Seen Chandni someplace before...

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Posted: 19 years ago

Seen Chandni someplace before...
By: Shaheen Parkar
November 12, 2005

Manasi Parekh

Several viewers may not even notice that the bumbling Chandni of Star One's new show India Calling (as seen in the promos) is the yellow-haired Jo of Kitni Mast Hai Zindagi (MTV).

"Yes, it's true," says Manasi Parekh, "people may not recognise me minus my permed yellow hair. In fact I also feature in the After Bath cream commercial. Once India Calling airs, they'll realise I am the same girl in the ad as well!"

After Kitni Mast Hai Zindagi ended in May, Manasi was seen as Tania in Kaisa Ye Pyar Hai (Sony) for a while. "The last few months I have spent doing auditions as well as continuing with my riyaaz," points out Manasi who is also a singer.

Kaun hai Chandni

"In fact my okay as Chandni for India Calling happened so suddenly that I was taken aback. "I used to go from one audition to another and here I was being selected to play the main lead."

India Calling which airs on Star One from November 14 at 9.30 pm, revolves around Chandni, who arrives from Jallandhar in Mumbai. Chandni is a nave, small town character; unaware of the city's hows and whys.

She lands up in the metropolis in search of her sister and takes up a job at the call centre. "It is about Chandni's life at India Calling (the name of the call centre) and her relationship with Aditya (Vipul Gupta/the former Drone of K Street Pali Hill), the owner of the centre."

Why Manasi?

Adds the show's producer, Shrishti Behl Arya of Rose Audiovisuals, "The concept of India Calling came from Star One. They wanted an extremely urbane setting for it in keeping with the channel's vision. The call centre culture has pervaded everywhere.

If not a relative there is someone we know who works there. In fact several cast members of my other show, Remix, had earlier worked in a call centre.

These people are sitting here and talking to people in US, UK whom they don't know!" The decision to cast Manasi "was not only because she fitted the role but also because she could express a lot with her eyes," adds Shrishti. So now Manasi bani Chandni!

shaheen@mid-day.com

Who is Manasi Parekh?

• Basically a singer, she took part in the Channel [V] Popstars concert
• Acting happened after she took part in the MTV talent hunt for Balaji's Kitni Mast Hai Zindagi.
• Was seen as the yellow-haired Jo in Kitni Mast Hai Zindagi (MTV) and as Tania in Kaisa Ye Pyar Hai (Sony)
• Is also seen in the After Bath cream commercial
• Graduated in English Literature from St Xavier's College this year

Manasi on fianc Parthiv Gohil

Manasi Parekh with Parthiv Gohil on their engagement day

Manasi Parekh was engaged to singer Parthiv Gohil in February this year. It was music that brought them together.

They first met five years ago on the sets of Sa Re Ga Ma aired on Zee's Alpha Gujarati channel. Parthiv was the anchor and Manasi a participant. Though young — she was in school — she made it to the semi-final rounds on the show.

Their next encounter was six months later when Parthiv asked her if she was interested in singing in his show. On account of her exams, Manasi had to say no. Later they bumped into each other at music concerts. "It was not at all love at first sight. It grew gradually.

We would meet each other often at concerts and discuss music. He found me to be extremely enthusiastic about music. What I really liked about Parthiv was that even though he came from a small town, Bhavnagar, he nursed his dream to make a mark in the music world in Mumbai."

Incidentally, Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Devdas has Parthiv in the title track as well as in back vocals. Besides his band Aakruti, Parthiv also does Dosti concerts, about the friendship between songs of two languages (Gujarati, Hindi), which are of the same essence.