Articles Related to KGGK-No Comments - Page 15

"I find saas-bahu soaps artificial"

As the wily Porineeta in Zee's Tumhari Disha, Kavita Kaushik has made her mark in tellydom. She also plays a lawyer in Star One's Remix; was a part of Sony's Ye Meri Life hai and also anchors Zee's Kahiye To. Kavita Kaushik spoke to Misha Malhotra about her likes, dislikes and her experiences in tellydom.

Can you tell us about your new show on Zee TV?
The show called Kahiye To comes on Zee TV on Sundays. It is just like Rakshanda's show on Sony Ab Aayega Mazaa. Here, I invite celebrities and chit-chat with them. This proves to be the best time for me to bond with my old friends whom I don't get to meet because of our busy schedules.

How do you prepare yourself for the show?
To be very honest, I haven't done any preparations for the show. The show doesn't follow a script. I just have to be myself. And that's not difficult at all.

Were you comfortable doing this show?
Yes, I was quite comfortable. As in, I didn't have to do any homework. Just go on the sets and then be very interactive. Off-screen also I love talking. Hence it came very naturally to me.

What part would you prefer playing?
Now, this is a very tough one. But let me try. There are many characters which I would like to play. I would love to play a cop, a Punjabi kudi (gir), a gaon ki gawar (an illiterate from a village). I believe it will be challenging and creative to do such roles.

How do you balance your time and your roles?
I am a very chilled out person. I don't like to take too many tasks at one time. So I generally do one at a time. Which as a result doesn't make my day so tiresome and I am satisfied with what I do. I just do those roles which are challenging and which excite me.

Are you looking at more films after the Saif starrer Ek Hasina Thi?
I want a break right now. Hence I am planning a holiday to Bangalore. There I would do river rafting at the Kaveri. Oh it's so exciting. This will happen sometime in June after which I will be deciding which more serials to take.

What are your likes and dislikes?
I am a very home loving person. I am very simple, I don't like partying much.

Would you like to be part of saas-bahu soaps?
I find them so artificial; I love parallel genre of soaps and cinema. I have also been a part of a telefilm, called Padalaxmi for Star One, which described one day of my life.

Are you basically from Mumbai?
Officially from Delhi. I shifted to Mumbai two and half years back. Mumbai is a very warm city.

How did you decide on coming to Mumbai?
I was just about to start my direction course at Jamia Milia, when I went for the auditions of Kutumb. I got selected and once I came here, there was no looking back.

Anything happening on your personal front...
I have no love life as of now. But I might get settled; say in two years or so

Tisca Chopra has come full circle in life. She started her career as a leading lady to Ajay Devgan, disappeared from the film industry, then did plays like Mahtama V/S Gandhi, Salesman Ramlal and Inshah Allah and finally joined television with Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii. She's also done films like Hyderabad Blues II, Loknayak Jay Prakash Nariayan and Karma. Right now she is playing 'Urvashi in Sarrkkar. Here speaks to Prashant Golecha on career, life and Buddhism.

How is it playing Ronit Roy's wife in Sarrkkar?
The relationships one portrays are secondary. What is important is my character "Urvashi" and its graph. It is nice to be the part of an interesting show.

What is so special about your character "Urvashi" in "Saarkar"? If parallels are drawn between the serial and the Gandhi family, do you think you are portraying Sonia?
Comparing Urvashi with Sonia Gandhi is an unfair comparison. Urvashi is morally the strongest character. She speaks her mind and is managing the house. I do have a difference of opinion with the character of my husband, the role essayed by Ronit. By and large, Urvashi is a strong and silent person.

Your role of "Mallika" in Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii was negative but popular. How much did you relate to it?
The experience was outstanding. But I don't identify with it at all. The audience loved me. Whenever I met fans, they used to tell me - why don't you let Aryan marry Shruti??

On the personal front, how come you changed your name from Priya to Tisca overnight?
The word "Tisca" means Holy River and that's my original name. Priya was the name given by the producer of my first film, as the alphabet P was lucky for him! But after that, I started using my original name...

You are into the Buddhist way of life. How did it start?
It all started seven and a half years ago. I had few personal issues and I wasn't getting answers to my questions from anywhere. A family friend spoke to me about it. Initially, I started reading about it. I found comfort and what I needed. Buddhism is a way of my life now. Dr. Daisaku Ikada who lives in Japan is my Guru. I do intend to meet him someday. I was awarded a medal for art and culture through him recently too.

What difference has Buddhism made in your life?
I have stopped feeling helpless. I don't look up to others to run my life. I know how to lead my life and get results out of it. I can help others become independent as well. I want to share what I have gained.

Literature is supposed to be your second love. Does it run in the family, considering you are related to Mr. Khushwant Singh. What was his reaction on knowing that you are doing a show based on the Gandhi family?
I am a literature graduate from Hindu College, New Delhi. I read a lot of philosophy. Khushwant Singh is my mom's uncle. I have not met him for a long time. Till now, though, there has been no reaction from him on my role as such.

Do you feel looking good is very important for TV actors?
Not at all. Actors like Irrfan Khan and Shefali Shah aren't really conventionally good looking. What matters most for a TV actor is a strong personality and the roles which should be interesting and which one can play with deep conviction.

What are your future plans?
The future has its own plan. I have a lot of goals like opening a production house, take writing more seriously and do a few good films.

Treading foreign territory

They are crossing the border with temerity. But for once, neither country is complaining. Welcome to the world of cross border television, the latest trend to sweep the small screen in India and its neighbour.

Aman Varma has crossed the LoC to act in a Pakistani serial, as has the latest Indian femme fatale of the telly, Aamna Shariff. Mandira Bedi is seriously considering lending her presence to another Pak show and Nausheen, known thus far only as Kkusum, has also signed on the dotted line. Not to be outdone, Sakshi Tanwar has jumped onto the bandwagon.

Several Pakistani singers and bands are already vying for a presence in India via concerts and feature films. Does this mark a fusion of the art scene in the subcontinent?

"It all began when I was in Mumbai for some work and realised that Indian TV actors are interested in working with their Pakistani counterparts," says actor-producer Humayyun who is putting finishing touches to the first Indo-Pakistani TV project- Ana (The Ego)- featuring Nausheen Kkusum Ali Sardar and Aamna Kashish Shariff.

Bahu dons purdah?

Sakshi Parvati Tanwar has just returned from Dubai after shooting two episodes for Pakistani serial Kuchh Rishte Kachhe Dhaagon Ke "Some of my portions will be shot in Karachi. This time instead of sarees, I will be wearing churidar-kameez to go with my character. Plus I am looking forward to shopping and sightseeing." Tanwar plays a Muslim girl, Ayesha, romantically paired opposite another Indian actor Shahbaaz Khan (last seen as Tipu Sultan). Aman Varma stars in the same show directed by Kamal Monga.

Spaghetti strap specialist Mandira Bedi says she has an offer to act in a TV serial in Pakistan and hints that she would give it a thought after September. Refusing to divulge any details, all she says is, "I have the standing offer for a long time from a Pakistani actor, when I was in Lahore for the Indo-Pak cricket series."

Sangeeta 'Pammi' Ghosh too has been lapped up by a Pakistani serial. As you read this, she is busy shooting in Dubai. The show (untitled as yet) produced by Mushroom Productions, co-stars Vikas Bhalla and Himani Shivpuri. Sangeeta plays Safina, a happily married girl who coaxes her husband to remarry when she is diagnosed as suffering from a terminal illness. Feelings of jealousy creep in when she sees her hubby with the second wife and after she learns that the doctor had made a faux pas in the diagnosis.

Can we see some Pak beauties here?

The shows are different enough to warrant our actors heading across the border, but production houses too seem to want to get some Pakistani lovelies in their serials.

Says BAG Films- Mumbai head Rajesh Chaddha, "Lately, we had several rounds of auditions for some of our forthcoming shows. But we could not get one single face who was good in looks or talent, leave aside both. It would be a refreshing change if we could take some of the Pakistani actors into our fold. BAG films is thinking of doing such a project. But logistically I don't know if it would work out if those shows are not going to be aired in India."

A quick survey indicates that the shows in question may see the light of day in India very soon. "Talks are on to telecast Ana (The Ego) on Indian channels. I am talking to Sahara and Sony. I will opt for one who would market my show more aggressively," asserts Humayyun. According to industry sources, Kuchh Rishte Kachhe Dhaagon Ke is likely to go on air on Channel Geo in Pakistan.

Says Triptii Sharma, Sahara's programming VP, "Some production houses have approached us with the concept of having Indian and Pakistani actors together, but at the end of the day, it should not be done for just the heck of it. Sahara is considering these proposals by adding its own inputs, but it's early days to make a statement actually."

Crossing the border

How do the actors manage their schedules? Nausheen did it post Kkusum when she was free, and Aamna managed to take a 12-day break from Kahiin To Hoga. None of these actors feel that they would become less popular in India since they work in Pakistani serials. "We won't go out of sight so we won't go out of mind as well," quips Aman Varma. "In fact, my portions are going to be shot in Mumbai from 12 August. So I guess it won't be difficult to adjust."

Indian TV actors seem to be enjoying their stints in Pakistan, as it takes them beyond the usual kitchen politics and extra-marital affairs endemic to Indian soaps. Kucch Rishtey Kachche Dhaagon Ke is about a man who has two wives, an Indian Muslim and a Pakistani Muslim. The story is not about how he is sandwiched between the two, but about the children from these two wives who detest each other. On the other hand, Ana (The Ego) is about a son whose father is an egoist who makes his children feel insecure all the time. "I don't know whether these projects will foster good relations between India and Pakistan, but as an actor, I am relieved to be doing something different. Doing one show for a long time kills one's creativity pursuits," insists Varma.

Nausheen who will soon be seen in Star Plus' Kaalchakra in a triple role endorses the view, "Working with a Pakistani crew was a good proposition, primarily because of the change in set-up and the fact that it was a fresh subject. But I wish they would pay more. I realised very late that we Indian actresses were given lesser amounts compared to what Pakistani actors get on their home soil." But Aamna says, "I was paid very handsomely. I have set a certain market value for myself and I don't compromise below that. Else I wouldn't have done it."

Wider exposure, more adulation, more of the moolah. How many more Indian TV stars will join the bandwagon?

Manasi's about-face!
If you were one of those missing hot bod Manasi Varma in Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii (she was shown to have departed for Bangalore), this one is for you. The leggy lass hasn't been twiddling her thumbs at home, but has been busy as a bee meeting up film producers. "They were very professional and receptive," says a glowing Manasi. And when we looked closely, we realised that the glow was a mite more than internal happiness. Manasi has been heavily into skin treatment that has completely cleared her face from all p***les, scars et al. "I am soon coming back in Kahaani... and you will notice the change," she tells us. We can't wait!