SMALL WONDER IN HINDI STAR PLUS PLUS
SMALL WONDER IN HINDI STAR PLUS TV

Despite this, after Basu was transferred from DD, Chandra had offered him the chairmanship of Zee Telefilms Ltd. When Basu was in DD, he had lured Zee's producers to his fold and had also tried to get the Finance Ministry to probe possible FERA violations by the channel. But it is clear by now that Subhash Chandra, Zee's promoter, views Basu with suspicion and that Jindal is also not enamoured of him.

His own case proves it: he has joined an organisation that he fought bitterly when he was in DD. 'And what would we gain by driving Zee away and launching our own channel? We'd wind up as another Sony or Home TV.' Basu is fond of saying that there are no permanent enemies or friends in the media. 'Murdoch can't afford to buy Zee,' he says.

SMALL WONDER IN HINDI STAR PLUS TV

There are also those in the TV industry who believe that Rupert Murdoch, Star TV's owner, now wants to take over Zee (he already owns 50 per cent of the channel), or drive it away from the platform so that Star can launch its own Hindi channel, but Basu denies it.

SMALL WONDER IN HINDI STAR PLUS PLUS

All the major Star Plus programmes will still be intact, but they will now be aired after 9.30 p.m. And finally, there will be a news bulletin each in Hindi and English. There will also be two Star Plus programmes dubbed in Hindi-The Bold and the Beautiful and Small Wonder. Barring the last two, which will be repeats, the other serials will have fresh episodes. on weekdays) being launched on the channel, include Imtihaan, Meri Awaz Suno, Tehkikaat, Gh-utan, Tu Tu Main Main, Chandra-kanta and Alif Laila. The serials, part of a daily Hindi band (7 p.m. And straightaway, he has taken a gamble which has left the TV industry puzzled- he is bringing on Star Plus programmes which were on dd until recently. What Basu has to do to earn his salary is to lead the Indianisation of the Star TV network. (It is a reflection of how quickly things have changed in the media that Basu's counterpart in Zee TV, Vijay Jindal, also gets an annual compensation of over Rs 1 crore.) Now he is said to be getting an annual compensation of close to a million dollars and his temporary new home is Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai. Until last month, when he was secretary, Department of Electronics, his gross monthly salary was Rs 16,000, of which he took only Rs 6,000 home.

That he is now free to make such statements, and choose the producers he likes, are not the only things which have changed for Basu, who has joined the private sector after 32 years in the IAS.

Small wonder in hindi star plus