Mumbai: Zee TV has recently introduced viewers to the year’s biggest historical magnum opus narrating the untold story of one of the most iconic women of the Maratha empire – Kashibai Bajirao Ballal. For the launch of such a big-ticket fiction property, the channel flexed its marketing muscle, rolling out a campaign that has managed to arrest a lot of trade attention while driving viewer engagement, high-decibel buzz and sampling for the new show. From railway announcements made by a davandi band at prominent stations in peshwaaithaat, replete with tutari players aand women in kaashtas announcing the arrival of Kashibai on Zee TV to creating a unique social media filter to leveraging the mass connect of strategically identified social media influencers; from creating life-size rangoli portraits of the lead cast at prominent locations of Maharashtra to having a high-impact outdoor campaign across Mumbai, Pune & Nagpur the show has been successful in grabbing eyeballs and generating the pre-requisite hype for a successful launch.
To generate buzz around the show before its launch, Zee TV showcased life-size rangoli portraits (30 x 30 feet) of Kashibai and Bajirao at prominent locations in Mumbai, Pune, and Nagpur. In fact, Aarohi Patel (who plays the role of Kashibai) and Aishwarya Narkar (who plays the role of Radhabai – Bajirao’s mother) visited the city of Nagpur where these vibrant artworks were being made and were seen adding their finishing touches to the rangoli themselves. On the day of the launch, across entry points of 7 railway stations in Mumbai – Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, Churchgate, Borivali, Andheri, Dadar, Thane, and Mahalaxmi, a davandi band, with females dressed in Navwari sarees, men with tutaarisand an announcer drove attention of the passengers as they announced the arrival of Kashibai on Zee TV launch of the show every 30 minutes.
The channel also celebrated this unsung hero of the Maratha Empire through the use of a fascinating augmented reality filter. In fact, while Zee TV celebrated Kashibai, it asked its viewers to showcase their love towards the most important women in their lives by using this PeshwinbaiKashibai Bajirao Ballal filter on social media! To participate, the fans had to upload a story using this uber-cool filter, tag @ZeeTV with #MainBhiKashi. The social media filter was a huge success with more than 2,30,521 impressions.
Apart from the vibrant on-ground engagement and the social media filters, Zee TV’s social media campaign for Kashibai saw popular Hindi actor Mohit Malik and Marathi stars like Shrutii Marrathe, Priya Bapat, Amey Wagh, and Mrunmayee Deshpande-Rao driving impactful conversations around the show’s concept, its opulence as well as its legendary characters on their social media pages thus inviting people to watch the show.
Zee TV unveiled the show’s protagonists and the key cast members essaying Kashibai and Bajirao’s families in grand style at ND’s Film World, Karjat. From palkhi processions to rugged horse-back entries, the launch event transported everyone to the Maratha empire of the 18th century. Apart from an Ashtami performance by Kashibai and a talwarbaazi showcase by Bajirao, the Chaskar family, the descendants of Kashibai from Pune were felicitated at the ceremony and gave their warm blessings to the entire team.
Set in the 18th century after the end of the Mughal era, Kashibai Bajirao Ballal depicts the journey of a young, coddled girl who went on to become an astute and authoritative Peshwin bai – an administrator par excellence who held the fort while Bajirao was out expanding the Maratha kingdom. Capturing the myriad hues of Kashibai and Bajirao’s life, the show will see how destiny brings the two leaders together at an early age, their unique dynamics and how their union shapes the contours of the Maratha empire. It also showcases the rise of the Maratha Empire and its rich cultural heritage, all through the lens of Kashibai.
To watch the journey of an ordinary girl who took over the responsibilities of her empire and impressed one and all with her astute decision-making and people leadership skills, tune in to Kashibai Bajirao Ballal every Monday to Friday at 8 PM only on Zee TV.
