Zee Network has launched a new free to air 24-hour television channel Zee Aflam, which  features Hindi films that are subtitled and adapted specially for Arab family viewing.

Available on Nilesat, Zee Aflam, which is the first of its kind in the region, showcases its primetime movies in four popular categories ranging from latest Bollywood blockbusters to timeless classics the enacted by the biggest stars of Hindi cinema, said a top official.

Elias Mouawad, CEO of Real Media Zee Network in the Mena and Pakistan Region, said “The idea behind Zee Aflam urged from the results of studies we conducted on viewers habits that have shown the need for an Indian movie channel addressing the Arab viewer.'

'Based on these results we took the decision to add Zee Aflam to the Zee Network family to meet the demand of the public in the region,' Mouawad added.

Romantic movies (Al Film Al Romansy) come under the heading From the Heart to the Heart (Min Al Qalb Ela Al Qalb) and are screened every Wednesday at 22:00 hours (KSA) and 23:30 hours UAE.

The second category features the films of Amitabh Bachchan, the biggest movie star of the millennium, and is headed host Amitabh as your Guest (Khali Amitabh Daifak). The films include a collection of his all time greats as well as his current worldwide hits. Screening times are every Thursday at 19:30 (KSA) and 20:30 UAE.

Friday is family movie time (Film Al Juma’a Al Aeli) when Zee Aflam presents its Friday for Family Gathering (Al Juma’a Iljam’ah) program with a mix of comedy, drama and wholesome entertainment that enriches the family movie watching experience.  Friday viewing times are 22:00 KSA 23:00 UAE.

Category four, The Best of Bollywood (Rawa’ea Bollywood), features world famous movies under the heading This is the Best (Wala Arwa’a) and includes all time famous hits starring the biggest names in Hindi cinema. The Best of Bollywood can be seen every Saturday at 19:30 KSA 20:30 UAE.

Consequently, the films have been edited down to a more appealing two-hour format suitable for Arab families viewing.

“Launching the new movie channel is part of the network expansion strategy internationally, and the corporate office gives its full support to the Middle East offices. We are confident that Zee Aflam will be another success story in our venture, which will consequently pave the way for Zee Network to be one of the main stream players in the region,' said Bharat Kumar Ranga, president of International Business for Zee Telefilms and Zee Network.-TradeArabia News Service