With New Year just around the corner, everyone has been reminiscing the year gone by. 2021 started off with a lot of uncertainties for the Indian Television Industry, however, Zee TV took it as an opportunity and spread positivity amongst its audience by introducing inspiring narratives to land a reassuring message of hope through all its shows.
In 2021, the channel launched some thought-provoking, larger-than-life narratives that kept its viewers hooked to their television screens. The channel also introduced two comedy shows to spread cheer and joy amongst the viewers during the gloomy phase in their lives. Apart from new shows, the channel even continued to bring fresh twists in all its existing properties to keep the entertainment quotient at an all-time high. All in all, it was quite a happening year for Zee TV and here’s a quick recap of what the channel did throughout the year:
Beginning 2021 with a Bang
Zee TV kickstarted the year and impressed the audience by introducing two new shows – the first one being an interesting and inspirational fiction show – Teri Meri Ikk Jindri, followed by a clutter-breaking singing reality show – Indian Pro Music League.
A romance of opposites – Teri Meri Ikk Jindri
Set against the backdrop of Amritsar, Teri Meri Ikk Jindri was an intense drama about two passionate but completely opposite individuals, who looked past their different approaches towards life, only to fall in love with each other. While Jogi (Adhvik Mahajan) was someone who refused to be a part of today’s rat race, Mahi (Amandeep Sidhu) on the other hand was extremely proficient with all her household chores, while also being the first girl from Amritsar to drive a taxi for female passengers. She aimed at starting an all-female cab service and taking charge of her own destiny. Through the show, Zee TV motivated its viewers to believe that anyone can achieve anything in life when they seek it with all their heart. It also strengthened the belief that love doesn’t always seek perfection and those two individuals having different views of life can also fall in love.
The First-Ever Musical League – Indian Pro Music League
Zee TV in collaboration with FATHOM pictures launched the world’s first-ever music league championship, the Indian Pro Music League, bringing the excitement of a competitive sports league into the world of music. The mega reality show boasted of singers like Kailash Kher, Shilpa Rao, Javed Ali, Bhoomi Trivedi, Shaan, Aakriti Kakkar, Mika Singh, Asees Kaur, Ankit Tiwari, Payal Dev, Sajid Khan, Neha Bhasin representing various regions and battling it out on the grand IPML stage. With legends like AR Rahman, Salman Khan and Govinda gracing the stage as well as some mesmerizing new talent, the Indian Pro Music League truly enchanted the audience. Ultimately, the show concluded with brand ambassador Bobby Deol’s Punjab Lions being crowned as the winner of the season.
Bringing laughter into the lives of people once again
With the pandemic leaving behind a gloomy atmosphere, Zee TV presented two unique and hilarious comedy shows to lighten up the collective mood of the nation by providing everyone some much-needed humor.
Laugh Out Loud with the Biggest Bollywood Superstars – The Happy Hour Show
During the deadly second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, the channel attempted to brighten up the faces of the entire nation showcasing the most ‘LOL’ moments of the country’s favorite Bollywood stars through ‘The Happy Hour Show.’ The reality show hosted by Vighnesh Pandey along with India’s Best Dramebaaz – Season 3 winner Dipali Borkar and contestant Garvit Pareek showcased the best moments of light-hearted banter and pranks that have been played on Bollywood stars who visited Zee TV’s reality shows since 2010.
Drive your stress away with India’s best Comedians – Zee Comedy Show
With an aim to lighten up everyone’s mood with some rib-tickling comedy, Zee TV presented an entire spectrum of comedy, ranging from stand-ups to hilarious skits, spoofs, and parodies on ‘Zee Comedy Show.’ The comedy show boasted of the country’s best comedians and artists like Ali Asgar, Sugandha Mishra Bhosle, Dr. Sanket Bhosale, Gaurav Dubey, Ballraaj, Siddharth Sagar, Tejasswi Prakash, Mubeen Saudagar, Chitrashi Rawat, Aditya Narayan and Punit J. Pathak whose challenge was to make the Laughing Buddha Farah Khan LOL. While the comic acts put up by these artistes was the main attraction, the special appearance by stars like Raveena Tandon, Badshah, Mika Singh, Juhi Chawla, Urmila Matondkar, Taapsee Pannu, Shaan, Kailash Kher, Pratik Gandhi, Kumar Sanu, Chunkey Pandey, amongst others also grabbed eyeballs. Weekly acts by Nikki Tamboli, Rakhi Sawant and others also added value to the show and made viewers ROFL.
Welcoming new members into the Zee TV Kutumb
A story of Life, Love, Karma and Destiny – Bhagya Lakshmi
Set against the backdrop of Mumbai, ‘Bhagya Lakshmi’ depicts a classic story of how the biggest payback for acts of selflessness and good karma is good Bhagya. The new primetime drama follows the journey of Lakshmi, a selfless girl of limited means, who despite her humble background and the curveballs life has thrown at her, always puts others’ needs before hers. The narrative has made viewers fall in love with Lakshmi who lives for others’ happiness in a thousand little ways every single day. Featuring television actress Aishwarya Khare as Lakshmi and Rohit Suchanti as Rishi Oberoi, the show has made a place in everyone’s heart and is currently one of the top-rated Indian shows of the year.
Double Bonanza – Meet and Rishton Ka Manjha
Offering its viewers two new shows that would change the dynamics of modern society and its thinking, Zee TV launched Meet and Rishton Ka Manjha.
Never Say Never – Rishton Ka Manjha
Rishton ka Manjha showcases the intense love story of Diya and Arjun, who despite being players of the same sport, are at the opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to their approach towards life, hope and positivity. The lead protagonist Diya lives with the motto, “Kuch toh tod nikaal hi lenge.” On the other hand, Arjun is a former Badminton champ who has given up on life after a scandal jeopardizes his career! How Diya shines the light of optimism and reinforces Arjun’s belief in her philosophy – “If all isn’t well, it isn’t the end” forms the crux of the show. Since its launch, the show has kept viewers at the edge of their seats, wanting to know how Diya and Arjun’s story progresses, and how do they help each other out.
Breaking Gender Stereotypes – Meet
Zee TV’s recently launched pre-primetime drama – Meet lets viewers in on the journey of a spirited young girl from Haryana who, contrary to a popular perception that only a son can be a ghar ka chiraag, is the ghar ‘ki’ chirag for her family. Not only is she the sole breadwinner, but also breaks the societal rule books of gender roles by serving as a delivery agent and being the ‘fixer’ in each and every situation that typically a guy is expected to be! Ashi Singh is seen essaying the role of Meet Hooda while the male protagonist is played by none other than Shagun Pandey. Ever since its launch, the show has managed to create a sense of awakening amongst the audience, while entertaining one and all.
Bringing back the most popular singing reality show – Sa Re Ga Ma Pa
Celebrating the 26th year of the longest-running reality show – Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, Zee TV presented the biggest ‘Music Ka Tyohar.’ The show provides a mega opportunity for aspiring singers across the nation to be a part of the show and be guided by music maestros and judges like Shankar Mahadevan, Vishal Dadlani and Himesh Reshammiya and is hosted Aditya Narayan. While the top 16 contestants have been entertaining the audience with their enchanting performances; special visits by stars like Salman Khan, Sara Ali Khan, Shahid Kapoor, Zeenat Aman, amongst others have also grabbed eyeballs.
A heart-warming tale of a nurturing nurse and her patient – Aggar Tum Na Hote
To enthrall its viewers with a fresh romantic drama, Zee TV presented Aggar Tum Na Hote, which showcases the extent to which a nurse goes to treat her patient even after the best doctors have given up on him, perhaps sensing a special connection from the past that they share! The story revolves around nurse Niyati Mishra played by television actress Simaran Kaur and her patient Abhimanyu Pandey, a charming, rich, and seemingly normal young man who is mentally unstable and prone to moments of aggression (played by television actor Himanshu Soni).
The Fairy tale Romance with a Twist – Tere Bina Jiya Jaye Na
In its quest to provide viewers with differentiated content, Zee TV introduced a fresh narrative that captures the saying – ‘when you want something with all your heart, the universe conspires in bringing it to you!’ Tere Bina Jiya Jaye Na revolves around the story of Krisha Chaturvedi, a girl who has always dreamt of being swept off her feet by a knight in shining armour, and what happens after the day the universe manifests this dream for her, and she gets married to Prince Devraj Singh Rathore, the current heir of the royal family of Ambikapur. While Krisha’s fairytale moment was enchanting, the secrets that have spilled out about Devraj’s first wife who is Krisha’s look-alike have kept the audience engaged and intrigued to know more.
Presenting an Untold Story – Kashibai Bajirao Ballal
Bringing to its viewers the biggest historical magnum opus of 2021, Zee TV’s new show revolves around the untold story of one of the most iconic women in the Maratha empire - Kashibai Bajirao Ballal. The show presents the story of the great Maratha Empire, its pride and valor, all narrated from the lens of Kashibai. Following the journey of a pampered and a protected girl who goes on to become an astute Peshwinbai who held fort while Bajirao was out expanding the Maratha kingdom, the show features a 9-year-old debutante Aarohi Patel as the young Kashibai and a young and dynamic Venkatesh Pande as Bajirao. While both the stars have managed to impress the audience with their innocent and marvelous performances, it is the heroic story of Kashibai as well as the unusual love story and the rich Maratha culture that has kept the audience hooked to the show.
What happens when the girl is two steps ahead of the boy – Iss Mod Se Jaate Hain
Making audiences reconsider their approach towards women achieving more than their male counterparts, Zee TV presented Iss Mod Se Jaate Hain, a love story of two UPSC aspirants – Paragi Parashar and Sanjay Pathak. While both of them are extremely motivated towards their joint goal of becoming IAS officers, the show captures the dynamics between the two families after Paragi clears her exam with flying colors and Sanjay doesn’t! Featuring television actress Akshita Mudgal and Hitesh Bharadwaj, the show premiered recently and has enthralled the audience. The show is reaching a turning point and it remains to be seen what happens when Paragi passes, and Sanjay fails!
Shows that culminated after a successful run
Apna Time Bhi Aayega
After entertaining its audience and questioning societal stereotypes, the much-appreciated show – Apna Time Bhi Aayega bid adieu with a happy ending with both Veer and Rani as well as Vikram – Kiara who got married to each other and lived happily ever after.
Kyun Rishton Mein Katti Batti
A slice-of-life drama depicting the innocent world of two young and adorable kids who team up and set off on a mission to rekindle the love between their parents, Shubhra (Neha Marda) and Kuldeep (Siddhaanth Vir Surryavanshi) came to an end this year with Rishi and Roli successfully reuniting their parents.
Tujhse Hai Raabta
After a glorious run of 3 years, Kalyani (Reem Shaikh) and Malhar (Sehban Azim) aka KalMa finally united on a happy note.
Qurbaan Hua
The unique love story of two starkly different personalities – Chahat (Pratibha Ranta) and Neel (Rajveer Singh), Qurbaan Hua entertained the viewers with their khatti-meethi nok-jhok to taking the audience on a rollercoaster ride through various intriguing twists and turns. The show struck a chord with the audience, kept them hooked and ended with the reunion of Neel and Chahat.
Popular Shows continue to rule the audience’s hearts…
Twists and Leaps Galore – Kumkum Bhagya and Kundali Bhagya
While Zee TV introduced several new narratives, two shows that continued to rule their hearts were Kumkum Bhagya and Kundali Bhagya. In fact, this year Kumkum Bhagya became one of the few shows in Indian Television history to clock 2000 episodes. As the shows continued to impress the audience with their intriguing storylines, we also saw two major leaps in Kumkum Bhagya. The first leap saw a new chapter unfold with Abhi being a far cry from his dashing rockstar persona after his marriage to Tanu, while Pragya had turned into a powerful CEO of a multi-national company. On the other hand, Rhea had gone down the wrong path, while Prachi and Ranbir were living a happy married life. Pragya returned to take revenge from the Mehras but ended up protecting her family from the clutches of Tanu and Aaliya. The recent leap saw Rhea turn on her sister and separate Prachi from Ranbir. At the same time, Abhi – Pragya slip into coma and Ranbir gets married to Rhea. Even though her world is crumbling, Prachi takes charge of her Bhagya and is keen on getting Ranbir back. With several twists and turns yet to come, the viewers are keen to know what will happen next.
Meanwhile, in Kundali Bhagya, Preeta and Karan finally get married and after a leap, when things seem to fall into place finally, Preeta discovers she can never be a mother. The Luthras are distraught but with Pihu’s entry into their lives, everything changes. The kid brings back the family’s lost happiness, but Prithvi and Sonakshi continue to create havoc. However, the most recent leap saw Karan and Preeta separate once again after Pihu’s death. Karan blames Preeta and drives her away, only for her to return to the Luthra mansion a few years later to rescue the family from Prithvi’s reign of terror. But will she be able to save her family?
Starting the year with a bang!
With numerous shows keeping the audience entertained all through the year, Zee TV is all set to kickstart 2022 with two of its biggest properties of the year
The Iconic Awards – Zee Rishtey Awards 2021
Acknowledging the contributions of innumerable actors, directors, producers, creative teams, technicians who have been working relentlessly to bring you all your favorite daily primetime shows, Zee TV is back with ‘Zee Rishtey Awards’ which will take place soon. The Nominations Party, which was held recently, was a huge success, but wait till you see all the Zee Kutumbs letting their hair down and having a gala time at this year’s Zee Rishtey Awards which celebrates the bond of each character like never before.
Celebrating India’s rich cultural heritage – Swarn Swar Bharat
Zee TV’s first-of-its-kind devotional singing reality show – Swarn Swar Bharat is set to celebrate India’s rich cultural heritage and take us back to our roots with its latest reality show, which is also a humble contribution to the Honorable Prime Minister’s noble initiative of ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav – the 75th anniversary of Indian Independence’. The show will celebrate Indian values and take us back to our roots through a unique blend of insightful and relatable stories narrated in verse and soulful devotional music cutting across all demographics. The show will have renowned poet Dr. Kumar Vishwas and veteran singers – Padmashree Kailash Kher and Padmashree Suresh Wadkar as judges and they will evaluate performances of the contestants on parameters of sur, bhaav and saar. Popular actor Ravi Kishan will be seen as the host of this show which will premiere in 2022.
In the meantime, stay tuned to Zee TV, as the channel continues to entertain you like never before!