Star Plus to replace Barjatya's 'Pyar Ka Dard...' with Gowariker's 'Everest'

Everest, scheduled to be launched on November 3, is being touted as Star Plus' most expensive fiction show yet. The channel's marketing budget for the show is said to be around Rs 7-10 crore.

Star Plus, leading Hindi general entertainment channel, has announced the launch of its most expensive fiction show, 'Everest'. It will hit TV screens on November 3, at the 10 pm weekday timeslot (Monday-Saturday). There will be 104 episodes.

Everest, written and produced by popular Hindi film director Ashutosh Gowariker, will replace Sooraj Barjatya's popular show 'Pyar Ka Dard Hai Meetha Meetha Pyaara Pyaara', produced by Rajshri Productions. Barjatya, who is a well known Hindi film producer, launched this show back in June 2012. It is now reaching its natural end and will be taken off-air on November 1.

As reported earlier, Everest is about a 21 year old girl called Anjali Singh Rawat (played by Shamata Anchan) who gets to know that her father dislikes her because she is a girl. She then sets off on a journey to conquer Mount Everest, the highest peak in the world, to realise her father's own unfulfilled undream, and to win him over in the process. The show will take viewers through her struggle and hardships.

Uday Shankar, CEO, Star India says, "We are proud to have partnered with a visionary like Ashutosh Gowariker who is one of the most adept story-tellers of our country. Everest is a stunning visual delight and an attempt at presenting something never-seen-before to our viewers. I am sure the story of our protagonist Anjali will resonate with millions in India, and inspire them to conquer their own Everest."

The two male lead roles will be played by actors Sahil Salathia (as Arjun Sabharwal) and Rohan Gandotra (as Akash Joshi). The cast also includes the following actors: Suhasini Mulay, Mohan Kapoor, Milind Gunaji, Rajat Kapoor, Kishori Shahane and Manish Choudhary.

Reinforcing the channel's Nayi Soch philosophy, Gaurav Banerjee, general manager, Star Plus, says, "We hope that just like other protagonists on Star Plus, Anjali too will become an inspiration for our viewers."

A big marketing push...

A campaign aimed at getting maximum people to sample the show is under way. Titled #WhatsYourEverest, it is aimed at making people ask themselves the question 'What do I want to conquer in life?'

"A 360 marketing campaign will break soon. For the first time a TV show will have a 2.5 minute-long promo which will break on Star Plus on October 18 at 7.58 pm. This promo will also be associated with the film Happy New Year," says Nikhil Madhok, senior vice president, content strategy and marketing, Star Plus.

Star Plus has tied up with Costa Coffee in Mumbai and Delhi, to promote the show. In select outlets, a simulated snow-peaked mountain will be created, complete with snow, a freezing cold environment and winter-wear (like jackets) that will be given to the consumers.

The channel has also tied up with presenting sponsor Fair & Lovely's 'Fair & Lovely Foundation' through which select individuals will get monetary/and other assistance, that will help them conquer their respective Everests.

The channel will also promote the show on Yahoo and MSN (webpage takeover).

The YouTube masthead to promote the show will break on October 27. Star Plus will air the promos on channels that belong to the Star Network. Additionally, Star Plus has also booked around 2,000 spots on 30 other channels.

Everest is co-powered by Godrej Ezee while Vinod Cookware has been signed up as associate sponsor.