Krishndasi to take over Bigg Boss slot on Colors

The channel's first fiction offering, a remake of a Tamil series, is an hour-long show based on India's ancient Devadasi system.

Viacom18's Colors has announced the launch of its new daily fiction Krishndasi, a one-hour fiction show that will take the place of the reality show Bigg Boss Season 9, which ends this week. Krishndasi will air Monday to Friday, from 10:30 pm to 11:30 pm.

The show, which is a remake of Sun TV's Tamil fiction show of the same name, is based on the ancient Devadasi tradition. It is produced by Optimystix Entertainment India, with Vaishnavae Media Works as its creative producers.

Commenting on the launch of the show, Raj Nayak, chief executive officer, Colors, says, "Exploring different ideas and genres has always been the channel's priority and we are taking a massive leap by presenting a show that is based on the ancient Devadasi system that was outlawed many years ago, but is still rampant in some parts of the country. We have consistently striven to showcase socially relevant content and with Krishndasi, we look forward to take our contribution towards societal awareness one step further. The show has been a runaway hit down South and we're certain that the newer version on Colors will appeal to viewers in the rest of the country as well."

An official release says Krishndasi will be about women who have an 'all-embracing devotion to one divine force - Lord Krishna'. "The show will trace the story of three generations belonging to the Devadasi lineage with Kumudini (Indira Krishnan) being at the helm of it. She holds pride in her legacy and strongly upholds the Devadasi tradition passing it on to her daughter Tulsi (Chhavi Mittal), who, to protect her daughter Aradhya (Sana Amin Sheikh) from this legacy hides the truth. But, Aradhya, in the pursuit of her real identity, ends up uncovering the truth about her lineage and reopens pages of history that her mother worked hard to keep hidden," the statement says.

The list of actors in the show includes Uday Tikekar as Pradyuman (Aryan's grandfather), Jiten Lalwani as Shashwat (Aryan's father), Shweta Mahadik as Pavitra (Aryan's mother), and Tasha Kapoor as Gayatri (Aryan's sister).

Speaking about the content on the show, Manisha Sharma, programming head, Colors says, "Our programming mantra has focussed on creative story-telling, bringing stories that are buried in folklore to the mainstream. While traditions may have changed, the way they impact women remains the same. Over the years, women have been depicted as mothers, caregivers, and relationship-drivers. This is passé, and with Aradhya's life story in Krishndasi, we are delving deeper into the untold story of the women who dedicated their lives to God. Krishndasi is a story of modern times, an era to which Aradhya belongs and her discovery of her own identity as she moves ahead in life. Backed by a strong concept and riveting storyline which makes for a gripping hour-long watch, the show will be high on drama and the intrigue factor built around the elements of love, mystery, struggle and self-discovery."

Producer Vipul Shah from Optimystix Entertainment, says, "The production value builds on the grandeur of the tradition while showcasing Aradhya's dilemmas about her roots and pedigree. Kutty Padmini and Vaishnavae Media Works have tremendous experience when dealing with the Devadasi concept; with the help of the dynamic creative team at Optimystix, we have touched upon a fresh perspective to this property."

Speaking about the concept of the show, creative producer (Kutty) Padmini from Vaishnavae Media Works, says, "Krishndasi explores an age-old practice; a concept that has been lost in the pages of history, but continues to exist in the bylanes. We have made an effort to maintain a contemporary backdrop so that it has relevance today, and engages viewers across the country. After tasting success with the Tamil version of the show, we are excited to recreate the drama for the Hindi viewing audience and replicate the success once again with Krishndasi."