MxMIndia

Tag: Zee TV

  • Zee turns #1 Hindi GEC thanks to DID Season 2 finale's 8 TVR plus Ramayan and the Gold Awards

    Zee TV turns numero uno again

    By A Correspondent

     

    Zee TV has moved way ahead of the competition in the Hindi general entertainment channel space. According to the ratings out today (Week 33), the channel garnered 283 GRPs, with Star Plus slipping to 255, Colors up to 238 and Sony down at 214 GRPs.

     

    Last week (#32), Star Plus was leading with 270 GRPs as Zee TV trailed with 247, Sony with 225 and Colors with 217 GRPs.

     

    The high ratings can be attributed to the Dance India Dance season 2 Finale, which managed the ratings of 8.0 TVR on 12 August. Ramayan also caught many eyeballs, and managed the TVR of 2.7. The Gold Awards that were telecast on August 18 fetched the ratings of 3 TVR.

     

    Riding high on the success of Dance India Dance, the essential question is whether Zee will be able to sustain the ratings. Channel executives and an analyst MxMIndia spoke wit are bullish about Zee maintaining the lead since the channel is planning a standoff between season one and season two finale winners of DID. This will ensure that the interest is kept alive for the next five weeks.

     

    Dhruv Jha, Business Head at Lodestar Universal, is optimistic that the channel would have innovative content to keep the interest alive. He said, “Zee TV is always reinventing its programming. Even when this show ends, I am positive that they have another show in the kitty.”

     

  • The virtual temple on the Ramayan Facebook page is a re-creation of the Ram Durbar showcasing Lord Rama, Lakshman and Sita with Hanuman

    Zee TV creates ‘virtual temple’ for Ramayan

    By A Correspondent

     

    Zee TV’s latest salvo in the cyber-competitive world of social networking websites is an innovative ‘virtual temple’ on the Facebook page of its new mythological show, ‘Ramayan’.

     

    The virtual temple holds the promise of a few moments of daily spiritual solace for netizens. The imagery, the colors and the music used have a calming effect and can easily transport a devotee to a harmonious, divine space. Packaged beautifully, the temple is a re-creation of the Ram Durbar showcasing Lord Rama, Lakshman and Sita with Lord Hanuman. The temple has unique features that let them ring the bell, light a diya, play a choice of aartis, shower flowers and smear haldi kumkum on the deities, break a coconut and even rotate the aarti ki thali!

     

    In the coming days, Zee TV also plans to create a mobile application that will make the virtual temple available to smartphone users and let them interact with ‘Ramayan’ through aartis and chaupaayis.

     

    The launch of the virtual Ram Mandir comes in the wake of the launch of new mythological series ‘Ramayan’ which went on air on Sunday, August 12 on Zee TV and Doordarshan.

     

  • MxMIndia spoke to Amrit Sagar, who along with Moti Sagar and Meenakshi Sagar, is set to recreate the classic…

    Want to recreate Ramayan’s magic, but difficult to fit into grandfather’s shoes: Amrit Sagar

    By A Correspondent

     

    Amrit Sagar

    Twenty years ago, Gods and mythology, not Aamir Khan, ruled the Indian television sets. In the late 1980s, streets would empty out on Sunday mornings as people sat glued to their TV sets to watch Ramayan and Mahabharat.

     

    Now Zee TV, which is re-entering the slot with a mythological show – Ramayan, hopes to create the same magic. “Ramayan is more than mythology; it is the ultimate story about our culture and family values and relationships. We all grew up on it, and we want the current generation to know about it. We wanted to tell the story, which left an impact on us, all over again…” said Sukesh Motwani, head – fiction programming, Zee TV.

     

    The channel has chosen the 11am slot because it feels that the story needs to be watched together as a family, and what could be more perfect that a Sunday morning.  It is happy that the slot is being relived again as various networks are launching shows on the same slot. “For the last few years, no one paid attention to the Sunday morning slot, but now things are changing. However, we do believe that the content is the main criteria which will make the show on that slot a hit or not,” said Mr Motwani.

     

    The channel also believes that times have changed and TV penetration and numbers have increased over decades but the whole Sunday morning experience can be brought back with a story as simple and universal as Ramayan.

     

    Sukesh Motwani

    Apart from the story, one more thing common between the original and the new Ramayana is the Sagars. Zee TV has taken on-board Sagar Pictures. MxMIndia spoke to Amrit Sagar, who along with Moti Sagar and Meenakshi Sagar, is set to recreate the classic…

     

    Many networks have showcased new avatars of Ramayan and Mahabharat, but failed to get the same response as the originals. So, how is this going to be any different?

    We must keep in mind that the stories for such epics cannot be changed. One has to tell the same story; however, the way it is told can vary from person to person and how lavishly the show is made. From that aspect, we have tried to make it bigger and better than anything seen before. Having said that, we have made sure that the story isn’t compromises with, so, have followed my grandfather’s and Tulsidas’ original.

     

    Audiences and mindsets have changed, so how will you make the show relevant for today’s generation?

    We are very much aware of this fact. Therefore, we plan to charm the audiences with the visual effects and sets.

     

    Will we see any new faces on the show? How did you choose the actors to play the characters, especially that of Ram and Sita?

    There will be new faces on the show and the ones which people have seen on television earlier are the ones who have never played such characters before. So, it is going to be a different experience for everyone. Also, an image of the god is very individualistic. The actors we have chosen to play Ram and Sita are the ones we thought suited the bill from our view point. We are keeping our fingers crossed… rest depends on audiences and how they welcome and perceive the characters.

     

    There are rumors of clashes because of current failure during the time of the telecast. Do you see that happening today?

    It’s difficult to predict that, but I hope we are also able to create the same passion and effect.

     

    Do you think Sunday morning slot will interest youngsters?

    Apart from the metros, I think Sunday is like any other day for the rest of the country wherein the day starts early. Also, it is about the family spending some quality time together. Therefore, I don’t think we will face any problem in attracting the audiences – old or young. I’m sure the show will be enjoyed by a whole family together.

     

    What kind of response are you expecting since the show will be aired simultaneously on Zee and DD?

    Of course, we are hoping to see a great response from the audiences as the reach will massive. We want to create the same magic again. However, I also know that it will be very difficult to fit into my grandfather’s shoes.

     

  • One of the seniormost programming executives in the business, Mr Bahl has had short stints at Mahuaa, Turner, Network 18 after moving on from Star India in April 2011

    Vivek Bahl hops to Sony as Chief Creative Director

    By A Correspondent

     

    In 18 months, this is his fifth place of work… surely, the man’s on the move. Yes, Vivek Bahl is set to join Sony Entertainment Television (SET) as Chief Creative Director after short stints at Mahuaa, Turner and Network 18.

     

    One of the seniormost programming executives in the business, Mr Bahl, joined Zee TV a few months before it was launched way back in 1992. His last port of call has been the Viacom18 Network which he had joined in May this year as network advisor (content).

     

    In the new role, Mr Bahl will be responsible for the overall programming of the flagship channel. Speaking on his appointment, he said, via a communique: “I’m delighted to join SET and hope to provide valuable programming inputs in all genres of shows. This is an exciting and challenging role and I’m honoured that trust has been reposed in my abilities.”

     

    Mr Bahl will report to Sneha Rajani, Senior Executive Vice President & Business Head – Channel SET.  While announcing the appointment, NP Singh, COO, MSM, said: “Vivek’s entertainment experience and a cross-functional strategic perspective will enhance the growth of SET. On behalf of Sony Entertainment Network, we look forward to a long and fruitful working association with him.”

     

    Prior to joining Viacom18, Mr Bahl was with Turner International where he was the Chief Content Officer. And before that he was with the Mahuaa Network where he moved from Star India.

     

  • The show will focus on events that are experienced by those who have lived to tell their story

    Zee to go paranormal with ‘Fear Files’

    By A Correspondent

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”225″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXrE1Apj9bE[/youtube]

    The Zee Network hopes to repeat the popularity of its once popular Zee Horror Show with a new programme called ‘Fear Files’. The show will focus on events that are experienced by those who have lived to tell their story.

     

    “Horror has been a part of our lives for years now. Almost all of us have heard stories of paranormal activities – some of us believe in them and some don’t. But there is no denying the fact that it hasn’t touched our lives. So, through this show we want to tell real life stories of people who have experienced the unexplainable,” said Sukesh Motwani, fiction programming head, Zee TV.

     

    Sukesh Motwani

    He added: “But this time around we have kept the gory details out. One can call it “intelligent” horror.” Fear Files was shot at haunted locations in a drama-documentary style. Thorough research was done for each story and at the end of each show, a paranormal expert will share the rationale view on all unnatural phenomena. The 26-episode show will go on air from June 30.

     

    Talking about the weekend late night (10:30 pm) slot, Akash Chawla, Senior Vice President and head -marketing, national channels, Zee TV said that he is keeping his fingers crossed: “Data suggests that the weekend 10:30pm slot has been doing well. And since the show will be aired right after DID Little Masters, we hope to cash in on the slot. Also, the genre cuts across age-groups and gender and as many find it intriguing; we hope our TG (25-44 age-group) won’t be disappointed in the show.”

     

    Akash Chawla

    The channel is going all out to market the show. “Apart from promoting the show on our channels, there are going to be a lot of innovative print ads as well. Also, this time, we plan to spend around 12 per cent of our marketing budget on the digital platform,” said Mr Chawla.

     

    “Marketing such shows is definitely a challenge,” he added. Innovative ways have thus been lined-up to promote ‘Fear Files’ as the channel felt that people have grown up and want to see something ‘reasonable’.

     

  • Jhalak Dikhla Ja, the celebrity dance show in its fifth season, premiered on July 16 on Colors

    Colors jumps to No 2, thanks to JDJ

    By A Correspondent

     

    Reality shows are the flavour of the season; and the latest entry to the bandwagon is Colors’ Jhalak Dikhla Ja.  The celebrity dance show in its fifth season premiered on July 16 on Colors and thanks to the show, the channel saw its highest growth this week. Colors has jumped to No. 2 again.

     

    According to the latest data for week 24, Star Plus is on number 1 position with 268 GRPs this week (last week 269). Zee TV has slipped to No. 3 with 212 GRPs (last week 203). Sony Entertainment Television went below the 200 mark, at No. 4, the channel has recorded 187 GRPs (last week 201).

     

    DID Little Masters on Zee has been doing well for the channel, but saw a drop in TVR ratings (2.8)  as Jhalak Dikhla Ja  got a 3.13 TVR. Both are dance shows, but whereas one deals with children, the other has celebrities like Madhuri Dixit and Karan Johar to its credit.

     

    So what worked for the show as well as the channel? Dinesh Rathore, vice president, India- West, MediaVest Worldwide, feels that though celebrities do arouse curiosity and makes them switch to a particular channel, there is no dearth of celebrities on television today as most reality shows feature them. “I think the show has done well on its opening weekend because of the initial curiosity. It would be difficult to say if it will continue to do so for the channel. We’ll just have to wait and watch.”

     

    Monaz Todywalla, general manager, Madison Media, said: “From the content point of view, the show is well packaged and promoted. Hence, it was bound to get such ratings on the opening weekend. However, the channel cannot rest on the shows shoulders alone. If it wants to remain on the slot or even reach the numero uno position, it will have to do a lot more, especially content wise.”

     

    Meanwhile, Zee TV’s DID Li’L Masters which earned a launch rating of 5.8 is adding a Bollywood flavour to its show on the coming Sunday with a tribute to the iconic dancing stars of Indian cinema.

     

    Surely what we have seen is a mere ‘jhalak’ of the two warring dance shows.

     

  • Wins the digital mandate for RC Cola & social media mandate for Zee TV's 'Phir Subah Hogi'

    Brandlogist wins two new mandates

    By A Correspondent

     

    Brandlogist, a boutique digital branding consultancy, has just won the digital mandate for RC Cola and social media mandate, including aspects such as social platforms, Bloggers program , social@mobile and influencers outreach, for Zee TV’s ‘Phir Subah Hogi’.

     

    For RC Cola the Indian market is literally a challenge with a far smaller market penetration, low awareness and smaller budget. They have decided to approach this challenge with an interesting perspective, taking digital as the primary driving platform and have chosen Brandlogist to help them strategize and execute this strategy.

     

    As Saurabh Parmar CEO, Brandlogist said: “That’s where we come in with an active engagement on the digital medium through which the communication extends to consumers across platforms and mediums.”

     

    Commenting on the reason for choosing Brandlogist, Mohit Khattar, Brand Head, Iceberg Foods Limited said: “It was the company’s strategy to build on a wider consumer base with the involvement of its audience and to create an experiential marketing environment by sharing the heritage and essence of the brand RC Cola.  We as a company were looking for young, creative, fresh and intelligent team who are among our target audience and would represent the sentiments and can draft the likes of the consumers. With Brandlogist we ascertained their passion for work, free flow of ideas and a sense of responsibility.”

     

    Phir Subah Hogi, Brandlogist’s second recent win is Zee’s new prime time show. Looking at the nature of the content, social media plays an important role to connect with people around the cause.

     

    Commenting on the two wins, Mr Parmar said: “It’s been 5 months but the idea of communication strategy which is new age yet not constrained by mediums is definitely having an impact. When we go to a client and say that it’s not about having x number of Facebook likes or people filing in a lead generation form without psycho-graphically analyzing that customer set or even getting a certain number of people to tweet your hashtag, but rather about doing something interesting, relevant enough so that they actually connect with you does raise a few eyebrows but has also got us the right accounts where clients have been perceptive enough.”

     

  • The second season of DID L’il Masters premiered on April 28 with an opening of 5.8 TVR, as per the TAM figures

    ‘Content not big celebs get in numbers’

    By Meghna Sharma

     

    Ashish Golwalkar

    Zee TV danced its way to the #2 slot amongst Hindi GECs as its Dance India Dance Little Masters (DID L’il Masters) leapfrogged to ratings of 6.2. Commenting on the reason why kiddie reality shows work, Ashish Golwalkar, Non Fiction Head, Zee TV, said: “The kids’ versionsof both Sa Re Ga Ma Pa and DID have done well. Kids bring out the universal emotion that connects with all; and with the holiday season on, the show makes for great television viewing for families. The talent that has auditioned for the show is superlative and watching them makes it aspirational for the kids and emotional for the parents.”

     

    The network which has various non-fictional shows to its credit believes in focusing on different genres. “We’re the pioneers of shows like Saanp Seedi, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, Antakshari, Khana Khazana, and others and our non-fiction has always delivered. The feeling that only big celebrities garner high ratings is not true. It’s the content that connects with the audience and that’s what gets in the numbers,” added Mr Golwalkar.

     

    Akash Chawla

    The channel has done extensive marketing for the show. “Understanding the power of dance as an audio-visual treat, we wanted to promote DID L’il Masters through various audio visual means and hence, strategically focused on television and active online engagement. Through this, the extreme talent, skills, intrigue and the innocent attitude of the kids was highlighted which made the promos entertaining and endearing. The ‘Dance ke baap’ philosophy from the first season was further extended to ‘Yeh Badon Ke Bas Ki Baat Nahin’,” said Akash Chawla, ZEEL – Marketing Head, National Channels.

     

    Exclusive dance acts were showcased on the DID Youtube channel and also promoted across active social communities of DID 3. Glimpses of the show were integrated into DID 3 and other fiction shows on Zee TV creating high anticipation for the show. Talking about retaining the same ratings for the show in the coming episodes, Mr Golwalkar said: “Due to its nature, the audition episodes always rate higher, but we will try to maintain/sustain these ratings after the Top 16 are announced.”

     

    The channel also has plans to launch a few more new non-fictional and fictional shows for weekdays and weekend slots. Talk shows being one of the genres which the channel doesn’t mind exploring in the near future. “The television landscape has changed since the first season with more time bands, more shows and varied reality genres,” added Mr Golwalkar.

     

  • Also sees record advertising revenue with mainstream advertisers

    Zee Cine Awards beats all other Bollywood award shows in the US

    By A Correspondent

     

    Zee TV, the number 1 South Asian entertainment network, announced recently that the 2012 Zee Cine Awards (ZCA) achieved record-breaking ratings this year. According to Rentrak TV Essentials, Zee Cine Awards delivered the highest rating for any South Asian program in over a year’s time (since Feb 11). ZCA received a viewership share of almost 75 per cent during its broadcast.

     

    On the monetizing front, the network saw a 40 per cent increase in revenues from last year’s awards show as announced by Zee TV America’s Business Head, Sameer Targe. He said: “Despite cut-throat competition we always find ways to reinvent, than to discount. As a market leader we have no one to follow, hence the challenge is to always focus on expanding the pie. This year we were able to bring well known mainstream brands like Omega, Verizon and MetLife as sponsors of the show. The idea was to sell the inventory at a premium value, keep the breaks short which eventually resulted in highest viewership.”

     

    Zee TV – the name that has become synonymous with unparalleled quality in entertainment – has been a dominant player in broadcasting content for more than 17 years in the national and international space.  As an Indian channel, Zee TV is committed to supporting the values and traditions that appeal to South Asians across the globe.
    In July 1998, Zee TV expanded its presence in the international space by establishing itself as a mainstay in American households, reaching more than 2 million viewers.  Zee reaches over 600 million viewers in about 168 countries.

  • DID viewers can pick up the phone and give a Missed Call to vote for their favourite contestants

    One missed call to vote for DID 3 participants

    By A Correspondent

     

    We all have hopes. It’s what equips us to deal with life’s trials and tribulations. Each one of us has endless hopes….It’s this ‘Umeed’ that keeps us going.

     

    Zee TV’s dance reality show, Maruti Suzuki Presents Dance India Dance will be shortly announcing its Behtareen Terah (13) contestants. And the key decision has been thrown open to the janta. Voting is our fundamental right and if we can vote for free to choose our government, then why should we spend money to vote for our favourite reality show contestants?

     

    Taking this thought forward, Zee TV has made the entire voting process in reality shows free of cost. DID viewers can pick up the phone and give a Missed Call to their favourite contestants.

     

    The thought of giving audiences an opportunity to choose the winner of a reality show through a public voting system, as a concept, was initiated by Zee TV for the very first time in 2003 for the show, Zee Cine Stars Ki Khoj.

     

    After that, the concept of ‘one mobile- one vote’ was introduced during the time of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Singing Superstar in 2010, to avoid duplication while counting of votes made from the same number.

     

    Now, the channel has devised a method which nullifies the entire debate about voting being a money making mechanism between the channel and the telecom companies! The Missed Call voting system devised by Zee TV in Dance India Dance Season 3 will ensure that there’s no fallacy in choosing a winner and will also erase all doubts about the existence of any benefits to the channel in the voting process. The channel will incorporate the same in its future reality shows as well.

     

    “With DID Season 3 – Voting Free, we are aiming for never before achieved viewer’s participation in the show. With this voting system, every unique missed call will be counted as one unique vote thus making the janta janardan, the true adjudicator in deciding the fate of our show.  Technology is helping us value the viewer’s point of view even further. The decision of free voting is a welcome change to those who have hitherto refrained from participating owing to extra charges for an SMS to special numbers! There can be nothing more transparent than this mechanism in the decision of choosing the final winner of any reality show on ZEE TV,” said Akash Chawla, Head Marketing, National Channels, ZEEL.

     

    Here’s how the mechanism works: Every contestant in the Behterein Terah has been designated with an unique number. All a viewer has to do is dial that number and after one ring, the call gets disconnected automatically. The viewer gets an acknowledgement message that his vote for the particular contestant has been registered. In one week, a viewer can vote for a particular contestant only once. However he can vote for multiple contestants in the same week. The best part is the viewers can call to vote their favourite contestant even with zero balance. The mechanism has already assisted in choosing the Wild Card entrants of the show.

     

    Dance India Dance has always believed in exploring unique initiatives on a large scale to build its brand equity. Be it the grand Carnival that was conducted on the streets of Mumbai during DID Season 2 or the unique ‘Dance Mobs’ that were conducted in malls, multiplexes, railway stations and streets of Mumbai and Delhi during the launch of DID season 3 or the very recent Licensing & Merchandizing deal that the show has done with apparel giant Reebok to further build the brand.

     

  • Celebrating 20 years in the business, Zee employs a renewed marketing thrust to climb the ratings ladder.

    Zee zeal comes to the fore

     

    By Rishi Vora

     

    The year 2012 promises to be a memorable one for Zee TV, with a celebration to mark the channel’s completing 20 years of being in the broadcast business.

     

    Besides completing 20 years of being in the broadcast business, the channel is expecting to climb the GRP ladder and look to attain leadership position. The road has been patchy at times, competition has stifled its growth and the channel has not quite delivered as per expectations. But, in all certainty, one can say that Zee is one channel which has stuck with the idea of being a family entertainment channel, one that does not believe in spending millions on celebrities, and one that is known to be profitable in the business.

     

    The company is planning to celebrate its 20 years with a campaign that’ll communicate the brand’s philosophy. Though finer details of the campaign are not known, it is learnt that the channel is looking to work more towards the channel brand Zee besides regular marketing campaigns to promote fiction and non-fiction shows.

     

    Akash Chawla

    Marketing Head of the group’s national channels, Akash Chawla admits that Zee has in the past few months taken a beating as far as ratings are concerned. But, at the same time he is of the opinion that 2012 is the year where they will look to change their ranking, where the idea is to be the No 1 player in the next 12 months.

     

    “We will go step-by-step in achieving that goal,” he said. He also mentioned that the first goal will be to reach the No 2 position in the next four months.

     

    Content will play a major role and as a part of the strategy, Zee will look to bring international formats, something which they haven’t tried their hands at in the past. While that is true, the channel will continue to launch home-grown formats too. Recently, the channel launched a couple of fiction shows and is looking to promote them on the back of reality show – Dance India Dance 3 (DID 3), a reality dance format show which Zee is betting big on.

     

    A lot of work has gone in the new media initiatives, promoting DID 3. The channel recently organised a flash mob with the idea to promote the concept of ‘dance’ among viewers (see photograph). Besides that, contests on Facebook, hoarding, press, TV spots supporting the mega campaign. “The idea is to have a dialogue with the viewers. Even in the case of our press ads, we have tried to make a dialogue with our viewers, explained Chawla. “He further added, “We also did a flash mob because we thought it was a great idea. We were launching the show at a peak of a season where people tend to move out a lot. Also we did this when it was a holiday season, so footfalls in public places are likely to be more. If at the end of the day, I can make people dance along with Dance India Dance, the message is there, the engagement is there. The recall value increases.”

     

    Zee Cine Awards will happen in Macau on January 21 and be aired on the network on February 5. The show is promoted across all countries where Zee operates; however, marketing activities are being carried out country wise, where there will be different ideas, contests and marketing plans for different countries. Ditto with sponsorships, where each country will have a different presenting sponsor. For India, the channel has got on board Pan Bahar as the presenting sponsor.

     

    The campaign will cut across outdoor, print, radio, on-air promotions and interactive contests. It will also widely explore the digital space including social media, mobile-based apps and forge strategic tie-ups in every region to ensure a 360* connect with Indian as well as international audiences. This coming together of Zee’s global marketing teams will see more than 30,000 promos running across its global network in 168 countries.

     

    The story doesn’t end here for both Chawla and Zee Group for that matter. From a network point of view, there is a renewed thrust on Zee Classic. One of the three channels that were launched to be on the digital platforms initially. Zee Premier and Zee Action being the remaining two. Having defined a niche for Zee Classic and the fact that the channel has already about 500-odd movies to engage the audience with, the task at hand for Chawla and team is to market the channel more aggressively to that specific niche. The channel launched a new show called Classic Legends, presented by Javed Akhtar.

     

    Digitisation will help boost channel’s profits. It also opens up a whole new channel for marketing. Dish TV being a sister company, and reported to be the largest among DTH players, Chawla says it makes more sense to leverage that platform and generate as much traction from there in promoting the channels shows, particularly reality shows – DID 3 in this case.

     

    So a lot happening. DID 3, Zee Cine Awards, the new media thrust, the plan to be No 2 in four months and No 1 in a year’s time. The task is mammoth as Sony and Colors too are eyeing the No 1 spot. So these are testing times for Zee. Will the pressure of expectations defeat the channel’s ambitious moves? Or will it come out victorious?

  • The crowds waiting for a chance to audition proved the show's popularity

    Dance India Dance 3 premieres on December 24 at 8.30 pm

    By A Correspondent

     

    The serpentine queue that had gathered outside the audition venue was evidence enough to prove how eagerly the youth ofDelhiand entire Northern regions ofIndiawere waiting forIndia’s No 1 dance reality show, Dance India Dance to return.

     

    The masters, Geeta Kapoor, Terence Lewis and Remo D Souza,  recognized every contestant’s dedication and passion to win the ‘Taqdeer ka Topi’. What touched the masters was not how they performed, but their sincerity towards dance as an art form.

     

    A nondescript Furkhan hailing from a family of autorickshawallahs mesmerised the judges with his excellent robotics act. Physically-challenged Sunny Kumar brought tears to the eyes of the Masters. Remo DSouza’s duplicates – Vinod Kumar and Afsar Ansari – kept everyone in splits.

     

    Another NRI contestant, Anastasia, born and brought up inBelarus, a landlocked country inEastern Europegot hooked on to the show by watching Dance India Dance episodes on the internet. The turning point in her life came when she met her Indian parents who adopted her and she decided to settle inIndia. She also changed her name to Mansi and started taking lessons from a renowned Kathak exponent inDelhi. She was already adept at contemporary dance style and picked up the traditional Indian dance form quickly.

     

    On getting an opportunity to audition inDelhi, she was overwhelmed with emotions after performing in front of Remo, Geeta and Terence.

     

    The highlight of the auditions was Raghav Juyal who takes pride in calling himself ‘Crockroach’, explaining “I like the power of a crocodile and the creepiness of a coackroach!” His popping act was one that has never been seen on television before!

     

    To watch their journey, tune into Dance India Dance Season 3, premiering this Saturday, December 24,  at 8:30pm on Zee TV.