Prasar Bharati supported documentaries on NDTV

New Delhi, Jan 15 (UNI) For the first time ever, documentaries, partly supported by the Prasar Bharati Corporation, are being shown on a private television channel in the country.

The Public Service Broadcasting Trust (PSBT) and New Delhi Television (NDTV) have entered a significant partnership for the promotion of documentary and reality films.

PSBT's films are telecast on Doordarshan every week and at numerous national and international fora. These are now being telecast each month on NDTV's flagship channel NDTV 24x7 as part of the NDTV series 'Documentary 24x7', every Thursday at 2130 hrs with repeat telecast on Sunday at 1330 hrs.

The partnership provides an ideal platform for the exploration of myriad issues these documentaries deal with and for enhancing the viewership of powerful and insightful content, PSBT said in a release here.

It said the effort would go a long way in creating and encouraging a public culture of documentary appreciation and engagement.

''We welcome exposure for the excellent films produced by PSBT on a private commercial channel. With the terrible decline in the standards of commercial television, this is a very praiseworthy effort by NDTV.

''Our films are produced by independent filmmakers, most of them young, partially funded by Doordarshan. The future for public broadcasting lies in efforts such as these that demonstrate the potential of public-private partnerships,'' said Adoor Gopalakrishnan, eminent filmmaker and PSBT Chairperson.

Two PSBT's films have been telecast on NDTV over the last month - Spot the Difference by Vivek Mohan, which documents the everyday lived similarities of a Chinese and Tibetan family despite underlying political differences and Sharira by Ein Lall which explores the life of Chandralekha, an extraordinary and celebrated dancer and the interconnections between body, movement, sexuality, sensuality and spirituality.

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