Back after 8 years: Popular actor Aarya Babbar to play the evil antagonist ‘Kalikant’ in Zee TV’s Jagriti- Ek Nayi Subah

Imagine a newborn baby, barely a day old, their tiny fingers pressed against an ink pad, their fingerprints taken into police records and branded as criminals even before they’ve cried their first cry. Shocking, isn’t it? But such is the cruel reality for the Chitta community where the future of every child is sealed even before they have begun to live their lives. With Jagriti, Zee TV breaks away from the traditional mould and brings viewers a show set in a very different world. Based in the fictional town of Mokshgarh in the Jamtara district of Jharkhand, the story explores the systemic injustice where the people of this community are branded as criminals at birth, denied education, relegated to professions like hunting and exploited by feudal lords. Produced by Guroudev Bhalla, Jagriti – Ek Nayi Subah follows a young girl’s spirited struggle for dignity and freedom.

Making his comeback after 8 long years on television, popular actor Aarya Babbar will be seen in a never-seen-before avatar as Kalikant Thakur. He is the village’s richest and most powerful man and bribes the local police and forest officials to run his illegal businesses smoothly. He is an authoritarian, patriarchal, and misogynistic person, who is cruel towards the people of the Chitta community. Every time the authorities catch his smuggling consignments, an innocent man from the community takes the fall for it.

Aarya Babbar said, “I am very excited to return to television after 8 years with an interesting show like ‘Jagriti’. This is the very first time I have had an opportunity to work with Zee TV. I spent some time with the creative team at the promo shoot working on my dialect, body language for Kalikant and I think we’re really get into the groove. I isolated myself right before my take to get into the zone of my cruel character. I have played various negative roles in the past, but the character of Kalikant stands out as one of the most complex roles I’ve ever taken on. I can’t wait for the audience to see the powerful narrative we’re trying to create.”

Stay tuned as Jagriti – Ek Nayi Subah promises to add an interesting new flavour to the channel’s vibrant content mix!

‘Jagriti- Ek Nayi Subah’ will premiere starting 16th September on Zee TV!