NEW DELHI: In a move to strengthen its weekend slot, Zee is set to launch a fantasy trilogy. The trilogy, which will commence with ‘Maharakshak Aryan’, is about an unassuming boy-next-door.
Zee business head Pradeep Hejmadi said, "With shows like Neeli Chhatri Wale, Dil Se Naachein Indiawaale and now Maharakshak Aryan, we’re fortifying our weekend line-up with content that engages every family member. Aryan adds a new flavour of fantasy to our line-up, attracting diverse sets of viewers. Our current fiction line-up is robust and is only poised to get stronger”.
Starting from 1 November at 7:00 pm, the show will air on Saturday and Sunday. Hejmadi expects the show to become a slot leader during weekends as it was a programme that would appeal to both adults and children.
In the series, Aryan is played by debutant Aakarshan Singh, who is chosen to save the earth from the Triloki -the ultimate embodiment of evil - essayed by the talented Vikramjeet Virk better known as Mahmud of Ghaznavi. Triloki is trapped in the centre of the earth under various layers surrounded by molten Lava. He wants to bounce back to power and rule the world but the only way he can do so is by reclaiming the ‘mani’ (magical jewel) which is the ultimate source of energy available in the world. Triloki will send his super villains – Vishkanya, played by the svelte Reshmi Ghosh, Challa played by the popular Mishal Raheja, and Kumbha played by acclaimed actor Deepak Bhatia amongst others to defeat the protector Aryan who finds himself gifted with some superpowers.
Zee programming head Namit Sharma said the aim was to show that every person has some strong elements in him and it was only a question of using them. “Maharakshak Aryan is one of our most ambitious projects and aims to set a benchmark in the fiction thriller genre, as this kind of programming has earlier only been seen on the large screen.
The show will be very different from any of the content we currently have on air. The ability of a superhero series of transporting viewers into an exciting world of fantasy, slick, cutting-edge superhero series is remarkable.”
The channel will put 15 to 20 per cent of its expenditure on marketing and publicity of the trilogy. The show is powered by PC Jewellers but Hejmadi is positive about more sponsors coming on board as talks are on with others.
Hejmadi said that though the series, which is already being promoted on Zee channels, will now be promoted on other channels; he did not feel that on-ground events give much scale during the festive season.
He said, “In view of the top-class visual effects, this kind of programme could only be promoted well on television.” And added that the website created for it was already very popular.
Essel Vision business head Akash Chawla said the new series had taken six months of research and another six months of production in view of the high quality VFX involved. “Indian audiences have not seen an original superhero series for a fairly long time and Maharakshak Aryan will be the first from EVPL in this genre. A lot of meticulous research has gone into creating a world of fantasy that forms the canvas of the show. We have taken our time in scouting for the right talent and we have an interesting ensemble of actors playing the key roles. The show with its slick production values, innovative visual effects and ingenious cinematography will raise the bar for action thrillers and the fantasy genre on Indian television. ”
The series has the involvement of the art director for films like Saawariya, Black and the director of Mary Kom, Omung Kumar for the production design and Hardik Gajja, the popular visual effects designer for the graphics of the show, and Majid Khan as the creative producer.
