Zee TV all set to launch magnum opus 'Jodha Akbar'

Premiering on June 18, the show produced by Balaji Telefilms will be telecast every Monday to Friday at 8 PM

BestMediaInfo Bureau | Delhi | June 13, 2013

(L-R) Chetan Hansraj, Ashwini Kalsekar, Rajat Tokas, Ekta Kapoor, Ajay Bhalwankar and Paridhi Sharma

Zee TV has joined hands with Ekta Kapoor of Balaji Telefilms to bring alive the epic romance of 'Jodha Akbar'. The historical will capture the royal couple's journey of love that had actually begun with intense hatred. What started as a marriage based on political power-play evolved into something more meaningful as they went along. How Jodha's love softened the hard edges of his fierce personality and made him a kinder, more compassionate soul forms the crux of 'Jodha Akbar'. The weekly show premieres on June 18 and will air Monday to Friday at 8 PM.

Ajay Bhalwankar, Head - Content, Hindi GECs, ZEEL, said, “Our experience with 'Jhansi Ki Rani' gives us the conviction that viewers are curious to know more about prominent historical figures. It was a story that was received extremely well because it was told interestingly. 'Jodha Akbar' promises to present audiences with Akbar's journey from being 'Akbar the Warrior' to 'Akbar the Great'. The show will highlight how it was Jodha's love that had a calming influence on him, transforming him from a brave warrior to a benevolent king and a better ruler with great appreciation for art, culture and love for his people. The key objective is to highlight to our audiences the power of love and its significant role in making someone a better human being.”

To ensure authenticity in the presentation, Balaji Telefilms has conducted an in-depth research to verify all facts and figures, the chronology of events and the depiction of all its characters. Minute attention to detail on aspects such as the set, costumes, jewellery, dialects and diction, traditions and rituals has resulted in an extremely authentic recreation of the royal lifestyles of Mughals and the Rajputs. The grand scale and canvas of the show can be experienced in its magnificent set. Located on the outskirts of Mumbai, the set transports viewers to a bygone era as it bears a close resemblance to Akbar's grand Diwaan-e-Khaas, Diwaan-e-Aam palaces and Jodha's Mahal.

About her latest show on the channel, Ekta said, “The story of Jodha and Akbar is an intriguing chapter from India's history. It speaks of love in the time of hate. It is relevant and relatable to present times as well. In India, historicals are more incident-based. But we are looking at the human stories, characterisations that focus on inter-personal relationships, the politics, how they think and communicate.”

Zee TV is all set to roll out its marketing campaign for 'Jodha Akbar'. In the digital space, it plans to create a virtual historical monument on Facebook giving online users a chance to immortalise their love by inscribing their and their lovers' names on the monument. The idea is to support the preservation of our monuments by encouraging lovers to write their names on virtual monuments rather than real ones. The channel will create boards on Pinterest familiarising viewers with the architecture, monuments, artefacts, clothes and jewellery from the Mughal era. Zee TV will organise edutainment excursions for schoolchildren where they will watch the shoot of the show and be taken on a guided tour of the 'Jodha Akbar' sets that resemble Jodha and Akbar's palaces, showcasing replicas of the costumes, jewellery, weapons used in the Mughal era that are currently being used in the show.

In Delhi, the channel will make the toll booth on the DND flyover toll-free on the day of the launch in remembrance of the fact that Emperor Akbar had waived off a pilgrimage tax for all countrymen in his time. The channel will also have stalls serving sherbet outside prominent dargahs in Uttar Pradesh as a goodwill gesture on the launch day.

Info@BestMediaInfo.com

Info@BestMediaInfo.com