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Ekta confident about Kis Desh Mein…

Soap queen Ekta Kapoor is very confident about her new find Additi, the lead (Heer) of her new show Kis Desh Mein Hain Meraa Dil which will be replacing Kasauti. Ekta had a chat with us about the show.




On her new show, she says, "It is the story of two nations – India and Canada. The presentation and look of the show is unique. Based on Punjabi tradition, the treatment given is young and that is why I have taken fresh faces."

Shedding some more light on the show, she says, "Heer is a very simple girl who accepts all decision taken by her parents. Her parents decide a boy for her but destiny has something else in store for her. On the other hand, Prem (male lead) is mamma's boy but also the one who keeps the family together. There is one vamp in the show and that is destiny. They are needed for TRPs."

She is confident that the new faces will be able to make an impression. "They will surely create magic and will able to show the required passion. We had taken auditions from all over India but my team selected Additi. She was perfect for this role. Heer's Ranjha (read Prem) has not been selected yet but will surely be a very romantic guy."

Tasneem Sheikh, who will play the part of the vamp, adds, "Mine is a performance oriented character with various shades. I am there in the show to add tadka otherwise it would be like a meal without salt."

Kis Desh Mein Hain Mera Dil will go air from Monday, March 3 at 8.30pm. The star cast includes Deepak Qazir, Kshama Deshpande, Sadhna Singh,Virendra Singh and others.

http://www.india-forums.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=880449

By A..L. Chougule


Agree or disagree with her, like or dislike her family dramas but it's difficult to ignore Ekta Kapoor and her conviction about what gets eyeballs on television. in her opinion women make exciting stories and men don't. Hence her success formula is very simple — begin a show with a strong female protagonist, add characters as the story progresses, refresh the plotlines with new twists and turns but don't lose focus from the central character and the show will go on and on. Ekta has followed the formula for nearly eight years now and has delivered amazing results. Others also copied her formula and some achieved similar results.

But lately things have changed. The formula seems to be losing its appeal. The days of glory and crackling TRPs are a thing of the past. The super K shows are struggling for decent ratings. As a result Kasauti Zindagi Kay had to be pulled off air and Ekta has come up with another love story to replace the bold and amorous tale of Prerna's passion for men.

"The germ of love and emotions are same but the setting, presentation and characters of Kis Desh Mein Hai Mera Dil are different," says Ekta, adding, "Prerna was bubbly and outgoing but Additi of Kis Desh Mein is demure and protected. Kasauti was a bold and passionate love story but Kis Desh Mein is a younger story about an eternal and predestined love that transcends borders."

Ask Ekta why Kasauti had to be cut short, and she shoots back, "How many love stories have survived beyond two to three years? Kasauti lasted for seven years." Since she believes in not ending her shows till viewers don't say enough is enough, did she take a cue from Kasauti's sliding popularity? And were the low TRPs a result of the show's new generation not making a connect with viewers? "It's not that the generation leap didn't work. Things were fine with the new generation but the older characters (read Prerna, Anurag and Bajaj) were showing signs of fatigue after seven years. I don't think it was possible to continue it any further," she clarifies.

Talking about casting new faces in all her shows, Ekta says today daily soaps require actors to work for 30 days in a month. "Older actors can't go through the rigour of taking that kind of work load. Also, older faces that have done television for a couple of years come with the baggage of an image that can make it difficult for viewers to relate to their new roles. New faces work better because they bring freshness," she reasons.

Draw her attention to falling TRPs of most of her shows or try telling her that none of her shows launched in the past one year have done well and Ekta says she doesn't have the magic wand to deliver good ratings. "My shows have mopped up 15 and 18 TRPs in the past. But I can't repeat such performance again and again. The TRPs of serials depend on the channel's ratings too. If channels don't do well I can't deliver great numbers. Kasturi is not doing badly. Kuchh Is Tara is the number one show on Sony. Karam Apna Apna is the number one show on Star's afternoon band. Kasamh Se is getting decent numbers. My shows on 9X are also doing pretty well vis--vis the channel's viewership. If channels lose their share I can't be blamed for low TRPs," she justifies.

Ask her why the sudden cloud of secrecy and speculation about her mega production Mahabharat for 9X and Ekta evades the query saying, "I will not answer this question." However, she doesn't mind telling which one is her favourite serial. it's neither Kyunki nor Kahani. Not Kasauti either. Well, it's not a Balaji show at all. "My favourite serial is Des Mein Nikla Hoga Chand," she says. Her favourite actors? "Ronit Roy and Hiten Tejwani," she replies. And who could be her favourite actresses? She takes a long pause before answering, "Smriti Irani and Prachi Desai."

Harshad Chopra joins Kis Desh Mein Hai Meraa Dil


Thursday, March 13 2008
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TV Specials


Harshad Chopra who was earlier seen in Left Right Left and Amber Dhara will now be seen playing the lead role of Prem Juneja in Kis Desh Mein Hai Meraa Dil. Prem is Lalit and Maya Juneja"s son. He is the pillar of strength for the entire family and is looked upon at the time of any crises. He is an ideal son, brother, husband and a person with a golden heart. Prem has sacrificed his ambitions for his family by entering his family business and proving to be a helping hand for his dad.

For Prem, Maya"s words are the final nail in the coffin and he will do anything to make sure that Maya is happy. Prem is a good looking and a well-spoken man and has a great sense of humour. Prem is a man any girl would want to marry. He is the thread that binds the entire family together
http://entertainment.oneindia.in/television/top-stories/news /2008/harshad-chopra-kis-desh-mein-130308.html

Innocence Unlimited
Parbina Rashid

Yet another fresh-faced couple from Ekta's telly brigade breezes through town

He is enjoying playing Prem for Kis Desh Mein Hai Meraa Dil. Guess why? Because he is a die-hard Salmaan Khan fan and Prem is now almost his hero's pet name. Of course, how lucky can anyone get? Yes, we are talking about Harshad Chopra — Ali of Left Right Left. If that still does not ring a bell, then he is Akshad of Amber Dhara, who did a disappearing act in the middle of the serial.

We catch him along with his co-star for Kis Desh …Aditi Gupta at The Taj –17. The duo has come to town for promoting the serial (what else?). Harshad is the talkative one between the two and as he grabs the mike, we come to know about this small town guy who landed up in the televille via Grasim Mr India contest. Yes, he won the Best Smile contest, way back in 2006-07, but could not clinch the title. Well, that did not stop our guy who was studying in Pune at that time to audition for Mamta. And he managed to get the role of Karan. "Before Mamta happened, I was trying out everywhere. This serial gave me a proper platform and also the power to chose the characters I play now."

But playing Ali in Left Right… was the most exhilarating experience for this actor. "I am a small town guy myself and playing that simpleton character came naturally because Ali was someone I could relate to."

The character he is playing in Kis Desh Mein…is close to his heart too. "It is character which is passion, rawness, young and so many different shades to it." How does he go about selecting his roles? "I don't go with a pre-conceived notion. If the character appeals to me, I take it." Given a chance, Harshad would like to play some strong character.

Aditi's story is of a simple college girl who never dreamt of becoming an actor. This is her first serial and she plays the role of Heer Maan. Heer is a lawyer by profession, not a rebellious character but fights for the cause she believes in. "I was doing a fashion designing course from Pune when I was almost forced to take an audition for Kis Desh Mein…" What attracted her was of course the role she was offered. And what attracted the Balaji to select her as Heer, we ask. "My innocent face," comes the reply.

Of course, we may like to watch Pamela Anderson types doing heroic stuns at the beach, but when it comes to our desi love stories, we still fall for the innocent faces. And at that we leave the on-screen love-birds do some more crooning about what Ekta Kapoor describes as an 'ethereal story from the heart'.


http://www.tribuneindia.com/2008/20080315/ttlife1.htm

Tribune India...Chandigarh

After Kasauti Another Endless Saga By Ekta- Kis Desh Mein Hai Meraa Dil

Kis Desh Mein Hai Mera Dil is the new serial on Star Plus by Ekta Kapoor. This serial has replaced the never lasting love story of Anurag-Prerna (or Bajaj- prerna)- Kasauti Zindagi Ki ( thank God because of the decrease in the TRP of the show finally this love story come to an end).
Kis Desh….has started from 3rd march this year. Like all her serials Ekta has put all masala in it. It is basically a story of two friends- one is in Punjab and the other one has migrated to Canada for the better development of his career. The two friends have fixed the marriage of their children- Prem and Heer since their childhood. But due to some misunderstanding the friend in India- Balraaj Maan thinks that his friend- Lalit Juneja has forgotten his promise and so Balraaj fixes his daughter- Heer's marriage to someone else.
Punjabi Background is Ekta's favorite. In this serial she has tried to show the typical Punjab which her actors have failed to portray properly. Like all other Ekta's serial in Hero's family a large number of members are there from dadi to step brothers, sister to cousins. So there is full scope of extending the serial. And also there is nakhre wali chachi to taunt on the bechari heroine and her parents. The other negative characters in the hero's family will be shown when Heer will go to her sasural.

On the other side Lalit and his wife are planning to come to India with their son- Prem to bring their daughter-in-law home. So a lot of things are to be happened in the up coming episodes.


The female lead is done by a 19 yr fashion designer from Pune- Aditi Gupta(or Additi Gupta as Ekta has added an additional "d" to her name on the suggestion of some numerologist).

Who is going to play Prem in this serial is not yet disclosed. Harshad Chopra or Ali of Left Right Left is playing Prem.

Another important character in the serial is of preet- Prem's step brother who is very fond of Prem.

Their jodi is like Ram- Laxman jodi. And there are full chances that in the up coming episodes preet will be shown opposite to Heer as it is Ekta Kapoor's serial.

http://www.spicy-mix.com/

Harshad Chopra bags an iconic role in Kis Desh Mein Hai Meraa Dil
Harshad Chopra who came to the limelight for his negative portrayal in Mamta, later marched into the hearts of viewers as a cadet in Left Right Left. This was soon followed by his cool dude image in Amber Dhara. Now the actor will be seen portraying a very strong character, of Prem Juneja in Kis Desh Mein Hai Meraa Dil.

Elaborating on his character, Harshad says, "It's a very strong character and I am happy to have such kind of a role in my wallet". He adds on to say, "I have done three serials so far and every serial was women centric only. My only concern is my character. Whatever serial I do, I make sure that my role is good and has been beautifully sketched. Role should excite me and only then I do take it up".

Well, are we going to see Prem Juneja reach the heights of a Mihir Virani or Jai Walia

Harshad Chopra, the male lead in Kis Desh Mein Hai Meraa Dil..
http://www.india-forums.com/tellybuzz/article.asp?id=2087

KDMHMD gets a Thumbs Up this week!

Thumbs up and Thumbs down-TB!

http://www.india-forums.com/tellybuzz/article.asp?id=2114

Cold call
Shameem Khan
Tuesday, March 18, 2008 23:59 IST



Balaji incurred huge losses during the shoot of Kis Desh Mein Hai Mera Dil in Chandigarh

The cast and crew members of Balaji's new show Kis Desh mein hai mera dil had certainly not anticipated the extreme weather conditions they would face during their shoot in Chandigarh recently.

The weather conditions were extremely severe as temperatures dropped to as low as one degree. Besides the cough and cold bouts, the fog was making it impossible to shoot any sequence.

Aditi, the main lead of the show remembered, "We had to shoot the lush green fields to capture the essence of Punjab. But we could only shoot the exteriors. We just could not shoot the twilight because of severe fog. Also a few indoor scenes remained which were shot in Mumbai. Our eight day schedule got extended to 18 days and yet we couldn't complete our work because of the weather."

She remembered how they had to shoot despite the biting cold, "The scenes had us in our normal costumes without sweaters. As soon as the shot was over, we would rush back to our cars which had the heaters on at full blast. Even the unit hands were ready with shawls and sweaters for us at all times."

For her debut show, it's quite a memorable experience "Oh yes. But I was touched how we all faced the calamity like a family. All the co-stars from Virendra Saxenda, Sadhana Singh and Tasneem Sheikh bonded very well and took care of each other including me."

Tasneem Sheikh who plays the interesting part of Baljeet (she is known as Punjabi tadka in the show) says "In Mumbai, it was eight degrees , so you can imagine how cold it was there. As Mumbaities we are not used to such extreme weather. Add to it, I was down with Malaria and hence was shivering badly. But I credit the production people who provided us all with the necessary thermals and took good care of us. Thankfully, my hubby Sameer was with me because he wanted to see Chandigarh. We took the opportunity to gorge on the delicious North Indian food — parathas and lassi — and I shopped for lovely woolen jackets and sweaters."

Monetarily, it was a burden on the production because of the delayed shoot. But as one production manager put it "We did shoot what was essential but could not complete the shoot. But such ups and downs happen while shooting. And most importantly, you can't fight nature."

News from DNA...19th March

Thumb up & Thumb down -10th-14th March
http://www.india-forums.com/tellybuzz/article.asp?id=2114