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Playing the lead character in a daily soap, according to Apoorva Agnihotri, is a big responsibility. Having played the hugely popular Armaan Sir in Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin Apoorva knows the pressure and responsibility that an actor shoulders. After a gruelling work schedule that lasted three years the actor who received applaud galore for his performance in Jassi went into complete hibernation. Now after a nearly four-month sabbatical Apoorva is back on television in another lead role in yet another prime time daily.

"Post-Jassi there were several offers," says the actor who is quite a shy and private person who prefers to remain away from the spotlight when he is not working. "I badly needed a change and a complete break from work to recharge myself. I also wanted to spend time with my wife." Among the several offers that came his way Apoorva accepted Kaajjal, a fairy tale love story of a small hill town girl that starts from Mussourie and later moves to Mumbai where he plays the debonair scion of a business family.

"Dev Pratap Singh is the owner of a leisure resort who has proved his worth at a very young age. But he has a past that has made him bitter, arrogant, a recluse, unapproachable and unsocial. And his every encounter with Kaajjal only reinforces the point," says Apoorva, adding that the story starts with hatred between the two characters who decide never to cross each other's path. But then a fairly tale never comes without an unexpected twist as Kaajjal, a radio jockey, moves to Mumbai for bigger name and fame.

"When you get bruised in love you start hating love," he adds. "But life is never constant. Circumstances change a person completely." "Basically all stories are same," he continues. "It's the way you treat and present it that makes all the difference." The major reason why he chose to do Kaajjal is that his debut show that came on Sony was a huge success.

"The channel was lucky for me and I think it will be the same the second time as well," hopes Apoorva who is always looking for excitement at work. "I am still learning the art and craft of acting. I don't think I can call myself an actor in real term of the word. Most of us are students. The real actors are Pankaj Kapur, Naseer, Paresh, Om…" Talking about his search for excitement in acting he says the evil excites him a lot. "There is logic in his anger and revenge," he reasons.

Son of the late Gyandev Agnihotri, a story and screenplay writer of several hit films like Yarana, Beta, Do Aur Do Paanch and others, Apoorva wanted to become a pilot. He had cleared his papers but had to give up flying because of his father's untimely death. "The aviation industry was going through recession and there were no jobs," he remembers. "So acting became my second option."

He debuted on the big screen in Pardes but post-Pardes he acted in a couple of box-office disasters. With that his dream of becoming a Bollywood star crashed. He soon turned to television and says, "I opted for TV out of choice. It was an amazing experience," he remembers his Jassi days. "I also enjoyed doing Nach Baliye." He worked with his wife Shilpa Saklani in Jassi towards the fag end of the series. "It was a good experience working with her," he concludes

http://www.deccan.com/TV%20Guide/TV%20GuideDescription.asp#H e's%20back%20after%20a%20short%20break

Who can forget the beauty and grace of the actress who made her foray into Hindi films with the unforgettable Ek Duje Ke Liye. After playing a spate of roles as heroine to leading actors of her time, Rati Agnihotri settled down to become a homemaker and entrepreneur, then resurfaced to act in Bollywood. She also did English plays like Love Hua Once More and Please Divorce Me Darling.

Despite her slip discs, a back surgery and a gap of 24 years Rati had the fortitude and verve to put on her dancing shoes for the celeb dance show Jhalak Dhikla Jaa on Sony TV, where she competed with participants much younger than her. And now she's all set to take up television. In the upcoming serial Kaajjal, Rati will be essaying a business woman and the mother of Apurva Agnihotri.

And even in real life, she an enterprising lady - she runs two shops! Rather than hoarding herself with luxuries, this generous lady would prefer to spend on helping the needy.

Gita Hari finds out more…..

Splurge on: The only instance I spend lavishly is when I am abroad buying gifts for my family and my little doggies. Otherwise I buy whatever is necessary for the occasion as I value money a lot. With so much misery around us, I would rather put money where it will bring a smile on the faces of the less fortunate ones. I am not a compulsive shopper as I don't believe in just going around spending money for the heck of it.

Clothes: I am not into any particular designer label but prefer something that will look good on me and suit my age and persona. I know I came in for a lot of flak for my personal selection in Jhalak Dikla Jaa but I still feel I went for the costumes in accordance with the song given by the channel. I spend on timeless Kanjivaram and French chiffon saris.

Accessories: When it comes to jewellery, I go only for the genuinely antique ones.

Handbags: I love designer handbags though it is rarely that I take them out.

Footwear: High heel shoes are a no-no for me as I have suffered slip disc four times.

Eating out: It doesn't happen that often as I love to cook for the family. I love Japanese or Thai cuisine.

Travel: Kerala and Paris are the two holiday destinations I love.

Must carry: Most of the time I go out my husband accompanies me, so I don't even carry a purse. If I am alone, then my cellphone and credit cards are the musts in my handbag. Sometimes I even forget to carry cash, which can be quite dicey.

Money wise: I am careful with my income and invest in shares, bonds and fixed deposits.

Charity: I spend quite a lump sum on it. I earn as an entrepreneur but many times
I work free for people (films and theatre) or send the proceeds to charitable organizations like NGOs working for Aids and cancer patients, but anonymously.

http://www.tellychakkar.com/y2k6/oct/6oct/lifestyle_rati.php

There's no escaping now, everywhere you go it follows, across buses, trains, kiosks and more. Striving to use every possible object within its reach to grab eyeballs. Such is the impact of outdoor advertising!

It is estimated that currently, the outdoor space availability in metros is 'zero.' With festivity around the corner, television channels are beefing up their programming and the most opportunistic way to utilize advertising appears to be via this medium.

The outdoor business is estimated to be growing at 20 per cent and the size of the organized industry alone has been pegged at Rs 11 - 12 billion by industry experts. These figures are proof that advertisers' dependence on outdoor has significantly increased.

The biggest players this year among television channels are the ususal suspects Sony, Star and Zee. The average spends among these channels is estimated to be close to Rs 700 - 800 million annually on outdoor advertising. 30 per cent of these spends are dedicated to the festive rush spanning September - December, says Star Sight CEO Sanjay Shah.

Bright director Yogesh Lakhani opines that spends usually go up by 15 - 20 per cent during the festive period. Jhalak Dikhla Ja got the ball rolling for Sony but now Kaajjal and Extraaa Innings from the same stable are straddling Mumbai city. It is believed that more than 50 per cent of Sony's spends in launching properties is dedicated to out of home.

Star has followed suit with its three big launches Antariksh and yet to be launched Paraya Dhan and Sathi Re. Naach Baliye was also given this life-size value during its launch period.

Zee went all the way with Betiyann and is planning to use outdoor to build the buzz for the Sa Re Ga Ma finale on 28 October, as well as the newly launched youth block Klub. Zee alone is estimated to spend about 15 to 20 million on each property.

In addition to these big players, other contenders currently in the outdoor space include Disney Channel with its latest local offering Vicky Aur Vetaal and Tata Sky's DTH platform battling it out with Dish TV. Primesite head GM West Aneil Deepak remarks that channels usually adopt a dual strategy, whereby 30 - 40 per cent of their spends go to permanent sites on an annualized basis, however in promoting certain properties they will increase their spends depending upon its significance.

Outdoor is consistently used by channels as it not only acts as a reminder medium but it also gets people to sample a new show. Ogilvy Activation country head - Landscapes and Signscapes Nabendu Bhattacharyya opines, "Outdoor builds quick awareness and is the most cost efficient option. It is beneficial because it can be city specific and have a customized plan by which campaigns can run from 7 days to months."

Though the outdoor industry falls short of a common currency measure, individual specialists with the likes of Star, Sony Entertainment, Zee TV, Times Now and Sahara that use outdoor all the year round, have their own proprietary tools to derive accountability from the medium.

Besides TV, the biggest spender this year are from the Telecom sector says Aaren Initiative president Vivek Lakhwara. Reliance and Airtel have a pan Indian presence, adds Shah. "Normal medium vacancy level of 20 per cent during the year becomes zero during September to December as brands like telecom, finance, press, automobiles, radio are also fighting to grab the available spots," says Bhattacharyya.

Going beyond billboards and bus shelters out of home as a category is fast expanding into areas like retail and entertainment. With emerging technology like LED screens, interactive facia at malls, backlit air blimps and large building wraps, Bhattacharyya forsees, "Airport advertising will take on a much greater significance with clients. Technology driven platforms like bluecasting will see the emergence of different options available to advertisers which will add to the array of the outdoor armament."

The future is bright! On a rather optimistic note, Bhattacharyya predicts that this year will prove to be a watershed year for the outdoor advertising industry. "The area of consolidation both from a buyer and the concessionaire's perspective, is around the corner. It has happened the world over and India will prove to be no different. The outdoor specialists will control about 75 to 80 per cent of the entire outdoor market in India in two years time and consolidation amongst them will also happen very quickly. Alliances and mergers will take place, media groups will broaden their services, bandwidth will be built in order to deliver efficiencies and scale, and the big buyers will only get bigger."

He also sees foreign investors and large media groups waiting for an opportunity to lunge into the Indian market. He says, "The big daddies like Viacom, Clear Channel and Decaux know it's a profitable business to get into. They are just hoping and crossing their fingers that tighter legislation and better regularities come into play, for them to invest long term in India."

Of course, one such biggie has already made a quiet landing on Indian shores. News Outdoor India (NOI), the local arm of News Corp€™s OOH subsidiary News Outdoor Group (NOG) and headed by a former senior executive of Star India Sumantra 'Sumo' Dutta, has been operating in the country for the last six months.

Karva Chauth is a Hindu festival where married women observe a fast and do puja for the well-being and longevity of their husband's lives. And even our telly actors follow suit. Joining the clan is none other than Kishwar Merchant who is gearing up for the day (tomorrow). Yes, you heard it right!

Does that mean Kishwer is already married? She clarifies, "No, I am not married yet but I am keeping the fast for Hiten. Geeta aunty (his mother) will keep the 'sargi' and glass bangles for me which I will collect tonight. I will apply mehendi tomorrow," says the excited actor.

This year she will fast without having even a drop of water till she sees the moon and her chand - Hiten. "Last year too I had kept the fast but not this severe since I was working. This time it's my day off so I can afford to observe a complete fast. This is the first time I will be wearing a salwar-kameez in my real life," she reveals about the new dress that she has bought herself for the auspicious occasion.

Though Kishwer's track as Seema bhabhi to Pushkar (Naman Shaw) in Kasamh Se on Zee has ended, she will soon be seen in Kaajjal on Sony TV with grey shades as Ameesha bhabhi to Dev Pratap Singh (Apurva Agnihotri).

While she is not in the loop about the gift that Hiten has planned for her as it is intended to be a surprise, we got to know of it from the horse's (Hiten's) mouth - "I am gifting her a set of diamond earrings and pendant."

Who said one had to tie the ubiquitous knot, it's all in the mind dearies! Kudos to these soul mates!

Source:IndianTelevision-Telly Chakkar

A fter luring young viewers for almost two years with a rugged urban romance Kaisa Yeh Pyaar Hai, Sony TV is now ready with another fresh and soulful love story Kaajjal Sabbki Aankhon Mein Basi. Produced by Twenty Twenty Television Company, the daily soap will woo viewers with a story of a 'beauty and the beast' -somewhat akin to the characters of Elizabeth and Darcy from Jane Austen's famous novel Pride and Prejudice.

Shedding further light on the show, Sandiip Sikcand, Chief Creative Director of Sony Entertainment Television says, " Indians have an appetite for fiction and want their daily dose of drama. By launching this passionate love story we hope to keep feeding our viewers with what they love to indulge in. Kaajjal is the heartbeat of this drama; a small town girl who has a friend in her gannu bhaiya. A story of a simple and innocent girl who leaves her hometown Mussourie in search of real love."

The beauty and the beast are being played by Surveen Chawla and Apoorva Agnihotri.

Throwing light on the treatment of the show, Kacon Sethi, CEO, K Sera Sera says "most of the shows on the entertainment channels are family dramas. But Kaajjal promises to stand out as its a love story, shot in the picturesque location of Mussourie. As the story progresses, it will move towards Mumbai and we begin to weave in a bit of family drama. The drama unfolds when Kaajjal finds her knight in shining armour in Dev. After which the simple story weaves in shades of passion, love and betrayal. Our attempt has been to weave in freshness in terms of the treatment of the show."

In the recent past, the production house has done shows like Kashish for Zee TV and the daily thriller Darna Mana Hai for Star One.

Beauty Surveen Chawla who played Charu in Kahiin to Hoga says "after Balaji's Kahiin to Hoga this is my real big break as a lead protagonist. I get to play a very chirpy, gregarious, lively and witty character. I loved the role as I can identify a lot with Kaajjal who is a radio announcer and believes in living life to the fullest. Also, she is brought up with a set pattern of morals and values which I identity with."

Apoorva Agnihotri who rose to fame as Armaan Suri in Sony's Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahi plays Dev Pratap Singh, the lead male protagonist. The otherwise reserved actor says, "After playing Armaan Suri there were a lot of offers but somehow nothing really exciting came up. Here, I get to play the beast who is an evil and arrogant character. But there is a logic to his anger, as he has a traumatic past. I love to play characters which have shades of grey. I hope like Armaan Suri, this character too works its magic."

The other starcast includes Rati Agnihotri who plays Apoorva's mother a strict disciplinarian and a woman of principles. Rita Bhaduri, who has proved her mettle from films to television plays a hard core Punjabi, adds the comic element in the show. She plays Kaajjal's bua who is unmarried and keeps waiting for the perfect man in her life.

Source:Indian Television-Telly Chakkar