news shews part2

Balaji kicks out Rakshak, Eijaz Khan is the new Kkavya

Lead guy Rakshak is out from Ekta Kapoor's latest opus on Star Plus, Kkavyanjali and Eijaz Khan steps into his shoes as Natassha's love interest, finds Vickey Lalwani.

Is it because the man's voice was being dubbed? Is it because he took 25 retakes for a daily serial and Balaji's man of crisis Anil Kumar stormed out of the 'Kkavyanjali' sets in sheer exasperation?

Rewind.

Not so long ago, director Anil Kumar got fed up of Rakshak, thanks to the guy's constant need for retakes. The production house thought the scenes were taking unduly long to shoot and hence the show was going overbudget. One thing led to another, and Kumar said 'Enough is enough'.

A few days later. we heard that Sachin (Krishna of Kahaani...) had been asked to dub for him. "His voice modulation in emotional scenes is falling short of requirement," Ekta Kapoor's trusted lieutenant Nivedita Basu had explained at the time.

Fast forward.

When contacted about his replacement from the show, Rakshak feigned ignorance. "Have I been replaced? I don't know. Ask Balaji. I don't have any information in this regard. I am not too well at the moment.

Eijaz, at the time of going to press, was unavailable for comment; and had kept his phone on voice mail. Choosing to avoid the spotlight, eh?

However Basu was forthright. "We have replaced Rakshak. But we have not replaced him because his voice was being dubbed or the takes were increasing. Star had done huge publicity on him and we would never have taken such a major decision unless it was really warranted. Rakshak has fallen ill. He wants a 10-day break. I cannot afford that. If it was an on-going show like 'Kasauti...' I could have given the male lead a few days to rejuvenate.

In this case, it's a show which is getting established. I cannot take the story away from Kkavya and shift the focus on other characters or new characters."

Basu added that the show takes an interesting turn on Monday when Kkavya and Anjali exchange marriage vows.

Eijaz was the front runner for Prem's (Prerna and Anurag's son which Komolika took away) role in the Generation Next of Kasauti Zindagi Kay that's slated for a leap soon . His entry was slated for April. Now it seems unlikely that he would have time to shuttle between soaps.

Basu further offers, "Rakshak will play Prem. After 10 days, he will fly to Malaysia for his entry."

That's not a bad compensation, Rakshak. What say?

Eijaz Khan starts shooting as Kkavya from tomorrow.

Stay clued to Telly Chakkar for details.

By VICKEY LALWANI

Yes, Rajeev Khandelwal, better recognised as Sujal of Kahiin To Hoga will soon appear in a TV series being made by veteran filmmaker Ketan Mehta.

The series, we hear, is based loosely on the American TV series 24 hours. Mehta confirms that Rajeev would be a part of the show, but adds. "It is too early to talk about it. I have yet to finalise the rest of the cast."

About the theme of the show and the channel it will be telecast on, Mehta has the same answer. "Too early to talk," he quips. Why Khandelwal? "I have seen him in Kahiin To Hoga. He has a very good face and is a fine actor. So why not?" Mehta shoots back.

At the moment, Mehta is headlong into the Aamir Khan starrer The Rising which is due for release in a few months. Khan is said to have charged Rs 75 million for the film. Set against the backdrop of the Indian Mutiny of 1857, The Rising tells the tale of a heroic sepoy who spearheaded the movement that later grew into the struggle for Indian freedom.

Back to Khandelwal. Right now, he is in Malaysia with Aamna Shariff. Reason? The duo is shooting for a Pakistani serial where Rajeev plays a business tycoon and Aamna plays a tomboyish girl. She falls in love with him and undergoes a change in her looks. Slowly but surely, she turns into a glamorous gal.

The duo's Malaysian commitment will mean both lead protagonists will be absent from Kahiin To Hoga for about 10 episodes. The script, we hear, is being managed such that a parallel storyline flows during the couple's absence.

It would be interesting to see how Rajeev, once back from Malaysia, juggles both shows- Balaji and Mehta's. Will his role in Kahiin To Hoga decrease as a consequence? Watch this space for more on that....

Thanks for the kavayanjali news. Though I don't watch the serial but I was always curious to know what Ezaz is doing or going to do. Now it's clear. Well for the second news........ it's a bit old one. Rajeev and Akashdeep has already started shooting for the drama. It is story of an intellegence officer(Rajeev) looking our for Osama's son(Akashdeep). Hope to see Rajeev in a new role............