New Delhi : Bulging biceps and a flowing cape are some features that come to mind with the word ‘superhero’. With an aim to change this stereotype, Zee TV launched its new offering “Maharakshak Aryan”, a fantasy fiction show, which will commence on 1st Nov, to further strengthen its weekend offering.
The show narrates the story of a meek and nerdy boy Aryan, who stumbles upon his superpowers inherited through his family, when he turns 18. “Maharakshak Aryan” has also incorporated the age-old Hindi cinema plot of the evil side trying to reclaim magical ‘Mani’ from the good side, to rule the world.
“We wanted to bring ‘Mani’, which is an integral part of our mythology, to television for the present generation. We are proud to bring our ancient roots back,” Akash Chawla, business head of Essel Vision Productions., said
Newcomer Aakarshan Singh will be seen playing the role of the superhero, but he will be dressed as a commoner in casual and simple outfits. He will have a string of supporting actors like Abigail Jain and Khalid Siddiqui. The evil side in the show is represented by actors like Vikramjeet Virk playing the role of trilok – the ultimate embodiment of evil along with Super Villains Reshmi Ghosh and Mishal Raheja, who will support trilok to obtain “Mani” (Magical Jewel) which is the ultimate source of energy to rule the world.
Zee business head Pradeep Hejmadi said, “With shows like Neeli Chhatri Wale, Dil Se Naachein Indiawaale and now Maharakshak Aryan, we’re fortifying our weekend line-up with content that engages every family member. Aryan adds a new flavour of fantasy to our line-up, attracting diverse sets of viewers. Our current fiction line-up is robust and is only poised to get stronger”.
The 13 week series will take the viewers on a journey about how Aryan copes up with the change. Each episode will feature a new villain, highlighting the ‘good wins over evil’ notion. The show will be aired at 7PM on every Saturday and Sunday.
Zee programming head Namit Sharma said the aim was to show that every person has some strong elements in him and it was only a question of using them. “Maharakshak Aryan is one of our most ambitious projects and aims to set a benchmark in the fiction thriller genre, as this kind of programming has earlier only been seen on the large screen. The show will be very different from any of the content we currently have on air. The ability of a superhero series of transporting viewers into an exciting world of fantasy, slick, cutting-edge superhero series is remarkable.”
“Maharakshak Aryan” is the first part of a trilogy. “The other series will come after ‘Aryan’ and will be under the umbrella of ‘Maharakshak’, but with a new story and cast,” added Namit Sharma.
The channel is expected put 15 to 20 per cent of its expenditure on marketing and publicity of the trilogy.
