Noida-based TV show delayed due to channel revamp

The team of a Noida-based TV show, 'Karmbhoomi', which was to start airing on May 22, will have to wait longer, since the channel it was supposed go on air on is changing its format. From July 1, Channel V will be doing away with their fiction shows and serials and will switch to music shows. This means that a number of TV serials running on the channel will go off air next month.'Karmbhoomi', which has an all-NCR cast, has now been delayed indefinitely.
On May 12, the channel put out a statement through a tweet for viewers, saying that “all good things must come to an end”, and that they were planning to “end all our shows on 30th June”. In March, its international counterpart had taken a similar step. A Star India spokesperson told us, “The channel will be revamped as a youth-focussed music brand. The current shows will continue till the end of June, after which the channel will switch to its revamped identity and programming.”
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The makers of 'Karmbhoomi' say they were shocked at the sudden development. Kanu Priya, the director of the show, tells us, “It is a setback for us.”
Kanu Priya, the director, adds, “We were quite shocked to learn about it. In fact, we came to know of this only through news reports. Even the channel heads in Delhi were unaware of the development. Everything was in order; we had signed the contracts, paid the telecast fees and were ready to go on air when we learnt that the channel was doing away with all fiction shows. The June 30 deadline meant that we wouldn’t have been able to complete our 13-episode run. The network offered us a move to their app, but we felt that it was better to delay the telecast and try for a mainstream GEC (general entertainment channel) instead.”
The show is about a university set up by a young entrepreneur who in turn trains students to become entrepreneurs. It shows how students deal with the entry of an authoritarian dean in the institute, and the entire story is depicted through the eyes of six students. Three of the six actors are Noida residents, as is director Kanu. A college campus in Greater Noida became the show’s fictional Karmbhoomi University. Additional outdoor scenes were shot at a dog shelter in Knowledge Park and in locations in Sector 93.
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But the show’s makers remain optimistic about a proper TV broadcast. They are in talks with another major channel. Kanu adds, “We maintain that the show has been delayed, but not cancelled. We are in talks with another channel and hopefully, we can work something out to go on air by mid-June.”
(with inputs from Saloni Bhatia)