By Meghna Sharma
Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd is all set to strengthen its position in the regional space with the launch of a 24×7 Bengali movie channel called Zee Bangla Cinema on Sunday, September 23
Speaking on the launch of the movie channel, Punit Goenka, MD & CEO, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. (ZEE) said, “With a strong Bengali audience in India and abroad, the Bangla film market has expanded exponentially. Zee Bangla Cinemas entry is to tap this growing potential. We are sure that ZEEs pioneering presence in the regional space would be further strengthened with the addition of this new movie channel.”
Says Sujay Kutty, business head of the channel, “Bengali cinema is a celebration, The time is just right as Bangla cinema is going through a great patch and the movies that are being made or are available for audiences satiate all aspects of the Bengali life and their ever-changing lifestyles yet rooted to the cultural diaspora.”
- Sujay Kutty
But is there room for a 24×7 movie channel? “There are a large number of Bengali general entertainment and other channels. However, the Bengali-speaking viewers are moving towards Hindi movie channels as they do not have a 24×7 platform where they can find a cinema in their language. The top two channels in the GEC space only run cinema on the weekends. So, there is opportunity for a Zee Bangla Cinema to come, own and dominate the space.”
Kolkata-based media planners and media professionals too feel that it is the right time. “After the great old years of Satyajit Ray and Mrunal Sen, Bengali cinema went through a lull. However, things are changing for the good and now Bengali movies are not only being played on single screen but multiplexes too. There is a boom in the market and Im sure, people are going to glad to have a 24/7 movie channel,” feels Raj Datta, Senior General Manager, TME.
“The channel has acquired rights of some of the great films and this will surely get them the eyeballs. And the network has already been able to create a hype around the launch. The city is filled with hoardings regarding the launch of the channel.” Mr Datta adds.
The channel promises to offer a mixed bag of blockbusters from the golden era directors and the best masterpieces of Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen, Ritwick Ghatak, Tarun Mazumdar to the present movies of directors like Rituparno Ghosh, Raj Chakraborty and Anjan Dutta. With a highly youthful and engaging content, Zee Bangla Cinema will also be a ready source of trivia from film news to music releases to muhuraats, along with a mixed and exciting bag of blockbusters.
The launch will be supported by a 360-degree campaign launch, creating a platform for the people of Bengal to celebrate Jibon Ekhon Superhit with Zee Bangla Cinema. The campaign includes radio, TV, print, digital & outdoor along with on-ground activation initiatives. “We have also used a unique approach wherein handpainted larger-than-life cut-outs of popular Bengali stars – from Uttam Kumar, Suchitra Sen/ Prosenjit/Jeet/Dev Koel are placed in prominent locales of the city to give the viewer a feel and taste of what the channel is set to create for them and an offering of having available with them an array of evergreen movies, urging people to go home and tune into the first ever 24×7 Bengali movie channel. The entire city will feel the presence of Zee Bangla Cinema through these innovative cut outs of their favorite stars,” explains Kutty.
Will the excitement on the street work for the channel? “While the channel will get its audience, how they sustain it on weekdays is what is going to be interesting. The channel alone cannot sustain on movies. Therefore, the programming mix matters a lot here. So, well have to just wait and watch how it does overall,” says Datta.
“Star Jalsa is the No 1 GEC followed by Zee. Therefore, what Star does next will be interesting to watch too.” adds a leading film critic with a leading daily.
Clearly, the viewer will be the ultimate winner, and for now, its Advantage Zee Bangla.
Decidedly the most provocative (and some may say unfair) question we have asked Dr Bhaskar Das in the Das ka Dum series.