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MUMBAI:
Fox History has roped in Bollywood
actor Irrfan Khan to host its bloc Mera India, which
will be showcasing different documentaries about Indian heritage,
history, spirit and achievements. It is coming at a time when the
actor's film Slumdog Millionnaire is being appreciated
globally and has been nominated for the Oscars.
"One
part of the series has already been on air on January 26, 2009.
The day
was dedicated to a Mera India programming block, sponsored by IMG, celebrating the Indian spirit
on the occasion of Republic Day, all of which were hosted by Khan. Similar shows
will continue to offer a slice of India to viewers on the channel for the next
three months," Sudha Sadhanand, vice president, programming, Fox History
& Entertainment said.
She added, "The Princess Spy and The Life
of the Buddha have been sourced from BBC, British Empire in Colour was produced
by IMG and Diverted to Delhi by ABC. "Mera India is a block which aims to
showcase India as much possible.
It's our constant endeavour to localize
our product and Irrfan Khan was the most appropriate choice as he reflects the
DNA of the channel.
He was roped in to promote the series. Because of the
kind of intelligent actor that he is, he has a certain resonance and connect with
people which we needed for this series."
Irrfan
Khan who has proved his mettle internationally with critically acclaimed movies
like Provoked, The Namesake sounded very ecstatic about his new role. "I am hosting
a show for the first time on television and the platform gives me a new way of
connecting with the audience.
When I started doing my initial research
for the show my view about patriotism got a different perspective. It is a show
that depicts the golden Indian era on the small screen."
Talking about
how the channel expects the show to perform, Sadhanand said, "As always,
superbly! India is showcased with one singlemost thought and that is of having
great resonance across; a fantastic heritage and a civilization spanning 5000
years; and the great stories on its various historical aspects which is only on
our channel.
The
show will be aired on Thursdays at 9 pm. The line up of the series for this month
is quite interesting. We start with The Princess Spy, a story about a princess
born in a titled Indian Muslim family, Noor-un-nisa Inayat who became a successful
children's author in France, taking the Parisian community by storm," Sadhanand
added.
The
other part of the series will have:
Diverted
to Delhi: Next
time you ring up with an inquiry about your credit card, and the helpful assistant
on the other end has one of those cute accents, you might have to readjust your
thinking. Are they speaking to you from around the corner, or around the world?
The
British Empire in Colour: Tryst With Destiny The British Empire in Colour' is
a major historical series describing the experience of the British Empire, for
the rulers and the ruled.Original
colour film - much of it previously unseen - and personal letters and diaries
capture the complexities and contradictions of life during the British Empire.
These are the events and people we've often read about or heard of but for the
first time we get to see them all in colour- the 1911 Delhi Durbar, Lord Mountbatten's
arrival in India, discussions between the biggest leaders of the time, partition
and it's pains and jubilations in India on it's first Independence Day, Nehru's
Historic speech 'Tryst with Destiny'.
The
Life of Buddha: In the 1800s Western archaeologists and explorers stumbled upon
the small village of Lumbini in Nepal where they discovered the birthplace of
the Buddha, enabling them to unlock the secrets of his life.
After
Mera India, Fox History is slated to showcase Over There –an Emmy nominated drama series
taking viewers through the lives of the soldiers fighting the war in Iraq, the effect
of the war on their personal lives and that of their families left behind. Over
There premieres on 16 February at 10pm. There's also The Tudors, again an
Emmy award winning and Golden Globe nominated series looking at the loves and
life of the very controversial Henry VIII. The usual favourites, Modern Marvels and Boys Toys, continue to be on the channel. | 
