Articles Archive - Page 6

Was Sulbha Arya Nimmo's Kanta ben???

The Kanta ben rage seems to have affected televison as well! And who better to get inspired by it, but Ekta Kapoor, who was so taken in by the character in Karan Johar's Kal Ho Na Ho that not only did she cast a character of the same name in Nimmo..., but wanted Sulbha Arya, (the original Ben) to play the part.

Bharati Achrekar, who is now playing the Maharasdtrian ben now was signed on when Sulbha Arya couldn't take on the project. "I already had too much on my plate, so I couldn't take it up," says Sulbhaji who is currently doing Yes Boss and will soon be seen as Fatema bi in Twinkle Beauty Parlour.

Well, all said and done, Kanta ben lives on in Bharti Achrekar and that should make Sulbha Arya proud enough!
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Har rang kuch kehta hai!

The set of The Great Indian Laughter Challenge is a colourful one, (illuminated as it is with hundreds of tiny bulbs), but the one colour that attracts the most attention is undoubtedly Sidhu's turban that's well in sync with his tie.

At a recent set visit, when a journalist asked the man the secret of his 'colourful' screen presence, the man broke into his trademark guffaw. "I design them myself! I dye my turbans according to my tie!," chuckled Sidhu as he rattled off another one of his one liners!

Even in Star One's Kya Hoga Nimmo ka, the man plays a very flamboyant God! He teams his turban with the kind of avatar he flaunts at that given moment and doesn't seem to care much what he's playing!

Quite like in his cricketing days, Sidhu does exactly what he wants to do...God be damned!

Balaji Telefilms is at the receiving end again. Foetus-sex determination, marital rape and now the increasing incidence of extramarital relationships in Balaji's famous K soaps.

A protest group, comprising different social organisations, led by Mumbai based Jain outfit Vriti Vrund, marched to the Balaji Telefilms headquarters in Andheri, suburban Mumbai on Thursday afternoon, insisting that Ekta Kapoor tone down her soaps to suit citizens' sensibilities. Over 100 women congregated outside Balaji House, waving placards and shouting slogans that decried the 'anti-cultural' note of Ekta's soaps.

The protesters, who are regular audiences of the K serials, said that while they have always been against the stand taken by these serials on various social issues, it was the mercy killing epiosode on Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi that proved to be the proverbial straw that broke their complacency.

"These soaps are giving audiences options of an easy way out, and setting a bad example for our children by showing that mercy killing is an acceptable alternative," said Alpa Chedda, the leader of the march. Chedda also cited examples of extra marital affairs on shows like Kyunki.... and Kasautii Zindagi Kay, which she said are a bad influence on children.

"My four year old son has been asking me why I don't have two fathers, like the kids on Kyunki...?" simmers Sangeeta Ajmera, one of the protesters, who braved the sweltering Mumbai heat to stand outside the Balaji House for hours. Till the time of posting, no Balaji official had deigned to meet the protesters.

Such protests are however not new to Ekta Kapoor. In December 2004, the Republican Party of India (RPI) Ramdas Athawale faction held demonstrations outside Star India's office in Mumbai. The RPI activists were protesting what they termed an "insult to the Indian Constitution" (and by extension to Dalit icon and the man who penned this holy grail the late Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar) in an episode of Kyunki... which aired on 22 December. During this episode, Tulsi decried the fact that the Indian Constitution is ambiguous on the issue of marital rape.

Earlier, in 2002, enraged women's groups had registered a strong protest against a scene in Kyunki... which showed a pregnant woman undergoing a sex determination test. A few months later, another organisation Jagori, protested a scene in Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii, saying it showed a rapist unrepentantly justifying his action of raping a blind girl, Khushi. It apparently also showed the husband convincing his wife that the rape was committed not out of lust or desire for Khushi but out of a need to punish her for misbehaving'' and not respecting him enough.

How will Ekta Kapoor defend her serials this time? For a long time, none of the K soaps have generated much controversy, and ratings have more or less plateaued. Will this protest march only help in doing what it ostensibly doesn't set out to do - increase interest in the K serials?

Pics by Satej Shinde

What happens when undiscovered talent, veteran actors and the queen of all production houses come together- you get a brilliant amalgamation called Kya Hoga Nimmo Ka! It is one of those soaps under the Balaji roof that has a completely different way of telling a story and keeps the audience rooted to their couch, undoubtedly!

Unlike the storylines of other K serials which revolve around nothing but usual cranky drama, KHNK has something much more unusual to offer. The characters are well sketched and the actors playing it do complete justice to it.

The Gujarati element finds its space in this 'K' product again, but with a difference. But the creator brings in the Punjabi flavour too, which gives the former tough competition! So the audience has variety in a half hour slot!

Sanjeeda, Ekta's new find, shows potential, and needs no lessons to brush up on the essentials like (Ekta's) other freshers do! From acting to expressions, everything is up to the mark. Though the primary idea of her character, being middle class, sincere, a plain Jane and accident prone is clichd, her relationship with the Almighty is one aspect that keeps Nimmo ticking.

Coming to the heartthrob of the show, Eijaz Khan, ask any teenybopper and she will vouch that he looks even hotter! What took my breath away was his entry on the show. Ravishing is an understatement! His effort to look dumbstruck 24x7 turns out astounding. But in certain scenes, it's really difficult to pinpoint whether he's acting like the perplexed Kunal Sehgal or Eijaz literally missed on his acting bit!

The two leads have a very different chemistry to offer, while Nimmo is outright and smart; Kunal is as puzzled as ever. The contract marriage sequence and the following tracks are thoughtfully penned down. The exciting bit which I am desperately awaiting is the love angle between Nimmo and Kunal…

Bharati Achrekar, whose character of Kanta ben at first seemed 'just another replica' is unexpectedly, the heart of the show! She takes centerstage as soon as she makes an entry in each episode. Sujata Mehta and Muni Jha too have their moments; as a Gujarati couple, they complement each other very well. The two sisters, Swati and Naina, though not extraordinary, are still on their way to reach the level!

Navneet Nishan plays a glam vamp whose bitchy attitude as Parminder keeps the audience wanting more, but can't get enough. The sidekicks of the Sehgal house are the essentials for the fast moving storyline and completely fit in! Sanjeet Bedi does a good job too, but needs to cut down a bit on his excitement and get a little more expressive than he usual does.

Though there are many USPs of this show, but one positively is Dolly Thakore's debut. Though she loses out on her delivery of Hindi dialogue, her personality and aura can make the audience overlook everything else.

Dara Singh as the lovable dadaji, seems well set on his way to becoming the next favourite octagenarian of TV viewers, after Kyunki's Ba.

Despite of having a line-up of characters, KHNK avoids getting messy or ignores its main track. The show has kick-started in the most convincing way, and one can only hope the fire sustains, and doesn't get dragged with viewers searching for new shows on the 10 pm slot elsewhere!