STAR India's New Talk Show 'Aaj Ki Raat Hai Zindagi' Will Celebrate Social Impact
21st Century Fox Social Impact
At 8PM on Sunday, October 18, Star Plus will debut Aaj Ki Raat Hai Zindagi, a new talk show hosted by Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan that aims to celebrate the people across India making a difference in their communities. Star Plus is the flagship channel of 21st Century Fox's STAR India, and the new series represents the latest in STAR's long history of using the power and reach of media to tell compelling, socially relevant stories that spark conversation and drive change.
"Entertainment done with a sense of purpose can be a very powerful tool," said Sanjay Gupta, COO of STAR India. "As a network, we have always strived to inspire a billion imaginations while working towards giving our audience something new and exciting. And with Aaj Ki Raat Hai Zindagi, we are happy to collaborate again with Mr. Amitabh Bachchan on a project which is so special."
The show marks Bachchan's return to Star Plus, following his successful run as the host ofKaun Banega Crorepatti, an adaptation of the game show Who Wants to be a Millionaire? He says that the new show will highlight personal stories of individual acts of kindness, from young people assisting the elderly to doctors delivering free treatment.
"The motto of the show is that life is beautiful, and if there is something good being done, then it needs to be celebrated and talked about and introduced to the rest of society," Bachchan said. "If it moves you to perhaps emulate what they are doing or do something similar, it would bring a lot of change among all of us."
AKRHZ is the latest in a long line of pro-social series at STAR, including Satyamev Jayate, the groundbreaking social awareness series hosted by Aamir Khan, as well as the recent broadcast of the Girl Rising documentary, and a fundraiser for the earthquake in Nepal. STAR matches programming like this with initiatives on the ground. SMJ has raised more than $45 million for its NGO partners, and the network's Channel V developed an innovative mobile app for women's safety called VithU. STAR CEO Uday Shankar spoke at length about the network's commitment to women at the Paley Center in 2014.
"We at STAR tell powerful and engaging stories that inspire people, which, in turn, facilitates change," Gupta told the Business Standard. "This reflects in the content we have across our network."
