MUMBAI: Discovery Travel and Living will be launching a new six-part series called Indian Rendezvous on the six metros of India. The show, which will cover Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Chennai, will be anchored by well-known personalities from each city – Sushma Reddy, Ayaan Ali Khan, Vasundhara Das, Nagesh Kukunoor, Konkana Sen Sharma and Meera Vasudevan respectively.
It is slated to go on air from 12 November. The series highlights the sights and sounds that make each city attractive to visit and live in. Short anecdotes on famous places, interactions with the city’s popular personalities, interesting trivia and little-known facts are interspersed through the episodes with the anchors stressing on the must do’s in each city.
Discovery Travel & Living will premiere the six-part half-hour series every Sunday at 8:30 pm, beginning with Mumbai on 12 November. Each episode will be repeated on the following Thursday at 10 pm.
Discovery Networks India executive vice president and managing director Deepak Shourie said, “Indian Rendezvous promises viewers, both in India and abroad, an unparalleled journey into the best of India’s biggest cities. Capturing the top six cities under a variety of themes – cuisine, locations, art and culture – Indian Rendezvous reflects the vibrant spirit and soul of modern India. Following the stupendous success of The Great Indian Wedding we are confident that viewers will enjoy watching and rediscovering their cities.â€ÂÂ
Besides India, the series will also air on Discovery Travel & Living in the UK and Asia. The series captures the entire range of India’s magnetism, from Mumbai’s nightlife and Bollywood glamour to Delhi’s famous chaat, buzzing fashion houses and the Millennium City – Gurgaon, from Nrityagram, MTR and the raving pub culture of Bangalore to Hyderabadi pearls and biryani, from delectable Bengali sweets and Kolkata’s Durga Puja celebrations to naadi astrology and kanjivaram saris of Chennai.
Indian Rendezvous anchor of the Mumbai episode Sushma Reddy said, “Colourful, vibrant, energetic and friendly, Mumbai is and will always remain the gateway to India. Mumbai is a city of startling contradictions with stately Victorian architecture and flanking skyscrapers that stab the sky. It is the country’s financial hub and the Mecca of cinema. All this and more makes Mumbai one of India’s most exciting cities, fast moving and full of life. I am most thrilled to present my favourite city in the world in Indian Rendezvous.â€ÂÂ
Vasundhara Das, anchor of the Bangalore episode of Indian Rendezvous said, “Bangalore has attracted people from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Being born and brought up in Bangalore and having had the opportunity to travel to other cities in India and abroad, I truly understand and love this city. In the past, from being known as pensioners’ paradise, among many other things, Bangalore has become a city for people of all age groups and profiles – students, young professionals, musicians, dancers and artists. Indian Rendezvous presents the city for all seasons in its totality and splendour.”
The series also captures some of India’s leading artists and personalities discussing and showcasing their talents, including jazz musician Louis Banks and ballroom dance instructor Sandip Sopparkar from Mumbai; kathak maestro Birju Maharaj, fashion designers Ashima and Leena and ace golfer Shiv Kapur from Delhi; fashion designer Prasad Bidapa from Bangalore; tabla maestro Bikram Ghose from Kolkata; one of India’s best known percussionists Anandan Sivamani and bharatnatyam exponent Shobhana from Chennai.