MUMBAI: Talk about grabbing it hot off the blocks. Zee has acquired the television broadcast rights for the two- month old "patriotic film" Deewar.

Interestingly, the word is that the channel will be airing its latest acquisition on 15 August, Independence Day, in the Sunday at 8 pm.

When contacted Zee Telefilms Ltd Film Division CEO Nittin Keni confirmed the news.

Starring Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, Akshaye Khanna and Amrita Rao, the movie was based on a prisioners of war story. The movie, which released in June, was made on a Rs 250 million budget, but has barely managed to garner half its production costs thus far the turnstiles.

While bagging the rights for blockbuster like Munnabhai MBBS must have been quite a coup, pouching the rights for Deewar looks like a 'smart investment'. If the case study of the television premiere of the box office washout Main Madhuri Dixit Banna Chahati Hoon was anything to go by, then it is even this box-office dud may have its moment of glory when telecast on the tube.

ZEE UK TO AIR BLOCKBUSTER PAK FILM

Zee TV UK is making sure that both Indian and Pakistani viewers stay tuned and connected with what it has to offer. In addition to catering to its Indian viewers on Independence Day, the channel has quite a treat in store for its Urdu movie fans as well. Coinciding with Pakistan's independence day (14 August), Zee will be screening a Pakistani blockbuster Yeh Dil Aap Ka Huwa at 8:30 pm (GMT).

Dubbed as the most expensive Pakistani film of all time, the film stars well known Pakistani artistes Sana, Moammar Rana, Salim Sheikh and Babar Ali.