Zee launches 'Zee Theatre'

The company will partner with playwrights and theatre stalwarts to produce over 100 plays over the next three years.

Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) is set to foray into theatre production with the launch of 'Zee Theatre'. This new content vertical will partner with renowned playwrights and theatre stalwarts to produce over 100 plays over the next three years. The initiative will make theatrical content available on multiple platforms, including online, on-air, on-ground and in-transit for audiences to consume at their convenience.

Commenting on the launch, Punit Goenka, MD and CEO, ZEEL, says, "Theatre has been a part of our DNA for centuries. After television and cinema, theatre will be the next content vertical for us at ZEE. With Zee Theatre, our vision is to preserve this heritage and take these timeless stories to audiences across the country and the rest of the world. It is a very proud moment for us to be able to bring theatre to mainstream entertainment and give the industry its due."

"With Zee Theatre, we are opening up a new genre for multiple screen consumption. This is in line with our strategy of offering differentiated content to our discerning audience base", Goenka adds.

Zee Theatre will bring together works of some acknowledged playwrights like Mohan Rakesh, Jaywant Dalvi, Vijay Tendulkar, Surendra Verma, Mahesh Dattani, Ranjit Kapoor, Shafaat Khan and others from Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali and English theatre. Well-known theatre personalities such as Ranjit Kapoor, Usha Ganguli, Vijay Kenkre, Dr Vijaya Mehta, Atul Kumar, Ishan Trivedi, Suman Mukhopadhyay, Chandrakant Kulkarni, Rajan Tamhane and many more will bring alive some of their best stories on this platform with plays such as Rudali, Sandhya Chhaya, Piya Behrupiya, Janpath Kiss, White Lilly Night Rider, 30 Days in September, Doll's House, and Ma Retire Hoti Hai, amongst others.

Speaking about the initiative, Shailja Kejriwal, chief creative - special projects, ZEEL, says, "The beauty of theatre is that it takes you into a fascinating world of stories across genres from drama and suspense to social issues, musicals, classics and satire in a manner not dealt with on any other medium. With Zee Theatre, we aim at nurturing this rich content for the present and future generations. I thank the entire theatre industry for extending their support towards this initiative."

ZEEL aims to make theatre available across multiple platforms such as the internet, mobile, DTH, television, in-flight, screenings at multiplexes and educational institutes in addition to existing on-ground performances.