Star Plus strengthens afternoon slot with four new shows

A sequel to Diya Aur Baati Hum and an Indian adaptation of popular Turkish show "Fatmagul" an inspirational tale on faith and a love story will be among four new shows on TV channel Star Plus in its afternoon slot a time when viewers are mostly fed repeats of shows telecast earlier.

Titled as "Tu Sooraj Mein Saanjh, Piyaji", the sequel to "Diya Aur Baati Hum" by Shashi-Sumeet Productions, will mark the return of actress Neelu Vaghela as Bhabho, accompanied by the next generation of the Rathi family.

Set in Dharamshala, "Kya Kasoor Hai Amla Ka?", an Indian adaptation of "Fatmagul", will deal with complex emotions and a sensitive subject of violation of the innocence of a woman. The show is being remade by Purnendu Shekhar, Nandita Mehra and Bhairavi Raichura of 24 Frames.

"Ek Aastha Aisi Bhee", on the other hand, will tell the story of a God's special child, a girl who brings a fresh and unique perspective on faith. She believes that in serving humanity she is serving God.

Meanwhile, "Dhhai Kilo Prem" -- the fourth entertainer by the channel -- will feature the love story of a couple. "There is a sizeable television viewing audience in the afternoon. Currently the only options available to these viewers are repeat telecasts.

Our aim is to present viewers with a spectrum of original content thereby growing the entire category," Narayan Sundararaman, General Manager, Star Plus, said in a statement.

Talking further about the four new shows, Gaurav Banerjee, President and Head of Content Studio, Star India, said "We believe that it is compelling stories which will draw viewers to the channel in the afternoon.

"We have seen this with several breakaway hits in the past where we have changed viewership habits by offering cutting edge and differentiated content." All the shows will go on air from April 3.