MUMBAI: Seems like Zee Music -- Zee Group's as yet low-key music channel -- has woken up and how!
The channel had a big bash last night at the Hyatt Regency, Mumbai, to announce its rebirth.
(clockwise) VJs Rajalaxmi, Pooja , Himdayal and Karan, Zee Music's new-comers strike a pose
"Filmi, very filmi!" -- true to the image the channel wants to establish with its new look - was the abiding feel of the night. Loud music and blinding laser lights greeted the crowds that kept flowing in even well after 10:30 pm.
And with the wine-God Bacchus in an especially generous mood, Indipop artistes like Xenia Ali and Vikas Bhalla's attempts to grab the guests' attention proved rather pathetic.
Interest did stir for a minute though, when the four young VJs walked onto the stage to introduce themselves. VJ Karan, the self-proclaimed womaniser, VJ Pooja, the girl with oodles of sass and attitude, VJ Himdayal, the weird dude and Rajalaxmi, the bombshell, caught ample attention.
Present at the party were TV directors and artistes, music directors, pop stars and VJs (and their wannabes), and a hoard of well-dressed busybees that we had never spotted in the television circuit before.
Of the known faces, we saw filmmaker Ramgopal Varma, VJ-pop artiste Raageshwari, model Mukul Dev, voice-over artist Ninad Kamat, music director Bappi Lahiri, Astitva director Ajai Sinha, who stood mostly by himself, nestling a drink in hand. Members of Band of Boys, the only Indi-boy band were seen hanging around with a smart bunch of women.
And what of the channel itself? According to a source, the revamp of Zee Music is going to be gradual. The channel will start by introducing the four new VJs on screen, and later on, viewers will see a change in the style as well as music. Within a year, the channel aims to be known as a hip music channel. Following the trend set by MTV and Channel [V], Zee Music will also modify its content ratio to 70:30 (Hindi:English), in order to rejuvenate viewership.
New shows that will soon air on the channel include Campus Rumpus, Cinemascope, Daud, Music Theatre, Radio Bandh, Framed for the Fortnight and Blockbuster No1.
