Presents

Premiering March 18^th, Monday to Friday, 10 PM only on Zee TV!

Delhi, March 14^th 2013: Zee TV, India’s leading Hindi General Entertainment channel is coming soon with yet another gripping saga ‘Badalte Rishton Ki Daastan’. The show is a remake of the hit Bengali show, ‘Khela’ (Game) which was on air on Zee Bangla about a decade back. The show had seen overwhelming success and was the No 1 show across all Bangla GECs. It is remembered even today in Bengali households for its gripping narrative and brilliant characterization.

The makers of the show are now back on Zee TV to recreate the magic of ‘Khela’ for the Hindi GEC viewers in the form of ‘Badalte Rishton Ki Daastan’. Premiering on March 18^th, the show will air every Monday to Friday at 10PM. Produced by Ravi Ojha Production Enterprises, the story traces the lives of two contrasting women who unite to fight a highly exploitative and extremely rigid patriarchal household. It will bring two of Indian television’s most adored faces on-screen together for the very first time, Sanjeeda Sheikh and Additi Gupta.  Playing the role of the formidable patriarch is the versatile actor,Kiran Karmarkar.

The vivacious and beautiful Sanjeeda Sheikh will be seen in a very bohemian avatar as Meera. Meera is a free spirited independent girl who lives an idyllic life in the picturesque valley of Shimla. Nandini is duty-bound wife who is coping with the biggest loss and the biggest lie of her life.  The gorgeous Additi Gupta will be playing the role of Nandini.  Balraj, the man who will wreck havoc in the lives of these two women and will go to any lengths for a male heir will be essayed by the very talentedKiran Karmarkar. Abhinav Shukla will play the male lead, Annirudh. The show will also see Mona Ambegaonkar as the very affectionate and caring & the head of the household, Biji along with Tanushree Kaushal, Abhaas Mehta and Chaitanya Chowdhry in pivotal roles. The story traces the journey of Meera and Nandini who come together in the face of adversity to fight against a greater adversary thus making ‘Badalte Rishton Ki Daastan’ a story of one woman standing up for another… where love and unity triumph against evil!

At the launch, Mr. Ajay Bhalwankar, ZEEL, Content Head (Hindi GECs), said, “There’s nothing more fragile in this world today than relationships. The course of one’s entire life is defined by the relationships one enjoys or is forced to endure due to circumstances.  We are happy to present ‘Badalte Rishton Ki Daastan’, a show that will offer fresh insights into the dynamics of a relationship that one woman will forge with another when a tragic blow of destiny will compel them to cross paths with each other. It is a complete pot-boiler which is very pulp fiction like in terms of its treatment. The viewers will see a family set-up that has never been portrayed on Indian television before.”

“For the very first time, the saas or the mother-in-law who is the well established villain in every GEC show will take a backseat and the father-in-law will be the monster in disguise. The show will be high on drama, intensity and intrigue. It’s a mature show that will surely grip the viewers from the very first episode. It is producer Mitali Bhattacharya’s first with us and we have a very impressive star cast. The show had created ripples in West Bengal and we hope the adaptation in Hindi does the same for us.  We have also done an extensive outdoor shoot for the show in places like Delhi, Dhanaulti and Rishikesh. We hope the audiences love this show as much as they have appreciated our other shows,” he adds.

Said Mitali Bhattacharya, the Producer of the show “’Badalte Rishton Ki Daastan’ does not follow the usual drama where a woman is a woman’s worst enemy. Nandini and Meera, the two protagonist of the show realise that they are both victims. They join hands and fight against a bigger enemy- a ruthless patriarch. It is his ruthlessness and domination that attempts to make puppets of all the members of his family…and the way they accept or rebel makes ‘Badalte Rishton Ki Daastan’ more of a family saga. This family is a family full of secrets, intrigue and deceit. This show is going to be bold and dramatic and sweeping in its story telling thus making it a story of women power.”

The channel has lined up an extensive marketing plan to promote this prime time property which includes print, television, cable and DTH. Interesting innovations have been lined up in the print medium with some leading newspapers. The promos of the show will be played extensively during the release of the much awaited movie, ‘Himmatwala’ in single screens and multiplexes.

Excited about her role as Meera, Sanjeeda said, “It’s an awesome role and I thank Zee TV for selecting me to play it. ‘Badalte Rishton ki Daastan’ has enough masala to keep the audiences hooked from day one.  Meera is an independent and strong willed girl who lives life on her own terms. She is madly in love with the man of her dreams and imagines her future with him. She is an impulsive, vibrant, charming woman of today who stands strong in the wake of adversity.”

Playing the role of a meek, demure and dutiful wife, Nandini, Additi said, “This is my comeback on Zee TV after Sanjog Se Bani Sangini. I’ll be shown submissive at the outset but one who has a tremendous strength of character. For the first time my fans will see me in a de-glam look sans heavy make-up, jewelry or costume. The role is a challenge for me as I haven’t played anything like this before. My character’s strength and quiet resilience is what appealed to me. My co-stars are amazing and we are hoping that audiences will like our work in this show!”

Kiran Karmarkar says with a quiet chuckle, “I play a deadly character called Balraj in the show. He is a scheming, conniving, opportunistic, cunning and a spiteful man. He can go to any lengths to achieve his ends. My mission will be accomplished the day I start receiving numerous hate mails from the viewers saying how much they hate Balraj!!!”

‘Badalte Rishton Ki Daastan’ is also a story of binding relationships, strong family ties and the friendship between two women who are very different from each other.  But what happens when you come to know that the man you loved had a whole secret life you knew nothing about? What shatters Meera’s idyllic life?  What is the lie that destroys Nandini’s faith and belief? Can Nandini and Meera trust Balraj? What is Balraj’s  game plan? Why is a male heir so important to him?

Don’t forget to tune into this intriguing tale of love, romance, revenge, hope, despair, dreams and disillusionment. Coming on your television screens from March 18th, Monday to Friday, 10 PM only on Zee TV!

CHARACTER SKETCHES:

Meera (Sanjeeda Sheikh) – Meera is a strong-willed, independent girl who is constantly in search of something new & exciting. Though Meera appears to be tough and strong externally; in reality she is vulnerable, insecure and emotional. She is outspoken and does not believe in mincing words even if the truth will hurt others. She is impulsive, vibrant, charming with an intense desire to live life on her own terms. Meera is a haunted soul, always searching for love. However, whenever she comes close to attaining happiness, the world forsakes her. Life is often cruel to her but Meera never gives up hope. In a world of negativity, pessimism and opportunism, Meera shines like a beacon of goodness, justice and truth.

Nandini (Additi Gupta) – Nandini is warm, sensitive and passionate woman. Though Nandini is silent, demure and apparently submissive, her real strength of character rises to the surface when circumstances so require it. While on the surface Nandini seems to be vulnerable, she actually has nerves of steel. When she sets her mind to something, she ensures that it is successfully completed and done well. Even in her silence, Nandini makes her presence felt through the sheer strength of her character.

Balraj Asthana (Kiran Karmarkar)-  Balraj is the typical patriarch who cannot stand to be disobeyed by his family members. Everyone in the family obeys him more out of fear than respect. A stickler for discipline as far as his family is concerned, he believes that a woman’s place is in the home. His only desire in life was to have more sons who would inherit his huge business empire and so for this reason, he despises his daughters. Both in business and in life, Balraj is unprincipled. Honesty, truth and justice don’t matter at all to him. He does not hesitate to use people as and when required and is quick to thrustthem aside when his task has been accomplished.

Biji (Mona Ambegaonkar)– Biji is the unofficial head of the household. Having been brought to the house as a young child, she is the most loved character in the house. She is the one who brought up the children after their mother’s death. Though she is sentimental and affectionate, she is the only person in the household who dares to talk back to Balraj. She is deeply loyal and devoted to the Asthana household but never lets her loyalty come in the way of justice and truth.