India’s Zee to create and showcase Bengali films on TV

Zee Entertainment Enterprises (ZEEL) has begun to create and engage film content for its soon-to-launch Zee Bangla Cinema Originals pay-TV initiative.

“At ZEEL, we are constantly looking at creating new avenues of entertainment for our audiences and this innovative step is poised to help showcase more of the great works of the immensely talented directors of West Bengal. We are confident that Zee Bangla Cinema will fuel the growth of the West Bengal film industry,” said Punit Goenka, MD and CEO, ZEEL.

Its first new film, titled Ekla Cholo, will premiere on Zee Bangla Cinema on Sunday 18 January 2015, to the channel’s potential cable and satellite TV audience of almost seven million, Rapid TV News reports.

The broadcaster’s move draws on Bengal’s rich legacy of classic cinema, boasting film makers like Satyajit Ray, Ritwick Ghatak, Mrinal Sen, and Rituparna Ghosh. ZEEL has been broadcasting Bengali films via the dedicated 24-hour channel Zee Bangla Cinema (ZBC) since 2012.