Mounted on a larger than life scale, the scripted bio pic will trace Swami Ramdev’s never seen before, inspirational journey from a life of anonymity to a renowned yoga guru, business guru and national icon
New Delhi, February 07, 2018 -- Discovery JEET, the eagerly awaited new entertainment channel from Discovery India with meaningful content spanning biopics, historicals, crime and comedy, is all set to showcase Swami Ramdev’s never seen before inspirational life journey starting February 12, 2018 every weekday at 8:30 pm. Swami Ramdev is popular across the length and breadth of the country and beyond but little is known about his background. Where did he come from? What are his origins? What was his journey? In this official biopic, shot on locations in Rajasthan, Haridwar and Mumbai, Discovery JEET will narrate the Swami Baba Ramdev’s life story, from his start as a poor farmer’s son to becoming a national icon. Co-Produced by Ajay Devgn FFlims and Watergate Production, Swami Ramdev’s life is symbolic of ‘Hai Mumkin’ attitude which forms the bedrock of Discovery JEET’s programming philosophy.
“Swami Ramdev’s life arc – with its many ups and downs – is an inspirational story of an individual winning against all odds, the exact thesis of Discovery JEET, launching Feb 12th,” said, Karan Bajaj, Sr. Vice President & General Manager – South Asia, Discovery Communications India. “Our writers’ team first met Swami Ramdev for a 1-hour show, and then we realized that his life cannot be captured in such a short series. The result is an epic bio pic spanning 85 episodes which we believe will capture the hearts and minds of our target audience across the country.”
“I am humbled that Discovery JEET has made a television series on my life. I was initially not keen to open-up my life for a television series but Discovery JEET’s philosophy of ‘Hai Mumkin’ attracted my attention,” said, Swami Ramdev. “My life has not been an easy ride, I have faced ‘sangarsh’ all along and the bio pic traces the sequence of events as they emerged. I want to give a message to all countrymen – never give up, life will offer its challenges but if you are up to it, day in and day out, then nothing can stop you from succeeding.”
Acharya Balkrishna, said, “We receive millions of requests from curious followers wanting to know more about Swami Ramdev’s life. I am delighted that their wish has been granted and a larger-than-life life bio pic is being showcased on Discovery JEET. I hope and pray that people across the country imbibe and get inspired from the life of a living legend.”
Swami Ramdev: Ek Sangharsh’s trailer and TV campaign have generated immense interest on the social and have raked up an impressive 25 million plus views across YouTube and Facebook.
Discovery JEET will launch with highest ever distribution, of more than 100 million households, in the history of GECs in India. The channel will be available on all leading DTH & Cable platforms across the country. With an aim to be India’s first national GEC, Discovery JEET will be available in Hindi, Tamil & Telugu languages.
Discovery Communications India (DCIN) has signed Netflix as the exclusive global OTT platform partner for the content of Discovery JEET. The deal will ensure that Discovery JEET’s marquee content, with English subtitles, will be available to audiences in more than 190 countries world-wide. Netflix communities globally will be able to binge-watch each series after it is aired on the Discovery JEET channel in India.
About Discovery Communications India
Discovery Communications India, the country’s leading infotainment player, is dedicated to satisfying curiosity, engaging and entertaining viewers with high-quality content through its portfolio of 12 channels including Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Discovery HD World, Discovery Science, Discovery Turbo, Discovery Kids, Discovery JEET, Animal Planet HD World, TLC HD World, Discovery Tamil and a premium sports channel DSPORT. From survival to natural history, wonders of science to extreme jobs, motoring to travel and lifestyle, and the latest engineering marvels to live sporting events, each channel offers distinct must-watch programming to engage viewers across the country.
Discovery Communications India will launch a new GEC channel ‘Discovery JEET on February 12, 2018’. The new channel will be the flagship for the network’s ambitious investment into original local productions in India. Discovery JEET will bring together Discovery’s unmatched story-telling and the best of real-life entertainment through larger than life stories aimed at inspiring millions.
Discovery Communications India is a division of Discovery Networks Asia Pacific (DNAP). For more information, please visiwww.discoverycommunications.
Annexure: Discovery JEET’s show line-up
· Swami Ramdev: Ek Sangharsh is a scripted biopic series tracing Swami Ramdev’s never seen before, inspirational journey from a life of anonymity to a renowned yoga guru, business guru and national icon. Ajay Devgn FFlims and Watergate Production are the co-producers of the show featuring National Award winner Naman Jain as Ramkishan (Young Ramdev) and Kranti Prakash Jha as Swami Ramdev.
· 21 Sarfarosh: Saragarhi 1897 is a fiction show inspired by the real-life story of 21 brave soldiers of 36th Sikh regiment of the British Indian Army who defended an army outpost at Saragarhi in the North West Frontier Province against an onslaught by over 10,000 Pashtun and Orakzai tribals in September 1897. Produced by Contiloe Pictures Pvt. Ltd, the stellar cast of the show includes Mohit Raina as Havildar Ishar Singh, Mukul Dev as the antagonist Gul Badshah and Luke Kenny as Major Des Voeux.
· Mere Papa Hero Hiralal is a moving story of a Lucknow based auto-rickshaw driver Hiralal Tiwari, who driven by the love for his daughter Gungun, is ready to go beyond the ordinary and help her recover from a serious medical issue. Produced by Viniyard Films, show features Sarwar Ahuja as the main lead Hiralal Tiwari and popular child actor Rivaa Arora as Gungun.
· Khan No 1 - Inspired by true events, ‘Khan No 1’ is a lighthearted episodic crime show featuring an array of ‘Bluffmasters’ – men and women who have chosen cons as a solution to their problems. Inspector Khan is the fictional central character – a ‘Crime Hunter’, a smart, witty, well-experienced cop specializing in solving scams/cases. Renowned film director Rohan Sippy will don the hat of a producer for the first time on Indian television; talented actor Rajesh Sharma also debuts on TV and will play the title role in Khan No 1.
· Comedy High School - This non-fiction show is a light-hearted take on society, culture, education and current affairs through a classroom based set up. Comedy High School is a clean comedy show with theme based episodes. The school has teachers from various streams like English, Hindi, Physical Training, Personality Development along with the disciplinarian Principal and the morally uptight Trustee. Lead celebrities will visit the school, every week, in myriad avatars. The stellar cast includes Ram Kapoor, Gopal Dutt, Paritosh Tripathi, Krishna Bhatt, Jasmeet Bhatia and Deepak Dutta.
· Gabru: Hip-Hop Ke Shehzaade - This fiction show, set in the world of Indian hip-hop music, is produced by Still & Still Moving Pictures and features Amol Parashar as MC Money, Harleen Sethi as Queen B and Chaitanya Sharma as Surf. The show is a mélange of drama, romance and music, with an original hip hop soundtrack.
· Anjaan: Special Crimes Unit - a paranormal investigative crime thriller show that allows viewers to dive in to the world of the unexplained events. Produced by Lotus Talkies, Anjaan: Special Crimes Unit features Heena Parmar as Aditi and Gashmeer Mahajani as Vikrant. They investigate crime cases that are connected to the supernatural and bring justice to the ones that can’t be seen, heard or believed by everyone!
· Man Vs Wild with Sunny Leone- Sunny Leone will now be showcasing her adventurous side as host of the mega-popular survival series Man Vs. Wild. The iconic series will be telecast in Hindi where the beautiful actor will not only host but also undertake many difficult stunts and adding a dash of humour with her vivacious personality.
· Lucha: Dangal Ke Sultan is a wrestling based entertainment show based on the lucha libre style of Mexican wrestling with masked fighters who entertain the audience with their stunts and actions. Each episode contains multiple acrobatic fights with many famous luchadors whose "mythic" beginnings are told in cinematic vignettes throughout