Zee TV's 'Dance India Dance' back in its fifth season

The show returns with a new set of judges and new concepts.

'Dance India Dance', a popular dance reality show on Zee TV, is set to return in its fifth season on June 27. This season, the show is pitching itself as the 'biggest battleground of dance'. The show, being one of Zee's hot properties, will air during prime time at 9 pm. The 'Dance India Dance' franchise includes 'Little Masters', 'Supermoms', 'DID Doubles' and 'Dance se Superstars'.

The judges' panel for this season will include Mudassar Khan, who has choreographed Bollywood songs like 'Humka Peeni Hai' (Dabangg), Dhinka Chika (Ready) and Party All Night (Boss), among others; Gaiti Siddiqui, who has been associated with DID over various seasons as coach, and the finalist from the show's second season, Punit Pathak. Each of them will mentor a group of contestants and polish their skills through training, workshops and choreography. Actor Mithun Chakravarty stays on the show as the Grand Master, while Jai Bhanushali will be the host.

'BeatThat' is a new concept introduced on the show, where contestants will now be directly challenging each other. Akash Chawla, business head of ZEEL's Creative & Production Studio, Essel Vision Productions, says, "Season 5 promises to #BeatThat with a trio of young dynamic judges, innovations in dance styles and exploring a new format where contestants will face each other in a battleground of dance and challenge each other to solo, duo and trio combats. The auditions have given us spectacular talent, and we look forward to a great season."

The fifth season of DID will have Amul as the title sponsor, L'oreal Paris as the 'co-powered by' sponsor and Mahindra Centuro, Saavn, Bharat Matrimony and Daawat as associate sponsors.

Pradeep Hejmadi, Zee TV's business head, says, "'Dance India Dance', as a franchise, has grown from strength to strength with each successive season. The anticipation amongst viewers is at an all-time high as DID returns after nearly two years. The show will only fortify our weekend offering as it always engages newer and wider audiences, given its distinct youth skew."

Vidhu Sagar, managing partner at Blue Hive India, also believes in the strength of the DID franchise. "DID has held its ground despite competition. The audience is smart enough to choose when it comes to entertainment. We have enough data to conclude that the show has done well, not only in the original format, but in other versions too," he says.

Speaking on the effect of changes in the show, he says, "The entertainment value of the show comes from the format itself, the participants and the judges. If the new judges bring value to the table, they will stand out and gain popularity."