Prembabu Sharma
As India’s one-stop destination for experiencing the magic of the Golden era of Indian cinema, it has been Zee Classic’s constant endeavor to not only showcase movies of this glorious period, but to also acquaint viewers with the people who shone brightly and made this industry what it is today. Zee Classic is India’s only classic Hindi movie channel with the largest library of classic films with over 500 exclusive titles from the 1940’s to the 1970’s. All these films have been digitally re-mastered to give viewers the best feel of an era gone by. The channel is now also available on the base pack of 5 Direct-to-Home (DTH) operators – Dish TV, Tata sky, Airtel, Videocon D2H & Reliance.
Following an overwhelming response to its first season, Zee Classic announces ‘The Venetian Macao presents Classic Legends- Season 2’, a series that familiarizes lovers of cinema with the lives and careers of stalwarts who have left an indelible footprint in the world of Indian films. The new season features gripping biographies of 12 more film luminaries. Narrated once again by India’s master storyteller, Javed Akhtar in his inimitable style, each episode will regale viewers with novel insights and exciting anecdotes about each of these stalwarts. Viewers will get an opportunity to know these film luminaries like never before.
Premiering at 7.30 PM on Sunday, 18 November, 2012 and airing weekly over a period of 13 weeks, ‘The Venetian Macao presents Classic Legends Season 2’ will pay a tribute, this season, to two living legends – veteran actors Dilip Kumar and Pran. Their expansive body of work and significant contribution to the industry more than justify their inclusion in the hall of fame. Other luminaries Zee Classic will pay homage to include the Queen of Tragedy Meena Kumari, the evergreen Dev Anand, noted film-makers Chetan Anand, Nasir Hussain & Hrishikesh Mukherji, talented actor Sunil Dutt, one of India’s greatest playback singers Mohd. Rafi, renowned lyricists Shailendra & Anand Bakshi and one of the most respected music composers of all times, S. D. Burman. Drawing from his vast personal and professional experience in the industry, Javed Akhtar will take viewers on a journey of these legends’ lives and their impressive body of work. Viewers will learn more about these yesteryear heroes from the host who has had the good fortune of knowing some of them personally and following the careers of the rest extremely closely.
The first season of ‘Classic Legends’ had featured Raj Kapoor, R D Burman, Majrooh Sultanpuri, Kishore Kumar, Nargis, Bimal Roy, Vijay Anand, Ashok Kumar, Sahir Ludhiyanvi, Mehboob Khan, Madhubala, Guru Dutt and Shammi Kapoor and gave fans an all-new lens to view these iconic celebrities through.
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| Business Head – Zee Classic Mr. Mohan Gopinath with show host of ‘Classic Legends’ Javed Akhtar |
Talking about the return of ‘Classic Legends’, Mohan Gopinath, Business Head, Zee Cinema PAC says, “We’re glad that ‘Classic Legends’, as a show, was received extremely well by the audience last year. All through the first season, we were inundated with innumerable requests and recommendations from all over to pay homage to many more stalwarts. We couldn’t cover many of them in the first season. Naturally, we felt the need to bring back a second season of the show and feature some of the luminaries requested by our viewers.”
He adds, “When a show talks about the founding fathers of Indian Cinema, it is but only fitting that we have an equally gifted and legendary persona with us to share their story with our viewers. We’re very happy to have him hosting the new season as the show would be incomplete without him!”
‘The Venetian Macao presents Classic Legends – Season 2’ premieres on Zee Classic at 7.30 PM on Sunday, 18 November, 2012 and will air every Sunday at 7:30 PM.
