| MUMBAI:
Zee TV, the Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC), is gearing up to roll out
a new stand-up comedy show that will witness participation only from the fairer
sex. Starting
27 June, the channel will air Hasne aur Hasane ka Tonic, Ladies Special
that will aim to search out “India’s funniest female stand-up comedian,”
claims the company. Produced
by Endemol India, Hasne aur… will air every Saturday at 8.30 pm. To
accommodate the show, the channel will reschedule its 6 pm movie to 5 pm, thus
making space for the new show. At 9.30 pm Zee TV airs Saregamapa L’il
Champs. The
show will witness female entertainers playing on kitchen politics and kitty party
gossips. It will also expose their take on stereotypical husbands. Zee TV claims
that with the show the channel is taking its legacy of encouraging unexplored
outstanding talent further by providing a platform to women next-door.  Says
Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd COO and Zee TV business head Nitin Vaidya, “Hasne
aur Hasane ka Tonic, Ladies Special is our step towards providing a 360 degree
entertainment to our audience. With shows like Pavitra Rshta, Agle Janam Mohe
Bitiya Hi Kijo, Hero Honda SaReGaMaPa L’il Champs, Lux Dance India Dance
and many more we have treated our viewers with different flavours of entertainment
throughout.”
With
this show, the channel is again venturing into the comedy genre, which was not
a part of the programming platter for quite some time. "Comedy, as a genre,
was missing for long on Zee TV. Hence, when we thought of offering comedy, we
decided to bring up a stand-up comedy show with a difference instead of a sitcom,”
avers Vaidya. Anchored
by Swapnil Joshi, the show will see singer Baba Sehgal and Tabbassum donning the
judges’ hat. The
13-week-long series will see 12 contestants fight it out for a cash prize of Rs
1 million. The contestants were chosen after conducting auditions across the country
on the basis of speech, presentation, fluency in language, presence of mind and
sense of humour. | 
