The South Pacific Region is all set to get its first-ever home-grown Hindi TV series, which will be exclusively shot in Fiji, New Zealand and Australia.
Aariyah – dubbed as Fiji's own Shortland Street – in a press release issued on Tuesday, September 10, is all set to go on the floor in November later this year.
Several creative and ambitious art-lovers are coming together to fulfil a long-held dream of making a commercially viable Hindi TV series that showcases the various shades of lives of Indian migrants living in the region.
The show is being written by Auckland based script-writer Ashfaak Khan produced by Anita Prasad, directed by Dr Ken Khan.
"It was my dream to see Fijian and Pacific content on the mainstream. I am glad that it's happening," Anita Prasad said.
The show will include characters from diverse Indian nationalities living in Fiji, New Zealand and Australia to showcase their day to day emotions and aspirations of settling in the broader South Pacific region.
"The aim of the show is to showcase Indians from different backgrounds living away from our motherland and adapting and adjusting lifestyle of westernization," Ms Prasad said.
The director of the show is the talented Dr Ken Khan, who is currently visiting Malaysia for the premiere of another production Suatu Ketika.
"We are delighted to receive phenomenal interest, including from Bollywood," Dr Khan said.
"Directors see no boundaries and literature contributes to connecting cultures. Fiji is part of the modern world, and its people are the people of today.
"It is humbling that through this TV Series I will have a chance to preserve Fiji Island's majestic presence and talents in the Pacific, Dr Khan said.
Aariya TV series is currently in the scripting and casting stage for season-one and on the lookout for the fresh talent for the show that can be new trend-setting for Fiji broadcasting media.
The show is written by Auckland's local talent Ashfaak Khan, who is busy in writing the thirteen-episode story for Aariya's first season.
"It's a satire with all the masala that revolves around a radio station which is a character in itself, like the hospital in Shortland Street," Ashfaak said, not giving away too much.
"The Thirteen episodes season-one is about life, relationships and loyalty," Ashfaak said.
Aariya is intended to be shown on major platforms, including Netflix and Amazon.
Anand Naidu – an award-winning producer with credits on features like Vindaloo Empire (Released) and Stranded Pearl (in-production) - is currently managing the production infrastructure.