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Star One celebrates first birthday
By: A hitList Correspondent
October 28, 2005

CALLING ALL VIEWERS: India Calling November 1 marks the first anniversary of Star One. As it steps into its second year, the channel launches two new shows — India Calling and Darna Mana Hai. They will premiere on November 14, with India Calling at 9.30 pm, followed by Darna Mana Hai at 10 pm, from Monday to Thursday. Announcing the new programming block at a media meet held at the Star office yesterday, Sameer Nair, COO, Star India Pvt Ltd, said, "Star One was launched in November 2004 with the promise to push the boundaries of Hindi general entertainment programming. In the past year, we have delivered on this promise with innovative programming like The Great Indian Laughter Challenge, Nach Baliye, Siddhanth, Sarabhai vs Sarabhai, Remix and The Great Indian Comedy Show. India Calling and Darna Mana Hai will be weaved into an exciting line-up of programmes that will make prime time viewing on television a whole new experience." Adds Deepak Segal, executive vice-president, Content and Communications, Star India adds, "We are excited about the launch of these two new shows. Nach Baliye, which was launched last month, has set TV screens on fire across the country. As we enter our second year in November, we will continue to take Star One to greater heights with shows like Nach Baliye and The Great Indian Laughter Champions. These shows aim to capture the prime time slot in Indian households." DON'T YOU DARE! Darna Mana Hai Set against the backdrop of a call centre, India Calling is the story of the victory of a small town girl, Chandni, over hip city-dwellers. Set in fast-paced Mumbai, Chandni lands up in the city in search of her sister. Circumstances lead her to take up a job with India Calling, a leading call centre. The story takes us through Chandni's life at the call centre and her relationship with Aditya, its owner. Darna Mana Hai, India's first ever television extension of a Bollywood blockbuster, has a horror story every week, beginning Monday and climaxing on Thursday. The show's directors include Saurabh Shukla, Pawan Kaul, Saurabh Narang and Vivek Agnihotri. It is produced by K Sera Sera. thelist@mid-day.com

Hrithik got Vipul Gupta for India Calling
By: Tushar Joshi
October 29, 2005

Vipul Gupta Shrishti Behl Arya had a little help from a friend when she was casting the lead actor for her new show India Calling (Star One). The producer got a tip-off from none other than Hrithik Roshan to cast Vipul Gupta (former Drone of K Street Pali Hill) in the role. Delhi calling Vipul who hails from Delhi has done his share of modeling, television and films. These days he's on the India Calling promos where he plays the role of Aditya. "My character is an out-and-out brat with a heart of gold. He isn't exactly friendly with girls, but you can't call him a bad boy either," says Vipul. Borrowing from real life The serial revolves around a call centre. Interestingly Vipul has worked in a call center in Delhi and is quite well versed with the internal working of the place. "I was with GE Capital in Delhi. I didn't answer calls, but I did go through the voice and accent training. It definitely helped me better my role on the show which has the backdrop of a call center." The Hrithik connection So how come Hrithik Roshan recommended your name for the role? Vipul reveals, "I met Hrithik when they were auditioning for Lakshya, when I was in the National School of Drama. I got selected for a small role of Captain Rakesh, and even had some scenes with Hrithik. He then asked me to meet Goldie (Behl) and it coincided with the hunt they were having for India Calling. I fortunately fit into the look and the personality they wanted." Bollywood, here I come Vipul also has two films lined up for release. One is Hansal Mehta's Anjaan and the second is Red Ice Film's Saturday Nights. "Its funny, but my name on Anjaan and India Calling is Aditya. I don't want to take any more television roles at the moment. I am very excited about this show, and want to give it my best shot." tushar.joshi@mid-day.com

Mon-Wed 9:30 PM India Calling About the show | Characters | Episode Guide | Photogallery

Characters

Chandni Kapoor: Aged 20, she is traditional, determined, self reliant, bubbly, and righteous. She comes to India Calling in search of her missing sister, Manisha and falls in love with Aditya. Endears herself to people with her simplicity and her small-town innocence. She truly believes that its "cool to be an Indian".

Aditya Khanna: Aged 25, he is the rich spoilt brat who is dismissive, brash and aggressive, but has a heart of gold. Kamini encourages his wayward ways so that she can run India Calling her way. The most significant incident in his life is his heartbreak. He is passionate about photography, but it has taken a backseat at the moment

Kamini Khanna: The manipulative, sweetly sarcastic, ambitious and control freak who has married Vishesh for the 'Khanna' money. She pampers Aditya, so she can control him. She is also sweet to Vishesh, but 'love' has no meaning for her. She has taken over the household and runs the business, because Vishesh travels on business a lot.

Virender Khanna: The Govt. servant who has brought up Vishesh and Aditya after their parents died. He dislikes his bahu Kamini, who treats him disrespectfully when his grandchildren are not around. He realises that she has a stronghold on Aditya and is responsible for spoiling him rotten. Together with Beeji, he plays cupid between Aditya and Chandni.

Lajjoji (Beeji): Chandni's grandmother; traditional but worldly wise, has home remedies for every problem, instills Indian values in India Calling. Beware, beeji is also aware of global news and changing culture. Eternal romantic, she showers her fundas of love!

Mon-Wed 9:30 PM India Calling About the show | Characters | Episode Guide | Photogallery

About the show

Set against the backdrop of a leading call center, India Calling is the story about Chandni, a young town girl from Jalandhar. She has an older sister - Manisha Kapur who is in Mumbai. Chandni stays with her beeji and parents Meera and Ranjit Kapur. It so happens that this simple, but confident girl lands up at Mumbai in search of her sister.

The fast pace of city life and the hep crowd are something new to her! Circumstances also force her to a job at India Calling, a leading call centre owned by Aditya. Aditya is the city slicker, the snob whose grandpa, Virender Khanna owns the call centre. He has an elder brother, Vishesh who is married to Kamini. The story then takes us through Chandni's life at India Calling and her relationship with Aditya.

There are also some key characters at the call centre like Prashant (team leader), Varun, Smitha, Kabir, Reshma, Namrata, 'Taxi' Patil (driver) and Tyson (the security head) who will spice up and give a realistic picture of the organization.

India Calling starts November 14, 2005, Monday-Wednesday at 9:30 PM only on STAR One!

India's calling - Vipul

Vipul Gupta is the prospective next best thing on Indian television. Catch up with the hunk who is beginning to have a fan following in the very first week.


STAR One is known for coming up with distinctive ideas and diverse shows, and India Calling is one of them. A new entrant on STAR One, the show has a youthful feel to it. The story so far has been based on a girl Chandni, played by Manasi Parekh, who moves to Mumbai in search of her sister and works in a leading call centre, called India Calling. Furthermore, the story focuses on her encounter with Aditya Khanna essayed by Vipul Gupta, who owns the place.

Even before the character makes an entry on the show, the promos being aired have already created a fan following for Vipul Gupta.

Coming from Delhi, Vipul is not new-fangled to the razzmatazz of entertainment. A well known model from Delhi, he completed his MBA and worked for a call centre G E Capital. An ambitious man that he is, he decided to come to Mumbai to make it big. Apparently, the industry has welcomed him graciously.

A prominent face in the advertising world, Vipul modelled for a list of prestigious brands, including Mc Dowels, Indian Oil and Airtel. However, seems like he always had a strong inclination towards acting, as simultaneously he was dabbling with theatre.

As far as his first break on television is concerned, he considers himself lucky, as he did not have to go through the long queues for auditions. The makers of the show spotted him in the Lakme commercial and called him for a screen test. He cleared the audition and landed the role of Drone in K Street Pali Hill, aired on STAR Plus. After that there was no looking back.

Multi-tasking seems to go well with Vipul, as apart from television, he is also working in movies. Playing the main lead in the movie Anjaan, he is excited about his role. The movie is set to release on 25 November.

Talking about his character Aditya Khanna, in India Calling he says, the character is an outright brat with a heart of gold. His motto in Aditya's life - if you have it, flaunt it, but do not harm anyone.

As far as the similarities between the character and Vipul are concerned, he feels since Aditya is a very contemporary character, it is not difficult to identify with him. Speaking about the way his career has turned out on television, he sounds pleased. He prefers doing quality work to a clutter of shows.

As we wind up, we wish him luck and hope that he has a successful stint with whatever he does in the future and his new show India Calling does have India calling for more!

Call centre yarn

Kshama Rao

November 24, 2005
It's about Chandni, who has a heart of gold, can fly kites with dexterity and is a laadli of the family and the entire Jullundhar town, where the show is partly set.

The story so far: Chandni has grown up idolising elder sister Manisha, who happens to work at a call centre in Mumbai. Manisha's parents have decided to get her married to the son of a close family friend. However on engagement night, Manisha just doesn't turn up. In order to save the family ki izzat, Chandni gets engaged to her would be brother-in-law. But she also decides to go to Mumbai to look for her sister. We hope, Chandni too doesn't stay back and the poor guy is left with nobody to marry!

Who's in it? Manasi Parekh plays the lead role of Chandni. The production house, which made remix on Star One has made this one too.

First impression: Average fare what with the plot looking greatly inspired by the film, Aaina, which had Amrita Singh and Juhi Chawla playing sisters.

Upside: The show this week will move to a call centre, which could be fun. Also for once you have a protagonist who neither has a perfect face nor a perfect 10 figure. She's truly a girl next door.

Downside: After all the hype and hoopla the first few episodes were disappointing; hopefully it will perk up in forthcoming episodes.

Should you be watching it? May be if you want to see how a call centre functions?

http://www.tellychakkar.com/y2k5/dec/3dec/news_himani.php
This granny is the busiest in town!


This is one granny who has her task cut out! Her date diary is full and she enjoys the thrill of it all! Meet the busiest granny in town -- Himani Shivpuri. She is on at 9:30 Monday to Wednesday on Star One and Sony, playing granny to the channel's newest entrants, Chandni in India Calling and Anu in Ek Ladki Anjaani Si.

"I am very tired but I enjoy what I am doing. It is a coincidence that both my shows are on air at the same time and in the same time slot!" says the lady who is presently in Jaipur shooting for JP Dutta's Umrao Jaan.

"I am juggling my films along with my dailies and moreover, I am a workaholic so it does not matter," points out the actress, who has started writing a novel for kids, but has no time to finish it.

Himani, who became a household name with her character, Devaki in Humrahi


Himani as Chandni's best friend in India Calling
was advised by her friends and family not to pursue TV, but she stuck to her resolve and undoubtedly her characters particularly in shows like Zee's Astitva will be remembered for a long time to come.

"My character in both the shows is not of a typical grandmother. They are so different from each other that it's a challenge doing both at the same time," says an excited Himani, who is also slotted to appear in another Star One show, Ye Dil Chahe More, soon to appear on air.




Himani Shivpuri as the cynical granny in Ek Ladki...
This actress has come a long way from being a 'one serial at a time' motto to being the busiest artiste her age. Although the lady has very little time for herself, she makes it a point to see that she gets her 30 minute jogs three times a week!

As the actress signs off, she says, "I have just two hours of sleep everyday, but that's life and I like doing things differently!"


By ANANYA SENGUPTA Posted on 3 December 2005 1:30 pm

SINGING A NEW TUNE: Manasi



She plays the blonde-haired singer Jo in the MTV soap Kitni Mast Hain Zindagi, but off-screen, too, Manasi Parekh is a singer. "I'm into professional singing and acting happened after I took part in the MTV talent hunt."

Parekh also features as a singer called Tania in the Sony daily Kaisa Ye Pyar Hai. Both these shows are at 8 pm, so "people will have to do a bit of channel surfing to catch up with me on the two shows."

Despite acting, she manages to get time for music. "I make it a point to take my guitar on the sets everyday. Besides, I do my riyaz every morning." A student of St Xavier's College, Parekh has just appeared for her TYBA exams "so vacations mean shooting round-the-clock."

Here are 10 things about the singer-actress…

When is your birthday and what's your star sign?
It's on July 10, so that makes me a Cancerian.

Do you believe in astrology and numerology?
Not at all.

Where were you born, and which school did you go to?
I was born in Mumbai. I attended J B Vachha School.

What was your first job? And how much was your first paycheck?
As a singer at a children's musical show. I was paid Rs 800 for it.

One thing you are really bad at doing?
Getting angry.

What's your favourite smell?
I like the smell of spicy, garlic food.

Where in Mumbai would you rather be staying?
Where I presently stay — Wadala.

What do you lust for?
For life.

Your most embarrassing moment?
There are many such moments!

How often do you say "I love you"?
At least 10-15 times in a day to my mother, boyfriend and myself.

Well, nothing actually - Vipul

As Dron in K Street Pali Hill, Vipul made a great impact but was soon replaced. That didn't bother him much though. He kept trying and is now back in action as a cool yuppie in India Calling on Star One.

Your stint in K Street... seemed to be a smooth sail initially. What went wrong? Why did you quit abruptly?
Well, nothing actually. Nor did I leave the serial midway. My dates were clashing with a Bollywood project I had signed then, so I had no choice but to leave. You need to concentrate wholeheartedly on a venture that you undertake. A lukewarm approach can hamper your commitment. You have to be clear cut, not in two minds.

Then what prompted you to take up India Calling?
The script was awesome, I couldn't refuse it. Moreover, the film I was doing was almost complete. India Calling is directed by Bhushan Patel, who's also made Guns and Roses, Jeet and a string of hit films. I found the storyline exciting too.

You play the male protagonist Aditya in the serial. Do you identify yourself with the character?
Maybe to some extent. It has several shades to it. Aditya is an out-and-out cool brat with a heart of stone as his only grey vice. However, he's a normal, contemporary lad with an element of softness too. I mean, on the whole he's not a bad fellow.




And his nicer side is portrayed through his affair with the female lead...
Exactly! Even a tyrant melts when Cupid strikes. Chandni, (played by Manasi Parekh) the heroine, comes as a perfect foil to Aditya's disposition. They not only hail from different social strata but are brought up in contrasting setups. While the man flaunts his sports car and safari suits, the girl in her desi demeanour talks of her traditional views. In the beginning, there's a conflict but then it gradually takes a backfoot when both fall in love. After all, opposite poles do attract at some point or the other.

Apart from TV, you've done a few stage shows. So you aren't really a newcomer.
Well, I had worked with the ACME (A Common Man's Entertainment) troupe as an amateur artiste. And we did showcase some plays on issue-based, social themes that got rave reviews from all quarters. For instance, we performed Ramlila soon after the Godhra carnage and based the production on Hindu-Muslim riots. Besides, Surya Ke Pehli Se Surya Ke Antim Kiran, adapted from Surendra Sharma's Hindi novel, was also critically acclaimed.

As for films, my debut film Anjaan has just hit the theatres. A Hansal Mehta romantic thriller, the film's been produced by Anil Vohra. Others in the cast are Mehek (of Nayi Padosan fame) and Aamir Ali (of Yeh Kya Ho Raha Hai).

"The concept of Buddhism is very practical"



There are times in all our lives, when we desire the need for divine intervention; times, when life refuses to acknowledge the seemingly obvious and decides to take refuge in a world that is far away from ours. A world that gives the body and mind the spiritual healing that it yearns for. We, at Telly Chakkar.com decided to delve deeper into the lives of our favourite stars and know a little about their lives beyond the obvious.

She started off as the hip Jo in Kitni Mast Hai Zindagi, and then Mansi Parekh broke into the hip world of India Calling as Chandni from mofussil India. Chandni can't stop talking about Matarani in her current series, but Chandni is not the real Mansi.

She talks about her belief in spirituality and her discovery of Buddhism to Riya V Anandwala.


My Belief

I have started following Buddhism of late. It is a very practical religion, with no notion of idol worship. I chant every morning without fail. I do believe in God too, certainly there is someone up above, a supernatural power.

No Rituals
I am into the Hindu rituals too. You won't find me praying every morning or night, just whenever I feel like it. But yes, Buddhism chants give me a lot of energy and serve as a de-stresser!

"I never ask for anything"

I have always had in hard work. I have never asked for anything special as such. However, Buddhism demands a lot of meeting with people, which I can't live up to, as I am working.

Changing Perspectives

It is said that Buddhism gives us instant results. It is indeed a very practical way of connecting with God and has changed my perspective completely.

I have read a few books on the subject. But recently, I bought a copy of the Bhagvad Gita from someone on the sets of India Calling. And I have just started on that.


By RIYA V ANANDWALA Posted on 13 December 2005 1:00 pm

source:-

http://www.tellychakkar.com/y2k6/jan/13jan/soulcurry_mansi.p hp