Bigg Boss 8 gets replaced with 'Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat' and 'Khatron Ke Khiladi 6'

The historical drama will air on weekdays as the reality show will occupy the weekend time-slot.

Colors, the Viacom18 flagship Hindi GEC, is launching two new shows to replace the eighth season of Bigg Boss 8 that saw its culmination on January 31.

The channel is set to launch a historical drama on weekdays titled, 'Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat' that will occupy the 9 pm time slot from Monday to Friday, starting today. For weekend, the channel has lined up Rohit Shetty-hosted Fear factor- Khatron Ke Khiladi for the same time slot.

Both the shows will air for 60 minutes.

Khatron Ke Khiladi:

The sixth season of stunt-based reality show Khatron Ke Khiladi - Darr Ka Blockbuster is set to witness scarier and edgier stunts by stunt maestro, Shetty. Produced by Endemol India and shot in the scenic locales of Cape Town, South Africa, the show this season, will be presented by Karbonn Mobile. Mentos, Amul Macho and Mahindra Scorpio have come on board as the associate sponsors for Khatron Ke Khiladi.

Like Bigg Boss, this time the contestants of Khatron ke Khiladi will be required to live in a 'Darr Ka Ghar' created especially to raise the show's entertainment quotient. This season, the channel has given another twist to the format with the inclusion of a theme every week. These themes include: 'Insomnia Week' where the contestants will be sleep deprived the night before the stunt to test their will power and patience; 'Bollywood Theme' where the stunts are inspired by popular Bollywood films and terrifying 'Horror Week' giving the contestants a real taste of thrill and fear at the same time with stunts set up in scary locations.

Manisha Sharma, programming head, Colors says, "This time around viewers will be treated to stunts that will astound with their edginess. Fear will permeate every aspect of the show, right from the stunts to the house where the contestants are staying. Needless to say, the contestants have also had to up their game to keep up with the surprises that are being thrown at them. Truly adding the 'blockbuster' touch to the show, a lot of new elements and high energy will make the show a thrilling watch as the contestants give it their best shot."

The contestants for Khatron Ke Khiladi, this season are - Ashish Chaudhary, Rashmi Desai, Hussain Kuwajerwala, Harshad Arora, Iqbal Khan, Sana Khan, Sagarika Ghatge, Asha Negi, Riddhi Dogra, Meiyang Chаng, Rakesh Kumar, Siddharth Bharadwaj, Nathalia Kaur, and Archana Vijaya. Adding a twist to the tale and urging the contestants to push their boundaries will be last year's finalist Salman Yusuff Khan who will be seen taking on the mantle of a challenger.

Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat:

The hitorical show will touch upon critical aspects of Ashoka's life through "exceptional" storytelling, "intricately" structured script, "stellar" acting and some "stunning" visual effects, the channel said.

The show will be produced by Contiloe Productions. It has been extensively shot in various exotic locales across the country. A mammoth set with intricate designs which are reminiscent of that era have been put together at ND Studios, Karjat by Omung Kumar and Nitin Desai. According to the channel, the Mauryan era will be brought alive through the use of high-end VFX technology to make the overall viewing experience more engaging and entertaining for viewers.

Commenting on the launch of the show, Raj Nayak, CEO - Colors says, "With Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat, our aim is to take the Indian audience beyond the confines of history books to narrate the never told before tale of Emperor Ashoka for the first time on television. We hope that the visually rich scene-setter, epic sets and renowned cast provide the audience with a new perspective into one of our most magnificent projects in recent times."

For Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat, Colors has devised an elaborate impact and reach-driven marketing strategy amplifying the thought 'Yeh Woh Raja Hai Jiska Sikka Aaj Bhi Chalta Hai'. A special School Contact Program will be executed in close to 200 schools in 50 towns in Tier II markets where young students will, in an interactive way, learn about Emperor Ashoka and his life. A first-time innovation with the Mumbai Metro will have tokens being converted to coins from Ashoka's Mauryan Empire for the duration of 1 week. The campaign will further engage viewers through platforms such as cable and television, print, DTH, and OOH at multiple touchpoints.

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