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ZEE TV to strengthen pre-primetime offerings with ‘Maitree’ & ‘Lag Ja Gale’

As a part of its endeavour to strengthen its pre-primetime slots, Zee TV is all set to introduce two fresh shows – ‘Lag Ja Gale’ and ‘Maitree’. ‘Lag Ja Gale’, produced by SOL Productions PVT Ltd & Sandiip Films, will showcase the story of an unlikely couple – Shiv and Ishani – who are brought together by unusual circumstances stemming from their family dynamics. On the other hand – Maitree – produced by Sunshine Productions, is a high-octane drama about two soul sisters – Maitree and Nandini whose childhood friendship has turned sour with a quirk of fate.

Set in Delhi, ‘Lag Ja Gale’ follows the journey of an affluent, self-made young Punjabi hotelier – Shiv Dhooper (played by actor Namik Paul) – and a hard-working Maharashtrian girl, Ishani Kulkarni (played by Tanisha Mehta), who juggles multiple odd jobs as the sole breadwinner for her middle-class family. Both may seem very different on the face of it. But what they have in common is their unconditional love for their own family and the lengths they would go to for the sake of their happiness. So, despite starting off on the wrong foot, destiny finds Shiv and Ishani coming together in matrimony for the sake of their respective siblings. With marriage on the cards for this unlikely couple, the only question everyone has is – Nafrat hai ya kurbani… khatm hone se shuru hogi inki Prem kahani?

‘Maitree’, on the other hand brings you a story of love and friendship between Maitree (played by Shrenu Parikh) and her soul sister Nandini (played by Bhaweeka Chaudhary). The two best friends have been inseparable since their childhood, so much so that their mothers also question them as to what they will do when either of them gets married. While they are sure that nothing can break their friendship and that they will remain best friends even after marriage, it seems that life has its own plans for them! Despite getting married into the same house, with Maitree marrying Saaransh (played by Zaan Khan) and Nandini with Ashish (played by Namish Taneja) respectively, a shocking turn of events in their lives changes everything, making everyone wonder – ulajh ke do ungliyan, chali jo barso saath… kya hua ki choote hath? Kya hua ki hue khilaaf?

Though the shows have already grabbed a lot of eye-balls ever since their first promos hit air, ‘Maitree’ and ‘Lag Ja Gale’ were unveiled in front of the media at a mega launch event in Mumbai. The lead characters of Maitree performed to the show’s title track – Mitraa sung by Mannish Sharma and Rupali Moghe. As they tied each other friendship bands, they spoke about the value of friendship and established the concept of the show through a photo-op where the 2 BFFs have turned their backs on each other after a shocking turn of events has turned their lives upside down. Lag Ja Gale was brought to life at the event through an engaging skit with a Valentine’s Day theme, showcasing the love-hate relationship and the tongue-in-cheek nok-jhok that Shiv and Ishani share with each other.

Zee TV Business Head Aparna Bhosle said, “We’re bringing Meet – a character our viewers have warmed up to so much over the last two years to 6 PM and strengthening our content offerings in the pre-primetime slots of 6:30 and 7 PM in response to a sharp uptick in content consumption trends at these hours. Maitree, as the name suggests, is a gripping drama about a childhood friendship between two soul sisters that has gone south after a quirk of fate turns their lives upside down. Lag Ja Gale presents the story of an unlikely couple who despite starting off on the wrong foot and bearing misgivings about each other, decide to get married for the sake of their respective families. Their chemistry and sense of repartee will make for an engaging watch. With Meet’s time shift and the introduction of such interesting characters and intriguing plots, we hope the audiences stay hooked to our channel from earlier on in the day!”

Producers Fazila Allana, Kamna Menezes and Sandiip Sikcand of SOL Productions PVT Ltd & Sandiip Films, said, “Lag Ja Gale is a true hard core love story of a boy and a girl who are poles apart from each other – culturally and financially but despite their differences and starting off on the wrong foot, choose to come together in matrimony for the sake of their respective siblings. Both our protagonists are very strongly representative of the youth of today – very clear in their heads about what they want out of life. With talented actors on board who are working hard to get into the skin of their characters and an intriguing plot full of, turns, layers and secrets and a huge surprise twist in the story’s first month, we are sure the audience will be hooked to the show.”

‘Maitree’ Producer – Sudhir Sharma of Sunshine Productions – also added, “We are joining hands with Zee TV after more than a decade to present viewers with an exciting new show – Maitree and we are definitely thrilled about it. The unique show revolves around the exciting yet dramatic journey of two inseparable childhood friends and the many chapters that will unfold in their lives that will test their friendship. Having developed the story and characters with a lot of attention to nuances and detail, we hope that viewers will connect with this intriguing journey of Maitree and Nandini and shower our show with their love.”

‘Lag Ja Gale’ will air at 18:30 and ‘Maitree’ at 19:00. ‘Meet’ will shift from 19:00 to 18:00.