Karan Sharma - Televisionpoint.com
If you are clued in to Zee TV then you will remember watching a promo, which involves common people from across the country talking about their business idea and how they are looking to fulfill their dream of being a successful businessman. The promo is for Zee TV's new reality show Business Baazigar - Idea Lao Paise Le Jao. The promos have been on air for the last two weeks. Zee Telefilms has announced about the show two years back, which has now finally taken shape and is all set to go ahead with the show. You have a business plan in mind and no money to back it? Don't worry. This show is all about fully funding your idea and becoming a celebrity in the process.

The one-hour show will be launched on March 31 and shall run on two days - Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 PM. Subhash Chandra, Chairman, Zee Telefilms and Mahesh Murthy, the Chief Executive Officer of Passion funds are involved as permanent judges on the show. Prof. Anil Gupta of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, will judge the business acumen of the participants. Apart from the trio, the show will have one new judge every week where contestants will be screened through personal interviews.

MTV's veejay Cyrus Sahukar, and actress Sandhya Mridul will anchor the show. The show is a platform to celebrate India's best entrepreneurial ideas and provide a launch pad to the most deserving among India's budding entrepreneurs. The announcement on this big-ticket reality show was first done in the second half of 2004. The show was to go on air in January 2005 and produced by 24 FPS. However, things have changed with Business Baazigar now being produced in house. Zee is estimated to have spent Rs 10 crore in the first season of 24 episodes.

Speaking at the launch, Punit Goenka, Business Head Zee TV said, "We are glad to announce the launch of Business Baazigar, a hunt for India’s business tycoon. This show promises to entertain the audience with its intense reality drama and its unique concept. We at Zee TV have always lent a platform to deserving talent. With Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, hidden singing abilities have been nurtured and brought to the forefront. Business Baazigar again attempts to bring life to a commendable business idea."

Punit Goenka, further says, "Given the fact that Zee is known for coming up with innovative and successful in-house reality shows for instance Sa Re Ga Ma Pa and Antakshari, Business Baazigar is being looked forward to as being another innovative show, which is all about a search for people with smart business ideas. The show aims at giving them the money they require to start a business based on their ideas, which will be venture funded and will run into lakhs. The amounts will vary from idea to idea."

The first person who is playing Business Baazigar explains, "I was working with a 3D animation firm for four and-a- half years. I also worked with a firm, which developed both hardware and software. I realized after working there for so long that there was a fluctuation in the demand and supply of animators. I felt a void in the industry and before I could get bogged down with this job, I decided to move out on my own, I have an extremely good Idea, which you will come to know on Business Baazigar."

A media pundit on Business Baazigar Idea says, "Any developing country likes to bring forward the transition towards a developed economy. The young professionals nowadays are intelligent and are brimming with ideas. If you look at the business ventures these people are getting into, you will see that these come under the category of soft ventures wherein the risk factor is far less and there is relatively a huge return. The growth of this behavior visible amongst the youngsters is driven by market demand."