"In today's day and age, it is difficult to keep track of what hurts people's sentiments": Shailja Kejriwal, ZEE 

The chief creative officer, special projects, ZEE, says that the digital medium liberates content creators, and enables brands like Zindagi to cater to its niche (audience). In an interview with afaqs!, she shares her vision for Zindagi.

"Unfortunate stance of Mia Sharif (Nawaz Sharif, former prime minister of Pakistan) at UN. Zee is considering stopping Zindagi programs from Pak, as well as artistes from there should leave." This is what Zee Entertainment Enterprises (ZEE) chairman Subhash Chandra tweeted back in 2016. After the Uri (Jammu and Kashmir) attack, the network decided to bring down the curtains in Pakistan. 

It looked like a dead end for Zindagi, the TV channel that was launched by ZEE in 2014. It had a great run, and became popular by airing Pakistani shows, such as 'Aunn Zara', 'Humsafar', 'Kitni Girhain Baaki Hain', 'Maat' and 'Zindagi Gulzar Hai'. Many Turkish titles also found an audience among women in urban India.

In July 2020, ZEE announced its decision to bring back Zindagi as an offering on its video-on-demand (VOD) streaming platform ZEE5. Shailja Kejriwal, chief creative officer, special projects, ZEE, was given the responsibility to relaunch the brand. The first show 'Churails' got Zindagi back in the headlines. 

A Zindagi Original (show), 'Churails' is a Pakistani drama that revolves around Karachi's detectives, who are out on a special mission. 

Kejriwal has been in the broadcast business since 1998. After Star India, she led content (team) at NDTV Imagine. She joined ZEE in 2013, and has also written the Irrfan Khan-starrer 'Madaari'.

She says that the digital medium liberates content creators, and enables brands like Zindagi to cater to its niche (audience). In an interview with afaqs!, Kejriwal shares her vision for Zindagi.

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