotion phase next week, with the channel officially announcing the launch. The show has been slotted in the weekday band.
Zee has already devoted a lot of time on this pet project of Chandra's. The media house first announced the big ticket property in the second half of 2004. The channel had even roped in Aditya Birla Group as the title sponsor of the show well in advance. The show, which was initially produced by 24 FPS, is now being handled by Zee's in-house team.
Business Baazigar is a search for people with smart business ideas. The show proposes to give these people the money they require to start a business based on their ideas. This money, which is essentially in the form of venture funding, will run into millions, and different winners will get different amounts depending on their business idea.
The entry of Business Baazigar will see Zee TV parading as many as three reality-oriented programmes in the weekday line up. The channel already airs the game show Kam Ya Zyaada Monday to Wednesday. It will telecast the Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2005 offspring Sa Re Ga Ma Pa: Ek Main Aur Ek Tu on Thursday and Friday, starting 16 March.
