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Manna Dey sings for UMAR!

Music director Shameer Tandon, who had last made news when he got Asha Bhonsle to record a composition over the net for PAGE 3, has once again achieved a rare feat, this time of getting Manna Dey to sing for a film, after almost 20 years. Dey recently recorded a soulful number for UMAR, a film produced and directed by Karan Razdan, thanks to the initiative taken by Tandon of tracing the veteran singer and coaxing him to sing for the film. The last time he sang for a film was in 1991 for PRAHAAR, after which he withdrew into a shell and consciously abstained from lending his voice, due to the paucity of songs that reflected his style of singing. According to Tandon, he was initially apprehensive whether Dey would agree to sing for the film. However, he was impressed with the retro kind of music that Tandon had composed for UMAR and agreed to sing, when Tandon flew down to Bangalore to meet him. "It was a big achievement for me. I knew that the song would be incomplete without his voice," Tandon recalls.

UMAR, which stars Satish Kaushik, Kader Khan and Prem Chopra, tells the touching story of three old men who are fighting the travails of life. There are four songs in the film, one of which is an intense eight-minute ghazal rendered by Jagjit Singh. Says Tandon, "Old age happens to everyone. We all know that old people love to sing too but beneath the happiness there is also certain pathos to their voice, which I have tried to achieve through the songs in the film. The film has a conventional music score which is reflective of the 60s and 70s, which I guess appealed a lot to Dey."

Meanwhile, he is looking forward to working with the PAGE 3 producer and director. While Madhur Bhandarkar has signed him for the music of his next film, CORPORATE, producer Bobby Pushkarna has signed him for his forthcoming film, which will have Mona 'Jassi' Singh, making her film debut.

That's my daddy dearest!

You may have seen them with their screen fathers on the telly night after night, but on the occasion of Father's Day tomorrow, hitList takes you to meet their real fathers as these daddy's girls recount those memories that linger on about their dads Juhi Parmar (Kumkum of Kumkum — Ek Pyaara Sa Bandhan) and Devendra Parmar Papa is general manager, Reid &Taylor, and is currently based in Mysore though Jaipur is our hometown. I am papa's weakness; he can't see tears in my eyes --- so whatever I ask for I get. The fondest memories I have is when he would take me to the revolving restaurant in Jaipur. I loved to get a bird's eye-view of the city. In 1997, he gifted me a German Shepherd whom I call Bosky —- this is the best gift I have received from him. Chavvi Mittal (Disha of Tumhari Disha) and Devendra Mittal My papa is a businessman in Gurgaon. My fondest memory of him is the unparalleled support he has shown me during my initial days. I wanted to be a singer since the age of seven and used to go for my classes. I remember him coming with me and waiting patiently outside giving me encouragement. Also when I became an anchor and started my television career he boosted my morale and told me I can make it. Shama Sikander (Pooja of Ye Meri Life Hai) and Sikander Ali Gesawat My papa is from Rajasthan and in the marble business. My folks tell me that when I was born, dad took me iin his arms and whistled at me. I gave him a broad grin. Since then whenever he whistled, I would run to him. Even if he's far away and I hear that trademark whistle I can instantly recognise it's him. Komolika Guha Thakurta (Gayatri of Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi) and Nirup Guha Thakurta Baba has retired from the advertising world; he was with the HTA and is based in Kolkata. The faith that Baba has in me, his trust and his love has been my greatest strengths. Till date, whatever decisions I have taken have been with the hope that I will not let Baba down. I may not have been the ideal daughter always, but Baba has been the best father that anyone can have. From taking me for walks in the rain, to assuring me that maths was not such a dreaded subject, to always taking time out for vacations, to standing outside the gates of the exam hall, to holding my hand when I was a nervous bride, to standing by my side when I was having my baby — Baba has always been there for me. Till date a smile from him, a pat on the back is all that I need to take on the world. I'd just like to tell him — I love you Baba! Papa kehte hain... Some more of daddy's little girls! 1. Kulraj Randhawa (Kareena of Kareena Kareena) and Col S.S Randhawa My dad is a retired army officer and is from Chandigarh. Even though I am a girl, he never treated me like one. He considered me to be like his son. He told me to be independent and try different things in life. I remember when I was in 7th or 8th standard we had a flat tyre on our way to some place. He made me change the tyre and taught me how to do it. He also told me how to be a sharp shooter. I admire him for the way he's bought me up and I think a lot of my confidence is basically because of the way he brought me up. 2. Tassnim Sheikh (Mohini of Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi) and Abrar Hussain My dad has always been in Mumbai. He's a retired electrical engineer. I remember as a kid he used to make it a point to drop me to school. Till my 12th standard he made sure he accompanied me to school. During the rains, he would carry me on his shoulder and hold an umbrella in the other hand. I loved the monsoons and recall how I would play with the raindrops as they fell on my hand. Also, I would wait for my day at school. I waited for school to end just so I could go see him. 3. Mona Singh (Jassi) with Colonel Jasbir Singh Papa has retired from army life and is based in Pune. I have always been my father's daughter — pampered and spoilt. For just about anything, I would always run to him. I have had this great bond with my father. In fact my older sister would always say that she was the adopted child as papa would always pamper me. 4. Swetta Keswani and Suresh Chander Keswani Dad is an engineer who is retired now. He used to work in an engineering firm which required him to travel wherever the company took on new projects. Once he was stationed in Baghdad and we were on an outing. I was wearing these new shoes that squeaked whenever I walked. I was so scared of the noise as I thought a rat was behind me! So, I made him carry me all around. I also recall the time I argued with him about the spelling of laugh. I insisted laugh was spelt as 'laf'. I annoyed him to the point that he had to slap me! 5. Aashka Goradia (Kumud of Kkusum) and Dhimant Goradia My papa is in the infrastructure business based in Ahmedabad. The memory that always lingers on in my mind is of my father on the day of my class 10 results. He was so worked up about my score that he paced up and down in the house till he saw my results — I had secured 83 per cent! Only then could he relax. Even today, I still can't forget papa's face and expressions that day.

There's a soap in my video
Monday June 20 2005 10:36 IST

MUMBAI: When Armaan and Jassi finally declared their love for each other, the producers at Sony Television decided to create a soundtrack to mark the momentous event.

So, Indian Idol Abhijeet Sawant crooned a love theme. Being a product of the channel, he was easy to get and paved the way for the ideal cross-promotional strategy. A video of the track and a full-length album of Jassi songs are in the works.

Rival Star Plus has been using music videos to boost their shows' visibility for some time now. First came Remix—the video for the theme from the high school dramedy that centers around four boarding school kids, who just happen to have their own band. The idea was inspired by "underground rock bands at colleges like IIT," says producer Shristi Arya. "Unlike other soaps that feature item numbers, the songs are actually performed by the cast and take the narrative forward," she says. The producers have shot four more videos. The latest, Mast Mast, is currently on air on Channel [V]. The next couple of months will see Dil Ki Yeh Dadhkan and Love Station, a Bappi Lahiri retro-disco tune, hitting our screens.

Star Plus also felt that a music video was the key to building curiosity for their prime time tale of an orphaned girl, Miilee. "Music was the best way to convey the freshness and happy-go-lucky attitude of the character," says Shailja Kejriwal, creative director, Star Plus.

The Sound of Music inspired theme helped the daily soap to make its mark. "We're going to introduce a new song in the show every few months," she adds. Coming soon are videos from two of Zee TV's new shows, Raba Ishq Na Hove and Kasshish. While the title track for Aroona Irani's new daily has been sung by Sukhwinder Singh, Jeevan Kya Hai is the Jagjit Singh track that will soon be seen on Zee. "It's one of a series of ghazals Singh has rendered for the soap," says Ashwini Yardi, the programming head at Zee.

Thanks to the availability of an in-house team for production and a sister channel ready to air them ad naseum, music videos are gaining ground as the new promotional weapon of the daily soap.

Bang On

Dhoom scriptwriter Vijay Acharya is revving up for the sequel

Manju Sara Rajan

New Delhi, June 19: FILL in the blanks: __ Jaisi __ Nahin. There's hardly a secretary left in the country who wouldn't know the answer to that one.

Two years ago, Vijay Krishna Acharya answered Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin to an oft-asked Indian question: What do you call the Indian version of a foreign hit? And so the Spanish Betty the Ugly became our Jassi. ''I was just gassing really and this title had an undercurrent of humour,'' says Acharya.

When it comes to writers, there are a couple of cliches. One has to do with deadlines, the other one's about life experiences. Acharya, the 37-year-old scriptwriter of last year's watershed production Dhoom, has both down.

Three months ago, the night before he was due for his first face-off with boss, director Sanjay Gadhvi, Acharya was 35 minutes short of the first draft of the sequel.

Last week, he got a new deadline: The end of the month. By the end of June, Acharya will have to ready with the second and final draft of Dhoom 2.

''We start shooting in early July, and everything's got to be on paper by then.'' Till then, every weekly morning script meeting (always 10 am to 1 pm) will be preceded by a sleepless night for the writer.

As for the life experience, the Kanpur-born Acharya's been in Mumbai now for about 13 years ago.

When he landed at the edge of Tinseltown, he had Rs 5,000, some theatrical and documentary experience, plus a vague idea of where he wanted to end up. ''I once even acted in a production as someone who was getting whipped,'' remembers Acharya. His first real job was as an assistant director to Kundan Shah on Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa.

Between '93 and '97, he consistently wrote and rewrote, while leading an angst-ridden existence with flatmate and actor Saurabh Shukla, ''At one point we had 23 people living with us,'' he says.

The rest, as they say, is a cinematic Grimm's tale: First came the success of television, starting from Just Mohabbat in '96 and leading upto Jassi.

A meeting with Gadhvi's assistant Mayur Purie two years ago through a scriptwriters forum led to the story of three men on bikes. And one of the most successful movies of the year. ''It was serendipity,'' says Acharya.

Thanks to starryskies:

Jassi makers planning daily show on Zee
By: Vickey Lalwani
June 22, 2005

vickey.lalwani@mid-day.com Deeya Singh Ever since they launched Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin on Sony, there has been speculation on what Tony and Deeya Singh would do next. For two years, the Singhs concentrated all their energies on Jassi. But now they are set to launch a new show on Zee — the new project, still untitled, will be a daily serial, comprising mainly new actors. Preeti Dayal, one of the writers on Jassi who had quit mid-way, is writing the new show, whose creative director will be Satyam Tripathi — he recently directed Special Squad (Star One). Says Tripathi, "I left Special Squad (he did it for 10 months) because I got bored doing the same thing again and again." "Yes, we are doing a show for Zee, but it's too early to talk about it," says Deeya Singh. Says a Zee source, "The Singhs are originally Zee people, and the deal happened very smoothly. The dialogues are being written and auditions are in progress. Shooting will commence soon." In the 90s, Tony and Deeya's Banegi Apni Baat aired on Zee for six years. vickey.lalwani@mid-day.com Jumaani's verdict Predicts numerologist Sanjay B Jumaani, "Tony and Deeya Singh are both number two people — they are expected to deliver another Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin in 2005. The Zee show will be a big hit. I gave them the spelling of "Jaissi" in Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin. Originally, they were going with a single "s". They have consulted me on the title this time too. I am sure they'll incorporate whatever I have told them."

Serial swappers

More and more television shows are adopting cross promotions as a strategy to wean away eyeballs from competitors

After a lot of twists and turns in her trial, Jassi from the serial Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahi (JJKN) is finally acquitted. As she steps out victorious, she gets shot outside the court. And at this crucial juncture, crime investigators from the serial CID Special Bureau step into JJKN to track the offenders. Confused? Don't be. Cross promotion in serials on the same channel is the latest television trend.

It's a relatively new phenomenon on the circuit, considering that it has just been two years since the Balaji family claims to have pioneered it on Star. As the concentration span of viewers is steadily decreasing, channels are jostling with one another to wean away eyeballs from competitors. And what better way than to have already-famous leading characters from one serial give special appearances in other ones.

Says Nivedita Basu, creative head in Balaji, "We started it as we had quite a few serials running together. Since show timings clash, the audience gets divided among many serials on air. If someone follows two serials on the same time slot, then a walk-in or a cross promotional episode can pull the audience back."

Deeya Singh, producer of JJKN, says cross promotions are great as long as they add value to the serial. "Just walk-ins don't work. The entry of other known characters should be connected to the plot of the serial and should gel with the script."

But is this strategy only for gaining visibility and high TRPs? After all, the shows wherein this strategy is used, are the ones that has traditionally enjoyed high TRPs. "It's not about TRPs, its about giving something new to the viewers," says Shailja Kejriwal, creative director, Star TV. Citing examples, Kejriwal says, "We planned a special episode on completion of two years of both Des Mein Nikla Hoga Chand and Kasauti Zindagi Ki. And that show had got high ratings. Then there was the character of Parvati coming into Sanjeevani and the whole Khichri family walking through all shows during prime time."

But with so much 'crossing' happening, isn't confusion and chaos the order of the day? "One should be sporadic with such cross-promotions. Individual identities have to be maintained," says Kejriwal.

Inspired by Jassi

Surf 'N' Earn -Sign innow

With even Lalu Prasad Yadav looking for an image makeover, it sure's time for some of the country's high profile names to turn over a new face. May we suggest the following...

For long the rickshaw rides and slick speeches kept us amused. And then one day the bubble burst. When that lovable tousled haired doll failed to melt hearts hardened by continuous reports of the fodder scam: Even the steaming cuppas in environment friendly kullhads could not sweeten Lalu Prasad Yadav's murky image. And how could it, when seen in contrast to the starving thousands ravaged by the double whammy of poverty and an indifferent leadership.

Now, that master of the ridiculous turns to professionals for help in projecting him in a better light (if such a thing were possible). Maybe, they will succeed where promises of bringing back the good 'ol steam engine failed to work.

But for now the point we would like to argue is that if a glib talking PR man can make Lalooji look good, then there's hope still for some other modern-day Shylocks!

Mukesh Ambani:- Now that the very public sibling rivalry has run it's course, maybe Anil should forward the address of his PR person to elder bro Mukesh. Why, you ask? Didn't he come out smelling of roses, what with the heartfelt mails to his employees and mother Kokilaben admitting he was the favourite son, while poor Mukesh became the proverbial Duryodhan in this war of words and money.

Lalu Prasad Yadav: The man who started it all. A wardrobe overhaul is definitely in order. The pristine dhoti-kurta will not gel with his new look.

Amar Singh: Somehow the staid black/grey sherwani does not go with this very colourful (even language wise) individual. We suggest something more on the lines of straight fronts coupled with a white striped shirt and brown nubuc leather pumps. Isn't that the dress code of the execs he supposedly hobnobs with. And talking of a make over, a salt and pepper toupee would not be amiss on top of the bald pate.

Parthiv Patel: Maybe it's time to stop all those endorsements for cartoons and milk bikis. He's not a baby anymore. Instead, we suggest Parthiv should graduate. Grow up, yaar!

Mulayam Singh: Our favourite whipping boy is still being lambasted for bijli, sadak, pani and lawlessness. Or is it because he won't speak a word of English and won't drop the accent in Hindi? We suggest fast track diction lessons. Is Sabira Merchant free? Then he drops off to sleep in front of the cameras... bad timing!

Mayawati: This is one person who would benefit extensively from a make over. Those horrendous pink salwar suits must go. Why not begin with a dress consultant, and graduate to lessons in humility.

Some like it cold

Matches are supposedly made in heaven, mismatches are definitely created on television.

Shailaja Bajpai and Sonia Wahengbam

WE strongly recommend the services of Alicia Silverstone (Miss Match, Star World) to Indian TV serial producers. Because, God do they need help! None more so than the producers of Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin (Sony). Before Jassi morphed into Jessica, her unrequited love for Armaan throbbed with her every heartbeat. Now that Armaan returns her affections, they have about as much chemistry as dead wood. No matter how long they gaze at each other there are no stars in those eyes, no matter how tightly they embrace, there is no heat generated and no matter how sweetly they serenade each other, theirs is no love song. Ergo, as a couple they have nothing going for them. Jassi and Purab at least wore spectacles and looked glassy-eyed while Mallika and Armaan had (bad) vibes.

The mismatch of Jessica and Armaan, is matched by numerous other on-screen romantic failures. Take Gautam and Damini of Kyunki.... They generate about as much heat as a power failure. He's the original cold fish and she the drip. Together they resemble a tap.

Another flame that refuses to ignite is Abhay and the new Kkusum played by Shilpa Saklani (Kkusum, Sony). She looks young enough to be his daughter and her perpetual stony expression doesn't exude much passion. Similarly, Smriti and Raunak of K Street Pali Hill (Star Plus) look inappropriate. He looks too young and immature for her and she, too old. As for their relationship, it's more like sister and brother. Then, there are a number of new young 'uns but there is no puppy love yapping between them. Consider couples like Shravan and Kasak of Kasauti Zindagi Kay and Angad and Kripa of Kaisa Yeh Pyar Hain. The guys don't have the looks to awaken any passion and the girls look just too sweet. Together, they are flops. It's not just that it is not happening, it's also not there. We also have couples who were never made for each other but are making do with each other. Leading the list is Samir and Gayatri (Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki, Star Plus), Ronit and Poornima (Yeh Meri Life Hai, Sony) and Garv and Kali (Kkusum, Sony). Here, the men love other women—Shruti, Pooja, Kumud—and don't mind showing it. There is an art of playing the long suffering, jealous wife but Gayatri, Poornima and Kali never learnt it. Consequently, the scenes between husband and wife are as hysterical as in Ha, Ha, Ha! Lastly, is the "everlasting" love story of Kkavya and Anjali. They are meant to be so close even their names are joined in holy matrimony—Kkavyanjali (Star Plus). In this case, they look good—apart. Once they are together, she looks too good for him and he looks the other way. All of which makes you pine for Prerna and Anurag (Kasauti), or Sujal and Kashish (Kahiin To Hoga, Star Plus). To say nothing of Hiten Tejwani and Gauri Pradhan on Kutumb could have set off a nuclear bomb and led to marriage in real life.

Talk about on and off screen chemistry.