MUMBAI: The wait is finally over. Zee Ganga, a premium GEC channel by Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited, which is redefining Bhojpuri content, is ready to roll. This is going to be a like-never-before experience that focuses on originality, quality over quantity and relatability, as the channel announces its journey with a fresh array of never before seen original content that would intrigue the audience. With this launch ZEE Ganga will be the only Bhojpuri GEC in the category that will showcase original fiction and nonfiction shows to the regions audience. The team initiated the launch in Varanasi today with one of the biggest Bhojpuri superstars, Dinesh Lal Yadav aka Nirahua. To establish its top-notch quality, the channel further enhanced the originality and premium quotient of its event by inviting Bhojpuri superstar Pradeep ‘Chintu’ Pandey as the host of this on-ground event that was also graced by the leading protagonists of its fiction shows and channel dignitaries Samrat Ghosh, Cluster Head, East, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL),and  Amarpreet Singh Saini, Sr. Vice President, Bhojpuri Cluster, among others.

The highly-anticipated launch event kick-started with the Ganga Maha-Arti that set the tone for the proceedings and was followed by a lamp-lighting ceremony by Nirahua, Chintu Pandey, Samrat Ghosh and Amarpreet Singh Saini. That wasn't all as the highlight of the event witnessed a spectacular performance by Superstar Nirahua on the ZEE Ganga brand song.

Staying true to their motto ‘Har Pal Aviral’ that is to keep moving forward through challenges and continuously reinvent themselves, the all revamped Zee Ganga is going vocal for local. Aimed at becoming the ultimate family entertainer, the channel is deeply-rooted in original Bhojpuri content.  Celebrating the Bhojpuriya spirit with full gusto, the fresh slate of content comprises of over 14 hours of originals that include 10 hours of 4 fictional shows and 4 hours of 1 non-fiction show, 500+ titles featuring blockbuster and latest Bhojpuri movies, and an impressive line-up of some of the biggest events in the category.

Zee Ganga's all new fiction content slate boasts a variety of shows in different genres. There is musical family drama Shyamtulsi, (7 pm), the romantic drama, Mitwa, (7.30 pm), Kanya Pradhan, a socio-cultural family drama (8 pm), and Bandhan Tute Na, a family drama with supernatural twist (8.30 pm). Before you feel too much fiction-ed, they have the exciting reality show titled Memsaab No 1, 9 pm onward. All these shows will be aired Monday to Friday on the channel.

Talking about Zee Ganga and the successful launch event at Varanasi, actor Nirahua said, “There is more to Bhojpuri culture than many are probably aware of, so when Zee Ganga decided to highlight the same, I was more than happy and grateful to join the initiative that focuses on quality content The most important thing for me was the alignment of the brand philosophy with my life’s story- Har Pal Aviral. Unstoppable in spirit no matter what challenges come our way, this is what defines us Bhojpuriyas. The launch today in Varanasi has been a memorable one.  I feel a long-term association with the idea and the team who have been working relentlessly to make this a success. The concepts and stories are fresh, new and interesting. I am sure the audience would enjoy watching them.”

Samrat Ghosh, Cluster Head, East, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL), spoke about how they are focused on tapping the growing demand of local content. He added, “There has been a growing demand for vernacular language content for its cultural relevance & its ability to engage with the audiences in their own mother tongue which further helps to build more connect & trust. So, the new mantra has clearly emerged out to be ‘local by local for the local’. So our idea to entertain and engage with our audiences has stem from our deep understanding of our consumers and our passion for telling relatable stories in the Bhojpuri language - ‘Aapan Kissa, Aapan Boli’. These stories are deeply rooted in Bhojpuri culture & ethos and will reflect the unstoppable Bhojpuriya spirit. We are excited to partner Nirahua as our brand ambassador whose ‘Aviral’ personality completely compliments our brand philosophy ‘Har Pal Aviral’. We are quite excited & happy to see the overwhelming response we have received in Varanasi which will motivate us further to continue with our Aviral journey of telling more relatable stories to our audiences.”

On getting Nirahua on board and the idea behind the channel, Amarpreet Singh Saini, Sr. Vice President, Bhojpuri Cluster, shared, “We at Zee have always believed in highlighting local flavour and originality. We are thankful to the city of Varanasi for the warm welcome and support they extended. We couldn’t have found any other place ideal to announce the channel launch than the city that truly epitomizes the river Ganga and its life breathing philosophy that inspires every Bhojpuriya and every Indian. If you think of Bihar, Jharkhand and Poorvanchal, people there are strong willed, have learnt and trained themselves to survive amid difficulties, scarcity of resources and limited opportunities and embody the spirit of remaining Aviral, unstoppable just like Ganga. Here, family values are strong and are given importance to. So, to stay authentic, we wanted someone from the region to be a part of this new Zee Ganga journey. And, Nirahua was our first choice. Apart from his acting prowess, his knowledge and how he conducts himself is praiseworthy and inspirational to all in the region. With this partnership and culturally embedded journeys of our fiction shows we are more than confident to find a deep and long lasting bond with our viewers.”