Kumkum’s five new faces

After nearly four years and 780 episodes, the popular afternoon daily Kumkum has jumped 20 years in time. Although Kumkum and Sumeet will be the mainstay of the series, the new generation will bring in freshness to the story with new problems and conflicts to the drama. Here are the five actors who comprise the second generation of Kumkum talking about their life, career and dreams.

Karishma Mehta

More than studies, beautiful girls, it is said, get attracted fast to the camera, fame and limelight. Like many of her contemporaries Karishma also started her career in the glamour world with TV commercials. Her next destination was Hyderabad for Telugu films because filmmakers from the south noticed her in Parag Sarees, massaging her hair with Dabur Vatika hair oil and then heading straight to the bathroom to wash her tresses with Pantene. She came to the Charminar city to do one film but ended up doing six films. "It was an average experience," recalls Karishma.

"I used to shoot for 20 days and come back to Mumbai to catch up with my studies." She quit regional films because the exposure is limited. "You are known in just one place. Regional films offer limited exposure and scope," she says. "Besides, I also wanted to do my post-graduation in business management, which I am doing now besides doing Kumkum.

"Television gives exposure at the national level," says the petite girl who plays Siya, daughter of big businessman Aditya Grewal, in the afternoon daily. Everyone knows that Siya will marry Dhruv and she also loves him. But love stories are always full of problems. "Lot of complications happen and life takes a different turn," says Karishma who eventually marries Sharman.

Vivan Bathena

Mr India 2001, Vivan loves fast life, bikes and cars. That's because his father and uncles were into bike racing. Five years ago he bought his first car, a second hand Maruti 800, with his own money that cost him Rs 60,000. The young actor who has had a roller-coaster ride in his five-year career that started with modelling and soon spread over to music videos, theatre, VJ and serials, not exactly in that order though, bought his second car, a Fiat Palio that cost him Rs 5.5 lakhs.

Today he drives a Toyota. Good looks surely have many advantages. All one needs is the right break. "Things started happening simultaneously," smiles the young actor. He started with modelling and moved on to music videos, then to English plays and finally to serials — Kehna Hai Kuch Mujhko, Kyonki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, Time Bomb, Shuru Love Guru and so on. Love also happened in his life a few years ago. "I stay in Juhu and my girlfriend lives in town," says Vivan who drives all the way to town to meet his girlfriend after finishing his work. "If I finish late and feel tired than I go home."

The actor who also plays volleyball and loves swimming was called to play Dhruv in Kumkum. "This is going to be my first major role in serials. I play the good son who studied in America," says Vivan whose life gets entangled in a love triangle after his return from America. "While my father wants me to join his business and expects a lot from me I have other plans and want to do something on my own." While his parents want him to marry Siya he loves Antara.

"It's an interesting character whose journey begins in the city but he settles down in a village where he earns a good name by helping the villager to be self-sufficient," says Vivan who doesn't like going to parties or discos. "I have done all that when I was a VJ for MTV. Now it's time to be serious and do good work," he reasons.

Gaurav Khanna

He plays Sumeet and Kumkum's youngest son Sharman and twin to Aashka. He is very proud of his Wadhwa legacy and always uses his family name for personal gains. He is irresponsible, mischievous and street smart. Which is why his father doesn't trust him. "But despite all this Sharman is still loved by everyone in the family," says Gaurav who, however, takes everything seriously in real life. His father wanted him to complete his studies. The Kanpur boy who came to Mumbai to do his MBA in marketing started doing TV commercials for what he calls 'pocket money.'

"My father insisted that I complete my education before getting into acting," says Gaurav. He even worked for a year in an IT firm. But since ads and ramp shows were happening simultaneously he didn't say no to acting in serials. "I got to play a young and flamboyant character in Siddhant," says Gaurav who loves watching comedy serials and films besides painting.

"TV is one medium I can't live without," he laughs. Now he also can't live without acting. Since Siddhant was a good experience he didn't say no to a role in Bhabhi. Having done one project with BAG Film, which also produces Kumkum, it was not difficult to get a call from the production house for another project. Thus he landed in Kumkum's second-generation characters.

"So now I have two serials on air," smiles Gaurav who loves walking out and going to gym everyday. Though currently he is also doing Bhabhi he considers his role in Kumkum very important for his career.

Chaahat Khanna

She quit her studies to get into movies. "I wanted to act in films," says Chaahat. But the run-away bride of 7 Phere who also did films like The Film and Ek Main Ek Tu literally ran away from Bollywood for safety. "Films are very dicey," says Chaahat who didn't go through any unpleasant experience but decided to be far away from films where she didn't find herself safe.

"There are good and bad people, everywhere but the film industry is full of the latter kind," she confesses. "One doesn't know when things can go wrong. Even if you don't want to do certain things, over a period of time you might start thinking like others and end up compromising on your values." The reason why she didn't want to do television earlier was that she didn't want to wake up at 7 am everyday for a 9 am shift. "But now I will be doing just that because I am going to do only television," she adds.

The young girl who has done quite a few ad campaigns, starting with Cadburys, has done episodic work on television in shows like Hero, Don, Shakalaka Boom Boom and Kitty Party. Kumkum will have her playing her first major role on TV. "I am playing Aashka, Sharman's twin, who is the complete opposite of him. I am the one who sorts out all the problems created by Sharman. She is the sort of girl who keeps everyone happy," says Chaahat. Let's see whether television keeps her happy.

Sayantani Ghosh

She is the girl Dhruv loves. She is an orphan who met Dhruv in America. She has never seen an Indian joint family and is not sure whether she would be able to adjust to it. But the Wadhwa family changes her perception. That's in reel life. In real life Sayantani Ghosh's perception of name, fame and glamour changed when Rituparno Ghosh told her to go to Mumbai.

"He said you have the face, try your luck in Hindi films," says Sayantani who has played lead roles in three Bengali films and is committed to one more Bengali film. "Rituparno is an arty filmmaker whereas I have done typical Bengali commercial films which don't count much outside West Bengal." She came to Mumbai on March 8 this year and 10 days later she was selected for the role of Antraa.

"The first production house I visited was BAG Films and I got my first assignment there," she says happily. Why didn't she try for films? "It's so tough for a newcomer who is also an outsider. May be if I had done a Rituparno film it would have been easier for me meet producers and get heard. Who would like to meet and listen to a girl who has done Bengali films?" she asks. After shooting for a month or so she will go back to Kolkata for her final year BA exams. But she will be back again in Mumbai to shoot for her debut serial.

"I am expecting a lot from this serial. Television gives you instant name and fame. I hope it will give me what Bengali films didn't," she says hopefully. After all, this middle-class Bengali girl's dream is to make it big on the big screen.