Hindi GECs bring Holi cheer to the living room

Star Plus, Colors, Zee TV, Life OK and SAB TV to air special content dedicated to Holi. Sony to integrate the festival in three of its shows.

The Hindi general entertainment genre, over many years, has been a reflection of the type of content the audiences can relate to. Be it the saas-bahu sagas or shows on subjects pertaining to Indian society, the genre has portrayed the darker side of society on the one hand, and also spread love and laughter on the other.

Protagonists of popular shows have even celebrated festivals in tandem with their audiences. While Archana Deshmukh and her family (Pavitra Rishta, Zee TV) welcomed Ganpati during the Ganpati festival in Maharashtra, Akshara Singhania and her family (Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai) celebrated the Gangaur festival, and the bahus of television fasted on Karva Chauth for their husbands' long life. Diwali, too, was integrated into the content and celebrated in shows of different channels.

On the festive occasion of Holi, several channels in the genre have lined up special shows to spread the colours.

The first Holi celebration event will take place on March 15 on Colors. Called 'Beintehaan Jazbaat Ke Rang', the special content will be aired from 7.30 pm to 9 pm. It will bring together the members of Colors' shows like Bani- Ishq Da Kalma, Uttaran, Balika Vadhu, Beintehaan and Rangarasiya. There will be performances by the popular casts of these shows. In an interesting integration, Sunny Leone, who will be seen in Balaji Motion Pictures' upcoming movie Ragini MMS, will be seen shaking her legs to the movie's song, Baby Doll.

At 9 pm, the Viacom18 channel will air a special episode of Comedy Nights with Kapil, called 'Comedy Nights with Kapil - Hansi Ke Rang' for two hours. The Holi special of the comedy show will have Terence Lewis, Remo D'Souza and Kailash Kher as guests. Besides, Niketan Dheer will be seen on the show promoting Colors' soon-to-be-launched reality property, Fear Factor-Khatron Ke Khiladi Season 5.

On March 16, Star Plus will play a waterless Holi with 'Masti Gulal Ki'. The show will be aired at 12.30 pm and aim to redefine the festival by highlighting the importance of conserving water and yet keeping the fun intact.

'Masti Gulal Ki', produced by Frames Productions, will be a visual delight for viewers as some of the most popular faces of television come together to entertain and enthral audiences. The show will bring together small screen's popular real life Jodi - Jennifer Winget and Karan Singh Grover - as hosts. Joining them in the grand celebration will be celebrities like Ritvik and Asha, Ravi and Sargun, Sanjeeda Sheikh, Digangna Suryavanshi (Veera) and Sayantani Ghosh. The show will be a mix of Holi celebrations and performances that will embrace the use of colours, LED lights and flowers over water.

Zee TV will air a three-hour special, 'Zee Holi Mahotsav- Ladakpan ke suhaane rang', on March 16 at 6 pm and March 17 at 4 pm. The artistes of the channel will celebrate Holi Benares style, with the team of 'Sapne Suhane Ladakpan Ke' inviting other artistes to play Holi. Showcasing the various styles in which Holi is celebrated across different Indian states, the show will represent the country's vibrant cultural canvas.

An interesting highlight viewers can look forward to in Zee TV's event is the presence of Hasya Kavi Surendra Sharma. There will also be romantic acts of on-screen couples such as Jodha-Akbar and Asad-Zoya.

On Sony Entertainment Television, there will be Holi integrations on three shows - Ekk Nayi Pehchaan, Boogie Woogie and CID. In Boogie Woogie's March 16 episode, along with performances by the top six contestants, hosts Sargun and Rakshit will perform on the song 'Balam Pichkari' (Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani). They will later be joined by the judges who will celebrate the festival and perform on various numbers. The participants will also perform to songs like 'Holi Khele Raghuveera' (Baghban) and 'Do me a favour let's play Holi' (Waqt-The Race Against Time).

Meanwhile, 'Ek Nayi Pehchaan' will see the entire Modi family gather under one roof to celebrate the festival on March 17 and 18.

There will be a special one-hour episode of CID on March 17 at 9 pm, replacing the two daily soaps, 'Nandini' and 'Jee Le Zara'. The episode will feature a case wherein a person plans to kill officer Abhijit. It will integrate Holi as the story revolves around a Holi bonfire, celebrations and the party.

SAB TV will air 'Sab Ki Filmy Holi' on March 17 at 9 pm. The event will be anchored by Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah's Daya and Jetha. It will witness performances by Daya-Jetha, Taarak-Anjali, Bhide-Madhavi, Babita Iyer, Indu-Mukundi, Koel-Ghotak, Jeannie-Juju, Bagha-Bavri, Chukku-Lily and Machli-Kapi, dancing to foot-tapping popular Bollywood numbers. Tappu Sena will showcase their talents in engaging performances and the funny nerves of spectators will be tickled through special gags and acts performed by Aamir Ali, Sayantani, Kamya Punjabi, Kiku Sharda and Rajesh Thakur.

Life OK's special event called 'Holi Hain... Life OK Hain' will be telecast on March 17 at 8 pm. While Bharti Singh and Karan Kundra will be seen as hosts, Yo Yo Honey Singh will be the main performer. Joining the festivities will be Life OK's popular crime series Savdhaan India's hosts, Sushant Singh and Pratyusha Banerjee, as they talk about women's safety while celebrating Holi with Life OK. Vibhav Roy and Parvati Sehgal (Gustakh Dil) will showcase fun acts, while Gaurav Bajaj and Sukirti Kandpal ( Kaisa Ye Ishq Hai)) will recreate romance on the small screen. The musical magic will get a comedy tadka as Yo Yo Honey Singh and Bharti Singh slug it out in a Punjabi versus Bhojpuri rap.

The STAR India channel has got on-board Surf Excel as the presenting sponsor, and Idea and Goodknight Advanced Xpress as co-powered by sponsors.