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Been There, Strummed That: Karan Patel

The male lead for Kasturi has finally been selected.Karan Patel, who has acted in pretty much every Balaji show, will now play the character of Robby Sabharwal (apparently, Ekta Kapoor finds a bit of Sanjay Dutt in him.

Good heavens, someone give that woman glasses!).

Karan's character is that of a super successful rock star, who is very arrogant (reminds you of Angad aka Iqbal Khan from Kaisa Ye Pyaar Hai, no?) and is used to always having his way.

Yawn. Can we have another (original) 'rockstar' story, puhleez?

http://www.mid-day.com/hitlist/2007/may/156637.htm

Nikkhil Arya, who had created quite a few ripples when he quit Balaji's noon soap, Kesar, is now a happy man essaying negative shades in yet another Balaji primetime soap, Kasturi (Star Plus).

"I play a very dapper villain, also called Nikhil. The best part is that you really hate him for he is the epitome of evil. He is a ghar jamia, but even that does not stop him from having a keep (Pooja played by Amita Chandekar) on the sly," says this ex -model and music video artist.

This Pune born and bred dude openly admits that the first week of Kasturi was not up to the mark, "but later we all worked hard and managed to bring it up to par. Now the audience is beginning to sympathize with the poor Kasturi ( Praneeta Sahu), who is hired as my secretary just because she is a bad looker and Pooja does not trust me, as I have a wandering eye. My character has many more interesting layers, which will be slowly unraveled as the show progresses."

Nikkhil, who was recently seen as Aseem in Kyunki is tired of answering questions on what went wrong with Kesar. "I could not do that show any more as a generation leap was being introduced. Hence I clearly expressed my desire to Ekta that I wished to quit (with a proper notice, et all). The problem surged when the press clubbed my exit with Nandani (Kesar) walkout. She had major issues with Balaji, while my exit was a mutual decision. This really hurt Ekta. Possibly somebody in the production house had played mischief. However as Ekta knew that I had never troubled anyone, she soon offered me a cameo in Kyunki. Unfortunately even that role could not be given a proper end as my dates were clashing with the Kasturi schedule. I would have hoped that this aspect could have been handled better," Arya sighs.

He has no regrets of quitting Kesar, "My decision has proved right for the show's TRPs post generation leap have dipped. When I was a part of this project it had reached a peak of 7. Anyways I had done all I could with the character of Rudra, be it a passionate lover, good son, a bad man….all the possible twists and turns that a daily demands.

Along with devoting half a month to Kasturi, the actor is looking forward to other avenues as well. "I would love to anchor all kind of shows (musicals, talent hunts, game shows etc.) The current crop of anchors don't seem spontaneous enough. A good anchor is one who gives a written script his own personality and take". Nikkhil is also quite willing to do other fiction shows as well, "but this time around I would like to try my hand at comedy."

And the 'right' Bollywood break is also on his wish list, "I would be lying if I would say no," admits this honest dude.

http://us.tellychakkar.com/y2k7/may/9may/news_nikhil.php

The bad dude of Kasturi: Lakhon Jaisi Par Lakhon Mein Ek has got the TRP's scoring (even with the tacky sets and low production values). Wanna-be sensation and Ekta's new rocker shocker since Iqbal Khan, Karan Patel is enjoying the monarch chair as Robby Sabarwal.

We caught up with him not only to check on his role but also because he was a vital member the designing team when 'the Robby Sabarwal look' was being finalised. He avers, "Yes, I have worked on conceptualising the look to a certain extent. It's Nim Sood (Ekta's maternal aunt) who designs all the looks and, of course they need to get approved from Ekta before we takeover. I have sat with them for hours on deciding the entire styling, be it hair, clothes, accessories, the works."

The look has gelled well with his role in the soap. So how well does he like the image? "It's cool, classy, not jazzy and very me!" Elaborating on 'very me' he continues, "Yes, there are certain aspects in me which akin to my on screen character. I too am a strong headed guy, who will stand by the people he loves and will make life hell for the ones he hates. I am not two faced and wont smile at some one and make a face behind his back. I can't fake my expressions!"

Robby is a rocker in the show- is he also obtusely inclined to music? "You will be surprised; I am, but only Bollywood music!"

What interests us the most is the change in his characterisation- will be turn into the prime villain or be Kasturi's true love bumming off Naman Shaw? "Hey, I am not going to reveal the plot to you! But I am sure it's going to be very exciting, irrespective the character swinging the good way or bad way. I will get the audience to watch me at 9pm every night!"

For now this actor is riding high on the show, we hope it remains that way too!

Send in your review of Karan's work in Kasturi, email us at editor@tellychakkar.com

http://us.tellychakkar.com/y2k7/may/11may/news_karan.php

As a member of Shiamak Davar's dance troupe for three years, he has several dance performances to his credit. But that was before he got a break in acting with Balaji's Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki. Since then he has been doing only Balaji dailies. Apparently his ability to dance and his three-year long association with Balaji helped him get the main lead in Ekta Kapoor's latest show Kasturi where Karan Patel plays the famous, super successful rock star Robby Sabharwal.

"Ekta said she wanted me to play the lead in Kasturi. After playing character roles in Kahani, Kavyanjali and Kesar, this was the first big opportunity that came my way and I said yes. A particular look was designed for the character and I appeared for the look test. Ekta was happy and I got the first major role of my career," beams the young actor who did theatre workshops and backstage work with Nadira Babbar before he got a break on TV.

Though he has been doing serials for the last three years, none of the roles he has played brought him into the limelight. "In daily soaps the focus always remains on the lead characters, others stay in the background, no matter how good their role is," elaborates Karan thus explaining why his roles in Kesar and Kahani... didn't give him great fame.

"I knew my time would come and I would graduate to lead roles one day."And the main lead that he patiently waited for finally came his way when he was chosen to play Robby Sabharwal in Kasturi. "Robby is a big rock star. He's flamboyant, arrogant and a self-made man with loads of attitude. He loves his fans and he's not a snob but he is rich and classy with a lot of style. Adulation is a way of life with him. I think that's how rock stars are," he says.

Ask him how the rich, stylish rock star falls for a middle class girl from Chandni Chowk and he says Kasturi works in his office. "They come across each other in his office and whether they fall in love or not has to be seen," he adds. "It's an excellent role and it's definitely a huge responsibility on my shoulders to play the character convincingly. I am giving it my 100 per cent," says Karan who feels youngsters will easily relate to the character.

"Young people don't watch television much, particularly the family soaps. But Kasturi will get a good share of youth audience." Apart from acting and dance, Karan loves horse-riding and script writing. "I am an amateur writer," he adds. He also likes to party and socialise a lot. His best friends are Hiten Tejwani and Yash Tonk. "We are called the three musketeers of Balaji," he laughs. Going out for dinner and to night clubs after a hard day's work with his two close friends and their spouses is a regular activity with Karan. "We enjoy each other's company and have the best time," he signs off.

http://www.deccan.com/TV%20Guide/TV%20GuideDescription.asp#R obby%20Sabharwal%20is%20a%20dream%20role%20for%20Karan