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Manish and Asif in basketball brawl
By: Vickey Lalwani
May 31, 2006

Not interested: Manish Raisinghania (centre) in Jab Love Hua Tony and Deeya Singh's daily Jab Love Hua (Zee) is facing problems. Two of its actors —Manish Raisinghania and Asif Basra — are at loggerheads. And director Jeetu Arora (who has shot several Balaji shows) is on his way out. Manish (Arjun) and Asif (Mirza) clashed at the Film City set last week. Required to play basketball for a scene, the two actors got into a physical scuffle. Arora had to intervene to separate them. "Good that Arora could manage to pull them away from each other, nahin to pata nahin kya ho jata," says a source. 'Authentic' game While Asif denied the fight, Manish told HiTLIST, "We were playing the game aggressively, lending authenticity to the character. We just got a bit carried away." Arora was forthcoming. "Manish and Asif got into a terrible fight that day. I saved the situation before it became uglier," he admitted. Revealed the director, "Manish and Asif have seldom gotten along. There has always been an undercurrent of tension on the set, when the two shoot together." What happened that day? "The scene required both actors to come close to each other, with aggressive expressions on their faces. Just prior to that, Asif started explaining to Manish how he should enact that scene, and Manish didn't like that. He came and had a word with me. I knew something undesirable was going to happen. They both pushed each other, and immediately, tempers rose. I called out 'cut!' and ran towards them." Rural wisdom? Asif Basra (third from left)in Jab Love Hua

Improvising Asif

Arora complains that Asif had problems with him, too. "He used to improvise too much. At times, that was not required. I used to tell him that he should improvise in the rehearsals itself, so that the final take is not new to me.

However, he rarely listened. Recently, he improvised in a particular scene, and covered the entire screen. This time, when I told him, he threw a tantrum, saying I shouldn't teach him how to act. I told him to pack off. He calmed down later."

Arora says he doesn't enjoy working with the Singhs. "Lately, I shot a scene, which the Singhs told me had not been shot well. My grouse was that I had been given very limited time to complete that scene. After some time, they stopped calling me. I am going to meet them in a day or two, and take my balance payment. I don't want to do Jab Love Hua any more

Chunari sambhal gori...

The protagonists of Jab Love Hua have a showdown as Aanya's dupatta hits Raghu's face

Reena Thapar Kapoor

Priya Badlani and Sudeep Sahir (Aanya and Raghu in Jab Love Hua) are the youngest couple on television today. The two are still coping with long working hours and the daily demands of acting.

Last week, when Priya and Sahir were shooting a dance sequence, the two had an altercation. Priya was wearing a traditional outfit designed by Neeta Lulla. "The dress was really heavy. And Priya just couldn't manage the heavily embroidered dupatta. I guess she isn't used to wearing traditional Indian clothes," says an eyewitness on the sets.

According to the choreographer's instructions, Priya had to twirl her dupatta to the music. However, in the course of swirling her dupatta, she hit Sudeep and left a few scratches on his face. "I didn't do it purposely," says Priya, though she admits she found the dupatta cumbersome. "I was just following instructions. I don't know how the dupatta hit Sudeep's face," she says.

And how did her co-star react? "Sudeep was shocked! I think he was angry because he kept telling me to be careful," she says. But it was the last straw for Sudeep when the dupatta struck him a second time. "After a few minutes, my dupatta hit him again. And this time Sudeep screamed at me," says an aghast Priya.

It's being said that Sudeep accused Priya of hitting him intentionally. This is the first time that the two actors have had a tiff. So far, they have got along fine with each other. Priya feels that the prospect of facing the camera with nasty scars on the face may have upset Sudeep.

He says, "The scratches bothered me as I shoot every day. I had asked Priya to exercise caution. First her dupatta hit me and then it hit the child star Abhineel." All the same, the actor insists that he has never had any issues with Priya in the past. "I'm comfortable working with her, but I wish she were more careful about her actions," says Sudeep.

• Sudeep was shocked! I think he was angry because he kept telling me to be careful —Priya Badlani

Priya Badlani and Sudeep Sahir

The culprit: The heavily embroidered dupatta designed by Neeta Lulla

Rameshwari

RAMESHWARI RETURNS

Harrshadaa G Vedpathak Malad

She was the predecessor to the kinds to one film wonders like Bhagyashree. An FTII product, Rameshwari was a rage as the Dulhan Wohi Jo Piya Man Bhaaye girl and Sunayana, yet she disappeared without a murmur. She recently resurfaced as the bhabhi in Bunty Aur Babli and can now be seen as mother figure in the tele-series Jab Love Hua.
On her disappearance, Rameshwari does not mince words in saying that she's been a victim of negative publicity. "I met with an accident during Sunayana, which led rumours that I had lost an eye. When I met Kamal Haasan recently, even he inquired about my lost eye." After the film phase, the actress got involved with teleseries like Ados Pados, Darpan, besides also producing serials like Postmortem, Ek Zara Si Baat. Rameshwari wonders at the hue and cry being made about her return on the acting front as a mother. "What's the big deal about doing mother roles? At least I've got these roles at the right age. Nirupa Roy, Reema, Smita Jaykar started acting as mothers on the big screen at an early age," states Rameshwari. "I have no hang-ups about playing a mother, the only condition is that they have a name, an identity. I don't take like to entertain offers that expects me to be happy at the fact that I'm playing the hero's mother." The actress is now known as the 'hit mom' down South.
The actress does not beat round the bush to say that she's not got any concrete film offers after Bunty Aur Babli. Besides acting in Jab Love Hua, south films she's produced a Punjabi film with husband Deepak Seth. The film is based on the Shakespearean comedy, Comedy of Errors. At this stage of her career, what does she think about her super success in Dulhan Wohi Jo Piya Man Bhaayi. "My role in Dulhan… was an authorbacked one. I was fortunate. Today's heroines are not that lucky to get roles like we did." Her stint as a heroine also included the so-called rivalry with Zarina Wahab. " Zarina is genuine and a giving person. Contrary to what was written about us, we were extremely fond of each other. Whenever we met then and now, we used to burst out in Telugu," laughs the one-time favourite dulhan of Bollywood.

Bride & Prejudice

A still from Jab Love Hua

How different is a Zee bahu from a Star bahu? We find out

Kausar Munir

Aapko kaisi bahu chahiye? Strong and simple like Simran and Saloni? Or stylish yet traditional like Prerna and Tulsi? Before you make your choice, it's better if you know the gharana (read channel) of these bahus first.

Let's flash back to the early days of Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. As saas-bahu sagas were gaining ground, another drama was unfolding in the TV industry – that of channel politics. Star Plus with Ekta Kapoor's saases and bahus rooting for it, had the obvious advantage. And the cacophony of serials soon muted the voice of other channels. The most affected was Zee TV.

The pioneer of mainstream satellite entertainment with arguably sensitive shows to its credit (Tara, Hasratein, Amanat…), Zee was struggling in the face of hi-decibel rona dhona and hi-drama freeze points.

But hope floated once more with Astitva – Ek Prem Kahani (a mature love story) and Sa Re Ga Ma (the music reality show). Agreed, Star Plus had by now had captured the domestic scene but Zee was ready to test its newfound confidence on the family drama scene. And it did.

Taking a leaf off the megahit K-brigade (Kyunki, Kahani, Kavyanjali…) Zee launched its own soapy stories. First the lukewarm Piya ka Ghar, then the slightly hotter Tumhari Disha, followed by Saat Phere-Saloni Ka Safar and finally the Balaji scorcher Kasamh Se…

The numbers game aside, Zee now has a saas-bahu tradition all its own and one can actually have a Star v/s Zee bahus tele match.

Says a Zee TV insider, "The Star bahus are largely Balaji bahus and their boundaries are well-defined. If you are a good bahu, glamour plus gud (jaggery) is the formula. And if you are the bad bahu, glamour plus mirchi is the brief."

But the creative head of Balaji Telefilms, Nivedita Basu disagrees, "We are no different from any other channel in the way we portray our women. A show becomes a hit on the content of its own merit. Kasamh Se worked for Zee but we would do nothing differently had it been a show on Star Plus."

So are the Zee bahus any different from the saas bahus? "I don't know about the bahus but yes, on the whole Zee does have a history of trying out different shows. Like the recent Jab Love Hua...," she replies.

"Whether it's Star or Zee, just a look at the bahu shows you whether she's a vamp or not," says Arafa Shaikh, a young viewer. True, the TV bahus have always led the designer brigade with their backless cholis, strapless sarees, blazing bindis and well-defined eyes.

A budding designer Poonam Narula, who has recently started designing for TV, says, "Zee in its second innings did initially portray more simple women, like the simple Rimjhim or Dr. Simran. But that simple look died with these shows. Since then, it decided to go the Star way. Now Krutika Desai's bindis blind Tumhari Disha, Saloni's bhabhis look more like item girls and Roshni Chopra of Kasamh Se is the new sari 'with it' girl."

Dressing style aside, are the attitudes of the Zee bahus any different from the Star ones? According to actress, Maninee Mishra, "Whichever the channel, TRPs go along with with high drama. So when the emotions are over-the-top, one is given over-the-top lines to mouth. If one is to get down to individual channel differences, Star definitely was the one to change the look of its bahus, with a high gloss and glamour quotient. But in terms of attitude, they reflected the strength of their women in the ability to suffer and still be strong which is a subservient position."

However, advertising executive Sampoorna Singh has a decidedly different opinion, "The type of bahu depends more on the set-up than the channel. If it's an Ajai Sinha production then the rolling of eyes and twitching of lips won't do. If it's a Balaji show, all this works."

When we look beyond the clothes, make-up and, of course, the water-works, what is the mindset of these bahus that visit and possibly influence millions of women in our country?

Varun Badola a seasoned player on both channels, provides the male perspective. He says, "Earlier Zee did have a social philosophy, the heroines were primarily meant to 'make a mark', like Koshish – Ek Ashaa, or Astitva for that matter. But Star started the trend of 'making a market' and that has worked very well for everyone. Zee may be marginally more adventurous in its choice of shows, but Star has created a "hit" formula. The mantra is to entertain and keep the sympathies of the audience alive, no matter how bizarrely the bahu behaves…"

It's true that most characters (bahu or not) on television soaps have no right to a philosophy. Dress, design, attitudes are all mostly dictated by the channel-producer nexus and one has no say in the matter. Come to think of it, channels too don't have much of a choice, what with TRPs hanging over their heads and competition always increasing.

In such a scenario, it maybe suicidal to have an offbeat bahu whether on Zee, Star or, for that matter, on any channel.



• Says a Zee TV insider, "Star bahus are largely Balaji bahus and their boundaries are well-defined. If you are a good bahu, glamour plus gud (jaggery) is the formula. And if you are the bad bahu, glamour plus mirchi is the brief."



STAR BAHUS

• Style icons yet very traditional in their outlook
• More stereotypical
• Catering to the mass market
• Gharelu

ZEE BAHUS

• Simple yet strong
• Individualistic
• Little more off-beat
• Some have careers too

They are also similar in that they both...

• Indulge in high-decibel drama
• Cry easily (at least once in every episode)
• Live in joint families
• Wear saris and plenty of jewellery, with the mangalsutra forming the highlight

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Priya Badlani, the Anya has Strong Projections
They did it to R. Madhavan, Shefali Chhaya and Irrfan Khan in Banegi Apni Baat, Jennifer Kotwal and Chandana Sharma in Just Mohabbat and to Mona Singh in Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin. And with their latest offering Jabb Love Hua on Zee TV, which started on April 24, and currently carrying a Mela sequence, Tony and Deeya Singh are all set to do it once again, to make a star out of a newcomer. And this time, the lucky girl is Priya Badlani.

"I was plain lucky that things worked out with Tony and Deeya Singh, otherwise I wasn't very hopeful," says the newcomer adding that this serial wasn't planned but just fell into her lap, "I wanted to go for auditions and had made it very clear to my agency because I wanted to take a sabbatical from modelling. As I wanted to act, I thought this was the best way as it would help me know more about characters, roles etc. But then they (Tony and Deeya) liked me and everything fell in place."

According to the bubbly actress, casting is the most important aspect for any serial and Tony and Deeya are masters in selecting the right actor. "Tony and Deeya are very good with casting. When they audition you a couple of times, you know they are interested. It's just a process. There were a series of tests but I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it."



How did she find the shift from ads to TV? "I have been into ads for almost three-and-a-half years now and have a number of big ad films to my credit. But ad films are like child's stuff when compared to either films or TV. TV is real hard work. More than six to seven scenes are bound to be canned in one day. But at the end of the day, it's a satisfying experience."

Talking about her character 'Anya' in the serial, Priya says, "My character in a nutshell, is a rich, spoilt brat. She is a girl from a very affluent family who goes through a lot of changes. She realises that there is more to life than superficial things. It's a very strong character."

Does that mean she is confident of Anya going on to become a craze like Jassi? "Well, I hope it does. I am sure lot of people will relate to it. Hope everyone would relate to it someway or the other," says a confident Priya flashing her dimples. At the same time, she was quick to clarify that her character has no similarity to Jassi and is exactly the opposite of the plain jane. "Anya's look is very glamourous. She is very bright. She comes from such a liberal background that for her wearing a short skirt or revealing clothes is not a big thing at all."

We heard that the entire serial was shot outdoors in Mahabaleshwar. How was the experience? "It was fabulous. It was great fun. Both Tony and Deeya are hard task masters and they are perfectionists. It's a different set-up from most other set-ups. It involves a lot of creativity. After working with them you emerge with a lot of experience." And her co-stars? "Sudeep (Sahir) is just amazing. He has made my job easier. Each of the characters fit the bill. Rameshwari (veteran actress) who plays Sudeep's mum is an experienced actress. I have just done two to three scenes with her till now, but the experience was wonderful."

So what now since her dream of acting in front of the camera has come true? "Wait, I didn't want to be in front of the camera, rather when I finished my graduation, I wanted to be behind it but destiny had planned otherwise. But, at the moment I am happy doing what I am doing," clarifies Priya.

Now that she is all set for stardom, is she ready for the downside, gossip, invasion of privacy etc? "At the end of the day we are all humans. Let's see how things work out. I hope I will handle all that well. But the one thing that matters most is one's work," she explains.

And what about films? Wouldn't she want to be seen on the big screen as well? "Films definitely interest me. Every actor wants to do films. But at the moment I am doing this. Let's see what's next," was her answer, but at the same time, she also lists the kind of roles she would want to do on the silver screen, "There are so many roles I would love to play. Like Sridevi in Sadma, Meg Ryan in When Harry Met Sally. In fact I won this role (of Anya) by enacting the disagreement scene between Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal in the film about whether men and women can be friends or not. I had seen the film so many times. I could enact the scene really well. I guess they kind of liked it and I was on." Priya sure has a lot of stars in her eyes. But there is indeed a long way to go before she gets to play the roles of her dreams!

The husband-wife duo, Tony and Deeya Singh, are set to make a comeback on Zee TV after Banegi Apni Baat. Their new serial Jab Love Hua will premiere on April 24, at 8.30 pm on Zee TV.

The typical filmi plot of gaon ka chora versus the city girl, is the crux of the serial, as Deeya confesses, "Deep down somewhere we all have lost the earlier fun we used to have like going to our ancestral house, and true Indianness. New girl Priya Badlani plays the lead opposite Sudeep Sahir. While Sudeep is a typical village lad, Priya is the city bred spoilt brat and how they fall in love is the beauty of our new offering".

Yesteryear actress Rameshwari plays Sudeep's mother in the serial and is equally supported by Vivek Vaswani and others.

Raju Singh has scored the music for the serial. Will the duo be able to recreate the magic of Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin with their new serial? One will have to wait once the serial picks up momentum, till then just wait and watch.

Sudeep Sahir speaks

Q: Long gap between Ayushman and Jabb Love Hua?

Yes, after Ayushman went off air, I was free and was looking out for good and substantial roles. That's when Jabb Love Hua happened. Actually, I got a call from Tony and Deeya Singh for an audition. And once I auditioned for the role of Raghu, they called me back again on the same day and got more tests done. And within a few hours I was finalised.

Q: The show is being pitched as 'the show with a difference'?

Jabb Love Hua is actually a very different show for the reason that nothing like that has ever come on television so far. It has a kind of freshness and rustic look about it which makes it truly different from any other show on air at present. The locations are real, the characters are true and there is lot of creativity and newness. It's the story of how a completely spoilt and rich girl comes to this village and comes across Raghu who is just the opposite to her in nature and temperament. And when they are together, how they affect each other's life is the crux of this serial.

Q: We have heard that you are playing the character of a village guy who speaks in a local dialect. How did you prepare yourself for it?

It wasn't that difficult for me because I belong to the North. So, my Hindi is quite strong. All I needed was to pick up the accent and after a little work, it was very easy to give a rustic touch to my language. But, yes, I had problems learning to tie my own dhoti. It was a real struggle. (laughs).

Q: Any memorable moment while shooting?

So many of them. But the best was when I had to milk a buffalo. I was so nervous, what if it kicked me. But everyone persuaded me and I agreed. I tried befriending the buffalo by offering her grass and she seemed to be okay and normal. But the moment the director said 'Action!' and as I moved forward to milk her, one of the reflectors flashed in her eyes and she kicked everything around including me. Oh god, that was one moment I will never forget.

Q: Your expectations from the show?

I am sure it's going to do very well because it has been shot nicely. Another thing is that this month has been quite lucky for me. Jabb Love Hua is starting on the 24th, and I am getting married to my love on the 29th.

Madhur wants to anchor

Madhur, who played Esha in Zee's Jab Love Hua, has been replaced by Monaz Mewawalla. When we heard that it was due to date problems, we were taken aback because as far as we know, Madhur was doing only one serial. So, what was keeping her busy? "I am busy sorting some problems related to my property and that's why couldn't allot the time or dates to the producer," she informed. Though Madhur was essaying the role of the protagonist Aanya's sister, she claims people loved her track with Bhola. "Mine was the most obvious character," she says and yet the actress is not interested in doing any more serials. She is looking at anchoring shows or acting in films.

Those rustic touches

Talking about Jab Love Hua, Tony and Deeya Singh need to watch out for continuity for Jab Love Hua. When the Shroff women moved into their village homestead to escape the law, the house they moved into was very basic. Even with sprucing up it can look comfy. Now suddenly we see furnishing and furniture out of a city shop. Now if they are in hiding, how can they shop even by mail order? What is charming are the rustic touches, how about chocolate cake laced with the local brew? That's what Aanya the exuberant younger daughter had as her birthday cake.