MUMBAI: Come 3 May and Sony Entertainment Television (SET) is all set to launch their third new show this year - Yeh Meri Life Hai . The show will air from Monday to Thursday from 10 pm to 10.30 pm.
SET executives announced the launch of the show in Mumbai today.
Yeh Meri Life Hai is the story of a 17-year old middle-class girl Pooja Mehta (played by Shama Sikander) belonging to a Gujarati household staying in the the suburban Mumbai's Ghatkopar.
SET executive VP Sunil Lulla said, "We are continuing to focus on the ruthless contemporary woman who achieves her goals in life by grit and not manipulation."
Sikander chipped in, "Earlier I used to stay in Thane. But now I have shifted to Andheri. I understand the trials of life and quite identify with the role." Sikander has worked in movies like Mann , Prem Aggan, Ansh and Patth. She has also done music videos with singers like Harbhajan Mann and Abhijeet.
SET executive VP, programming and response Tarun Katial offered, "Yeh Meri Life Hai is fully charged with all the ingredients to make it connect well with the viewers - a contemporary setting and the contrast between the value systems of a typically Gujarati family and the aggressive world of today's youth. With a young, peppy and relatable lead protagonist like Pooja and the depiction of her vivid life, we are also looking at giving clear alternatives to the viewers."
Produced by Sanjiv Sharma and Vipul Shah (Optimystix Entertainment India Pvt Ltd), the show will also star Manoj Joshi, Vandana Pathak, Kishore Godbole, Shital Kothari, Tanaaz Currim, Nikhil Yadav, Ajay Arya, Amit Jain, Simple Kaul, Salil Acharya and Smriti Joshi. While Gursheel Walia is the creative head of the show, Sanjay Khanna and Apoorva Acharya will weild the megaphone.
What is puzzling is that all the shows on SET which have followed Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin, Kkoi Dil Mein Hain, Saaksshi, Kkuch Kehna Hai Mujhko and now Yeh Meri Life Hai have propagated the same theory that a woman has more to her than her beauty, husband and kids. The entire marketing campaign is triggered on the same sentiment, that is, aspirations, creativity and financial independence is not the domain of man solely.
Dasgupta offered, "In India, there are more middle class homes than the rich ones. Today, its' said 'India is shining'. This is happening because women have become aspirational."
According to Lulla, the show has been launched, based on an insight which reveals that the women belonging to the 18-34 age group in India dare to dream, are hardworking and not dumb and want to achieve something in life in addition to being a good wife and mother.
SET might succeed in getting the spill over audience from Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin. But the million dollar question is: Can they succeed in shifting the eyeballs from their arch rival Star Plus' top show in the same time band - Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii?
