BBC Worldwide launching new version of Dancing with the Stars in India

BBC Worldwide is launching a second version of its Dancing with the Stars (aka Strictly Come Dancing) format in India, TBI has learned.

Myleeta Aga, general manager and creative head of BBC Worldwide Productions India, told TBI the new regional version of the talent show will launch in March and that she would like to see a third version of the show roll out in the Indian market.

The original local version of Dancing with the Stars, JhalakDikhhla Jaa, has stretched to five seasons and airs on the Colors general entertainment channel.

The new Bengali-language version, Jhalak Dikkhla Jaa Bangla, will be targeted at viewers in eastern Indian region of west Bengal. It will be produced by Worldwide and air on the ETV Bangla channel. The show will be fronted by local movie star Jishu Sengupta.

“The new show has a completely new set and is in a new language,” Aga told TBI. “If it works we will do more regional language versions” that would likely be aimed at viewers in southern India, she added.

The Indian versions of the format differ from those in the west in that they are not focused on classic ballroom dances and music, but take their inspiration from Bollywood and local sources.