KA Articles Archive - Page 8

Kavya's love turns out to be a ghost!
By: Tushar Joshi
March 25, 2005

SPIRITUAL QUEST: Eijaz Khan and Natassha
Those who follow the tumultuous journey of Kavya (Eijaz Khan) in Kavyanjali (Star Plus) will be in for a shock when it is revealed that his first love, Anjum (Natassha) is not a live person, but a ghost!

The last few episodes have seen Kavya harrowed by a past that keeps coming back. Despite his closeness to Anjali (also played by Natassha), he is constantly haunted by visions of Anjum.

Says Kripa Narayanan, creative head for the show, "Kavya is on the verge of a nervous breakdown and is taking time coming to terms with his past. When he finds out that his first love was a ghost, it almost kills him. Also, with the track veering towards the paranormal, there is lots of thrill to the story."

Anjali is frustrated that Kavya doesn't love her and is stuck in his past. He even skips their honeymoon in London and takes her to Shimla, to figure out Anjum's past.

"After revealing Anjum's identity, the show traces the reason why she is haunting Kavya. The coming week marks an important twist to the tale, when Kavya discovers an old photo of Nitya (Amrita Singh) and Anjum's mother.

This leads him to discover that a marriage had been fixed between Anjum and himself by his and Anjum's parents. However, it was called off, driving Anjum into depression and leading to her death due to an accident," explains Narayan.

But will these added elements of ghost and spirits shift the focus from the romantic angle the show is based on? "Not really. In fact Anjali and Kavya have grown fond of each other.

But whenever he tries to get intimate with her, he gets visions of Anjum. The romance will be dashed with flavours of mystery and suspense," says the creative head.

With the programme heading towards darker themes, will there be any space for light moments and humour? "We have the holi celebrations, when Anjali is finally accepted in the family. We are trying not to keep the theme dark throughout."

Look who's back on screen!
By: Upala KBR
December 13, 2004

Amrita's new look as Nitya Nanda in the soon-to-be-aired Kavyanjali
Amrita Singh's TV serial Kul produced by Balaji Telefilms has gone in for a name change.

Called Kavyanjali it revolves around two lovers — Kavya and Anjali.

The role of Kavya will be essayed by Rakshak Shahani while actress Natassha (Krishna Cottage) might be roped in to play the role of Anjali.

The serial will start shooting from December 15 and go on air on Star Plus from January 5.

Ekta Kapoor says, "Kul as a title didn't sound very positive numerologically so we decided to change it. Kavyanjali is an extremely passionate love story with the family as a backdrop.

The role of Kavya's mother, Nitya Nanda, is essayed by Amrita (Singh) who gets shocked at the goings on within her own family. She is a strong woman, something between a Jaya Bachchan in Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Ghum and Kal Ho Naa Ho."

Promises Kapoor, "I love Karan Johar's films. Kavyanjali is going to be a very Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Ghum kind of a serial — pastel shades, lots of chiffons, traditional-conservative." Kapoor has also roped in Singh's close friend Navneet Nishan, who "plays a cute, slightly, bitchy yet humorous character."

Adds Kapoor, "Kavyanjali is not a sweet, cute kind of a love story but one that will shock!" What the shock is is something something she is not prepared to admit right now.

The rest of the cast in Kavyanjali includes Sushmita Mukherji, Ali Asghar, Nirmal Pandey and host of newcomers.

Amrita Singh, however, refused to speak about her television debut.

upala@mid-day.com

The modern mum

• She's stylish and contemporary
• She's in her mid-40s
• She's a Whirlpool mom handling a career as well as a family
• Her make-up and hair has been done by MTV stylist Hamid
• She will feature every day in the soap
• She is as knowledgeable about a laptop as she is about pujas

'Koi Aap Sa is an average film'

By: Deepti Khanna
October 20, 2005

Filmi baatein

Director Partho Mitra

Cast Aftab Shivdasani, Natassha and Dipannita Sharma

Story Rohan (Aftab) and Simran (Natassha) are childhood buddies. Aftab is in love with Preeti (Dipannita Sharma), while Simran is engaged to Vicky (Himanshu Malik). Everything is fine till Vicky's friend Ranjeet (Gautam Kapoor), rapes Simran and Rohan convinces Simran not tell anyone about the rape., Two months later, Simran finds herself pregnant and everyone believes the kid is Rohan's.

Payal Karnik
Resident of Naupada
" I came to watch Koi Aap Sa because I am a fan of Aftab Shivdasani but I did not like it. The movie is average and a few scenes make no sense. For instance, Simran not disclosing that she has been raped to her fiance is ridiculous."

Shashank Kulkarni
Resident of Pawar Nagar
"I did not like Natassha in the movie. Her look in the film does not suit the character she plays. Also, Dipannita Sharma was quite badly dressed throughout the movie and was made to wear outfits that did not suit her
personality and character."

Sudhir Bhanushali
Resident of Hyde Park
" The movie is average and has nothing new to offer. Also, the second half is pathetic and annoying. Natassha is crying throughout the latter half, which put me off.

"Besides, this film also looks like a launch pad for all the television stars as I could spot a lot of known faces in the movie. But it has not benefitted the film in anyway."

deepti.khanna@mid-day.com

Ravi Raj Kumar
Resident of Veera Desai Road

"Koi Aap Sa is a big bore. It seems like an upgraded version of Ekta Kapoor's TV soaps. The story is predictable and it's also a
complete rip off of films like Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Kya Kehna."

Shefali Shah
Resident of Lokhandwala

"Except for the music, the film has nothing else. After Kya Kool Hai Hum by Ekta Kapoor, this film is slow and boring. I yawned throughout. Aren't the daily soaps enough that Ekta Kapoor has to shift to the bigger screen with the melodrama?"

Shruti Honda
Resident of Oshiwara

"I think Aftab Shivdasani is the only saving grace in the film. Even though the story is interesting, the subject is handled poorly. The music is good but the acting by other cast members is average."

It's Kowloon calling for Kkavyanjali
By: Shaheen Parkar
October 26, 2005

It's Hong Kong calling for Kkavyanjali. The action in this Star Plus soap shifts to Kowloon Harbour for the proverbial twists and turns in the show. "The drama will now unfold in Hong Kong — we will all be going," says producer Ekta Kapoor. Baby boom The cast is slated to leave for Hong Kong in the first week of November. Kavya (Eijaz Khan) will realise that Anjali (Natassha) is innocent and that the baby she is carrying is his. On the one hand, Kavya and Anjali's relationship will once again start blooming; but Kavya will find out that Pammi (Nandini Singh) is pregnant! He will once again be at crossroads — choosing between love and responsibility. The main reason for the Kkavyanjali team being in Hong Kong is the marriage of Romila's (Sushmita Mukherjee) daughter, Ruhina (yet to be cast). At the wedding bash, Nitya (Amrita Singh) will make a startling revelation – that Vaayu (Chaitanya Chaudhary) is indeed her son. Whodunit? "There are lots of high points in the show in the Hong Kong episodes," adds Balaji creative director, Nivedita Basu. Yet another twist will be when Anjali delivers in Hong Kong, and the baby gets stolen. But Anjali will be told that her baby was stillborn. Looks like the Kkavyanjali turns will keep Hong Kong in a tizzy. And for the viewer to fathom who has stolen the baby — and whether Kavya and Anjali will be back together. shaheen@mid-day.com Serials shot abroad 1. Dubai: Rabba Ishq Na Hove, Kaisa Ye Pyar Hai 2. Mauritius: Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin 3. London: Astitva- Ek Prem Kahaani, Des Mein Niklla Hoga Chand 4. Australia: Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii 5. Malaysia: Kasautii Zindgai Kay

TV actors have no time to watch TV
By: A hitList Correspondent
October 27, 2005

Aamir Ali
Favourite channel: Star World.
Favourite Hindi show: Kaun Banega Crorepati.
Favourite English show: Everybody Loves Raymond.
Favourite news channel: NDTV 24X7.
Watches television for: I have to watch television at least for 2 hours no matter what.


Ali Hassan
Favourite channel: Discovery Travel and Living.
Favourite Hindi show: Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii.
Favourite English show: Desperate Housewives.
Favourite news channel: NDTV 24X7.
Watches television for: Six hours of TV viewing when not working. Just one hour when shooting.


Chaitanya Chaudhary
Favourite channel: Discovery.
Favourite Hindi show: Kahiin To Hoga.
Favourite English show: Friends.
Favourite news channel: Headlines Today.
Watches television for: About six-seven hours of channel surfing. But when shooting, it gets cut down to only half-an-hour.

Chetan Hansraj
Favourite channel: HBO.
Favourite Hindi show: Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii.
Favourite English show: Friends.
Favourite news channel: Star News.
Watches television for: Two-three hours when I am not shooting. Otherwise I hardly get to watch anything.

Hiten Tejwani
Favourite channel: Discovery.
Favourite Hindi show: I hardly get the time to watch any of them.
Favourite English show: Friends.
Favourite news channel: Star News.
Watches television for: When I'm not shooting about three hours. When I'm shooting it's just 30 minutes before I collapse on my bed.


Hussain
Favourite channel: Star Plus.
Favourite Hindi show: The Great Indian Comedy Show.
Favourite English show: Friends.
Favourite news channel: Every channel is good enough.
Watches television for: It keeps varying from one and-a-half hour to only 30 minutes according to my shooting schedule.

Iqbal Khan
Favourite channel: VH1.
Favourite Hindi show: Kaisa Yeh Pyar Hai.
Favourite English show: Sex And The City.
Favourite news channel: Aaj Tak.
Watches television for: It's half-an-hour when I'm not shooting. When I'm shooting there's no time to even switch it on.

Manish Goyal
Favourite channel: Star World.
Favourite Hindi show: Sarabhai vs Sarabhai.
Favourite English show: Friends.
Favourite news channel: Star News.
Watches television for: I don't get the time to watch anything. It's only in the morning that I switch it on before leaving for the shoot.

Rohit Roy
Favourite channel: Star world.
Favourite Hindi show: Sarrkar.
Favourite English show: Friends.
Favourite news channel: Zee News.
Watches television for: When I'm at home I while away the entire day sitting in front of my TV set.




Vikas Bhalla
Favourite channel: Discovery Travel and Living.
Favourite Hindi show: Kaun Banega Crorepati.
Favourite English show: Friends.
Favourite news channel: Star News.
Watches television for: It's like my daily ritual. I watch TV everyday between 12 and 2 am before going off to sleep.


Shakti Anand
Favourite channel: HBO.
Favourite Hindi show: The Great Indian Comedy Show.
Favourite English show: Friends.
Favourite news channel: Aaj Tak.
Watches television for: There's no time to even catch up our own shows. I switch on the TV while having breakfast in the morning for half-an-hour.

Sajid Khan
Favourite channel: History Channel.
Favourite Hindi show: Malgudi Days.
Favourite English show: Whose Line Is It Anyway?
Favourite news channel: No specific one.
Watches television for: Say about two hours.
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Television award season begins
By: A hitList Correspondent
October 29, 2005

Hero Honda ITA Awards will be held on Star Plus this year.

The most interesting part of the awards this year is the amazing host,
T V Rao, an MBA and an avid television watcher. Says he of the industry he loves so much and also shares his initials with: "I was born for TV. In fact, I am married to it".

Who's performing what

• Brothers Ronit & Rohit Roy along with Shweta (Prerna) dancing to Kajra re…from Bunty Aur Babli

• Mujra numbers from films like Mughal-e-Azam, Devdas, Muqaddar ka Sikander by Shama Sikander, Urvashi Dholakia, Nausheen. Hussain & Juhi Parmar.

• Dancing to popular rain songs will be Iqbal Khan & Neha Bambhri (Kaisa Ye Pyaar Hai), Vikas Bhalla & Mona Singh, Ajay Gehi & Mona Vasu (from Miilee).

• The happily married Manav & Shweta Gohil and Hiten & Gauri Tejwani will swing to the lovey-dovey numbers.

• The finale will have today's small screen heartthrobs like Karishma Tanna, Gautam Rode, Riva Babbar, Vikas Sethi, Roopali Ganguli, Jennifer Vinglet, Rucha Gujrathi, Eijaz Khan…will dance to some of the evergreen numbers of veterans like Jeetendra, Asha Parekh, Aroona Irani, Moushmi Chatterji, Reena Roy.

Public sab jaanti hai!

We heard Ekta Kapoor was livid when she learnt that the jury for the Indian Television Academy awards (slated for November 7) had nominated only one award, that too, Sushmita Mukerji for the Comedy Category.

We contacted to confirm, but the Queen of Soaps said, "These are baseless rumours. Frankly, what difference does it make if the jury doesn't pick out nominations in my favour? What is important is that the audience is with me."

The popular segment list has a sufficient number of entries from Balaji serials and Kapoor has postponed her foreign trip (slated for 6 November) by two days!

Natassha Talks about her pet Kompanian

Natassha
Pic: Pradeep Dhivar
Noise pollution during Diwali goes up tremendously because people burst firecrackers all through the night. This noise affects humans, but really scares pets.

Considering pets in general are more sensitive to noise than humans, it is not surprising that loud noises that merely startle us are almost painful for them. Most people aren't aware of the affect this has on animals.

I have an eight-month-old pug at my home. Everytime he heard a loud bomb go off this Diwali, he hid in a corner or under the bed.

He'd also run up to one of us for comfort. When dogs are scared they need affection — so even if I was out shooting, I had to make sure either my mom or maid was home to calm him down. He would also bark incessantly when there was a lot of noise or start whimpering and making strange noises.

Thankfully as the days went on, he was less frightened by the noise.

Firecrackers are a waste of money. Diwali is supposed to be the festival of light, not sound.

Sure, you can't ask people to stop bursting crackers during Diwali but you can at least ask people to make a conscious effort to reduce the level of loud noises they create —especially at night.

When I was a kid, I used to burst mirchi bombs and get excited. But I didn't have a pet then. I didn't even know how affected they were by loud noises. Animal rights activists need to make people more aware. I named my dog Company because he gives me company and lifts my spirits when I am down.

As a society we need to provide that for our dogs too. This time around, I only lit a fuljari, and that too for a pooja.

All wasn't well at the Hero Honda awards:

The Hero Honda Indian Television Academy Awards held yesterday evening at Bhavan's College was an insipid affair, reports Vickey Lalwani.

The evening which began with a lot of fervour soon fizzled out as most of the acts did not generate a flutter.

Except for Eijaz Khan shaking a leg with veterans Aruna Irani, Reena Roy, Moushumi Chatterjee and Asha Parekh and a sizzling Nausheen Alii Sardarr (she's added an 'i' and 'r' but shed oodles of weight) doing a take-off on Salame Ishq from Muqaddar Ka Sikandar (Rekha must watch this on Star Plus when it is telecast on November 12), the other acts were lacklustre.


Best Actress (Popular):
Smriti Z Irani (Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi)

The much-awaited Kajra Re Kajra Re (Ronit Bose Roy, Rohit Roy, Shweta Tiwari) was a disappointment. While the brothers did fairly well, Tiwari couldn't do an Aishwarya.

The opening act by Surveen Chawla and Chaitanya Chaudhary was a yawn. While Chaitanya was just about tolerable, Surveen was uncomfortable dancing in a mini-skirt.

Anchored by Smriti Z Irani, Ronit Bose Roy, Varun Badola, Rajeshwari, Rakshanda Khan and Sameer Soni (whose script made several digs at Sony for giving him a raw deal in Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin), some of the awards raised a lot of eyebrows.


Best Actor (Jury):
Varun Badola (Astitva)

It was strange that Tassnim Sheikh (Mohini of Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi) was not even nominated for the Best Female Performance in a Negative Role — neither in the popular category nor in the jury one.

Also, Siddhanth bagging the Best Serial-Drama and Fame Gurukul winning the Best Reality didn't go down well with the audience.

Plus Shilpa Saklani winning the Best Actress in a Supporting Role (for Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi) and not Gauri Pradhan (for the same serial) raised a hum in the audience.