Cricket is perhaps the only sport that enjoys unparalleled attention in India. In a country, where the sport is a religion, it is every young boy's aspiration to be the idol leading a team to its victory. Facilitating this dream, KODANSHA Inc. and TMS Entertainment present SURAJ: THE RISING STAR, a cricket remake of the Japanese baseball anime hit Kyojin no Hoshi (Star of the Giants), to be aired on Colors every Sunday at 10 am starting 23rd December. This collaborative effort brings together content creators such as KODANSHA Inc., TMS Entertainment, COLORS and DQ Entertainment to mark the 60^th anniversary of bilateral ties between India and Japan.  

This legendary masterpiece from Japan portrays the life of a 16 year old boy, Suraj, set on his journey to be trained as a young cricketer, and the hardships and challenges he faces towards attaining this goal. Adapted for the Indian audiences, 'SURAJ-THE RISING STAR', craftily integrates Indian culture and Japanese animation highlighting common characteristics like the importance of family ties, friends and a 'never say die' attitude.

Speaking on this occasion, Yoshio Irie, VP and Board Member KODANSHA Inc. said, "India and Japan have shared a remarkable relations for the past 60 years. 'SURAJ-THE RISING STAR' is our endeavour back home, to pay due respect to this long standing bond between two culturally and technologically rich nations. We are proud to create content that has the ability to directly connect with the common man in India, with partners who foresee our vision. Set with a common goal, the show will touch upon the importance of determination and taking on challenges in real life. Our creative team eagerly awaits the Indian audience's response on this new outlook of entertainment and drama, custom-made for Indian viewers."

Raj Nayak, CEO, Colors said, "SURAJ – THE RISING STAR marks a step towards strengthening the Indo - Japan cultural relationship by amalgamating Indian culture and Japanese technology. We are proud to partner this relationship and help spread the message to the larger audience. Colors has always presented audiences with variety entertainment that includes unique content that caters to adults, families as well as kids. And now, with this show, we have done yet another first and extended our offering by foraying into a new genre using animation for story-telling. The series will present viewers an inspiring story of a young boy who dares to chase his cricketing dream. We are positive this will resonate with our audiences and is apt for a Sunday morning primetime 10 am time-slot."

Tapaas Chakravarti, Chairman & CEO of DQE Group, said, "We are very proud with our collaboration with KODANSHA and TMS Entertainment on this exciting show. We are sure kids and families in India will really enjoy this TV series and be able to relate with Suraj's struggle to reach for the stars. We are honoured to be associated with our Japanese partners and in being a part of strengthening the India - Japan cultural and economic relationship."

'SURAJ: THE RISING STAR', presented by Maruti Suzuki will be aired on COLORS, India's leading Hindi General Entertainment Channel starting Sunday, 23^rd December, 2012 at 10am. The show is sponsored by other leading Japanese companies such as All Nippon Airways, Kokuyo Camlin, Daikin and NISSIN coming together towards culture unification of two countries.