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by Tellywatch News Desk

Oct 16, 2008, Mumbai

"Production house is my second home," "It is a home away from home." How many times have we heard this refrain from our small screen actors! Of course, we do not refute their claims as we know our actors spend hours and hours under the arc lights day after day. As Karishma Kapoor jocularly put it when questioned her about the small screen vis-a-vis the big screen, "You never really get to sit. The arc lights follow you till you realize it is your master and you are its gilded slave…"

So, the question is, where lies the truth? There are some who, without a blink of the eye, push the actors to the edge and there are some who treat them with kid-gloves. Though, when we asked our actors about the kid-gloves bit, we got looks, which said, "Are you serious…because if you know of any such production house, we would work for free for them!"

The production houses have their own justifications. Nowadays, TV productions do not come cheap at all. It's big money and they feel justified about extracting the maximum from the artists. And, what we heard from our very miffed source about the latest that had taken place at the sets of 'Nach Baliye -4' reminded us of slave labour!

The first episode of 'Nach Baliye-4' was shot at Vrindavan Studio in Mumbai. But, the shoot, which was scheduled to kick-start at 2.00 p.m, found the cameras rolling only at 8.00 p.m. And that's not all, says our well-placed source, on condition of anonymity. "Our favourite jodis were left twiddling their thumbs while Lolo perfected an item number choreographed by Farhah Khan. The shoot went on till the wee hours of the morning and there was no food provided," added a visibly upset jodi, who chose to remain unnamed.

And when we contacted the earlier jodis of Season 1 and 2, they were all praise for SOL production, the makers of 'Nach Baliye' 1 and 2. In unison, they said, "SOL knew how to treat people. Yes, there had been times when we had to shoot into the wee hours, but the production house ensured that the comfort of its participants was taken care of."

Unlike a daily show, reality show is a lot of hard work. At the end of the day, it is a competition and you have to perform! Yes, it's great money, but if you are weighed down by forced idleness and hunger and by the time you perform, the first rays of the sun are peeping out, then tell me, how different is it from bonded labour!"

Naturally, the first episode started off on a rocky note. Someone needs to educate the production house that dictatorship is pass, our source remarked wryly.

NACH BALIYE 4, October 17, 2008 @ 8 pm on Star Plus.

http://www.tellywatch.com/telly_news/nach_baliye_4_bonded_labour/october-16-2008/nach_baliye_4_bonded_labour_dictatorship_.html

Why judge a reality show?

Arjun: In films, everybody judges you and your performance. I wanted to be on the other side this time and decided to judge a reality show. I want to be more approachable and believe that it is a great medium to interact with a huge audience.

Farah: (laughs) I have judged four reality shows till date and now you can safely call me the queen of reality shows! I love watching reality shows because I am at home with my three children. My social life has gone for a toss. These shows are very entertaining! The best part about these shows is that they don't take much of your time!

Arjun, a lot of your friends from the industry are making an appearance on the small screen, what made you join the bandwagon?

Arjun: Television as a medium has become huge. It is no longer small. Revenues are being generated like never before. I decided to do Nach Baliye- 4 because I knew it wouldn't take up much of my time.. Besides, TV pays me well and I don't need to compromise on my other commitments.

Have you seen Nach Baliye?

Arjun: Yes. Having seen a few episodes, I like the format of the show. It entertained me. That was one of the reasons why I took it up!

But Arjun do you think this is the right time for you to be on television?

Arjun: I don't calculate and make moves in terms of my career. Though I would like to believe, I don't know if this is the right time for me to be on television. Over the years I have realised one thing that whatever you do, you must do it for yourself and not for someone else.

Are you familiar with the contestants?

Farah: Frankly speaking, I do not know most of the contestants. I watch reality shows avidly but none of them have been on a reality show so I don't know them. A few of them seem to be good but I guess it may help that I do not know most of them. That way I can judge them only on the basis of their dance.

Arjun: I knew Abhijeet Sawant and Jaspal Bhatti but besides that I do not know any body!

So what will be your criteria for judging the contestants?

Arjun: Well, Farah is there to judge their dancing skills and I am going to be helping her with my inputs. I will be mainly concentrating on their energy, attitude, the chemistry between the couples and overall performance. I will see the human side of a performance. I am not going to ape anyone. I shall be myself on the show!

Farah: Being a choreographer by profession, this is the best job for me! I get to be myself on the show. I will check for the technicalities, the expressions and of course the overall performance. Everything about being a judge is good, except for the make- up that I detest.

Apparently, Farah Khan convinced you to be on the show

Arjun: Yeah! Farah did talk to me about being on the show but once I met the Star production team, was totally convinced that these guys were doing a good job.

Were you offered any other reality shows before this?

Arjun: I was offered but I was not too sure about taking anything up! Luckily for me, the dates did not clash with my shooting schedules. Also Nach Baliye has been consistent and I am glad to be a part of this show.

Farah: I was offered Big Boss 1.

Don't you think there is an overdose of reality shows?

Arjun: Yes, there are a lot of reality shows! But if you talk to any channel guys, they will tell you that reality shows have the highest TRPs. If the show is good, it will have a loyal fan following. They will watch all seasons of the show consistently. If the show is interesting, it will do well.

Farah: Reality shows are coming out of our eyes, ears and mouth! But the fact remains that they are very popular with the audience and generate the highest revenue for the channel. The audiences get habituated to watching these shows.

What do you have to say about reality shows being scripted?

Farah: There have been things like this doing the rounds from quite sometime. But fortunately, I have not been asked to do anything on any of my shows. Everything is real and there is no drama. I agree that some of them are instigated but I do not know if they are scripted!

Arjun, what about your production company? Are you planning to enter television?

Arjun: Yes, we are in talks. But nothing concrete has been decided as yet!

Given a choice would you like to be a contestant on a reality show?

Arjun: Never! I have watched a few episodes of Bigg Boss and trust me; it is not my cup of tea. I could never stay isolated from the world!

Farah: I don't know! I have never thought about it.

So are we going to see both of you on the dance floor?

Farah: We might do an act in the finale or something. But before that I have to knock off all the extra weight that I have gained.

Arjun: Yeah! As soon as Farah loses weight we shall perform together!

http://www.screenindia.com/news/judging-em-right/370959/

'Taare Bole' - On Nach Baliye 4..

Shri Pankaj Gupta, well known astrologer analyzes the planetary positions of the 12 Jodis of Nach Baliye 4 and ...

Abhijeet and Shilpa take the cake...

Abhijeet Sawant and wife Shilpa achieved the impossible as they scored the maximum in their very first outing in Nach ...

Naman reprimanded by Farah...

The inaugural episode of Nach Baliye saw Farah Khan far from impressed with Naman Shaw's performance

Nach Baliye takes the flying route...

Telly Buzz presents to you pictures from the air trip organized for the 12 Jodis of Nach Baliye, judges as well as media

by Meenakshi Shankar

Oct 17, 2008, Mumbai

Now that 'Nach Baliye' is the hottest thing this season, we will bring you the important moments, whether good or bad, faced by our favourite jodis.

In Farah Khan's own words, dance reality shows are no cake-walk. No doubt, it has the glam quotient to it, but it is very rigorous and nerve-wracking. But, the beauty of 'Nach Baliye' is that it is a dance show about jodis – couples in love!

Yes, they may have a spat here and there, but they do end up leaning on each other during trying times. And, we give our thumbs up to the jodi of the first episode – Vineet and Tanushree. The much-in-love couple caught our attention, not because of the sizzling chemistry they share, but because of their mantra – "For better or for worse…"

Vineet, in his first day's shoot was high-strung and nervous…a condition that creeps up on just about every actor at some point or the other. The duo was dancing to the beats of "Rock the dance floor". And barely a stanza into the song, Vineet blanked out. But Tanushree held on. She supported him and egged him on to get along. She led the dance as he played the second fiddle. By then, Vineet was almost in tears. But Tanushree refused to let Vineet be bogged down by emotions.

And our jury members, seeing the chemistry and the closeness of the couple, told them to come back with the same performance yet again. And we could hear Vineet heave a sigh of relief. "We were the first jodi and I had no clue what really went wrong. I just blanked out. I couldn't remember my steps. But, the credit for walking away with our heads held high in the first episode goes to Tanushree. She's the one who supported me on the floor."

http://www.tellywatch.com/telly_features/tanushree_vineet/october-17-2008/tanushree_vineet_nach_baliye_4.html

by Meenakshi Shankar

Oct 17, 2008, Mumbai

To promote their new show 'Nach Baliye 4', Star Plus decided to soar up to the skies to hold a special preview at 10,000 feet above sea-level. The channel and Jet Airways came together and invited the media to have a dekko into what lay in store for the viewers of 'Nach Baliye-4'.

Tucked inside the brand new Boeing 777 300 ER, what kept the spirits up in the flight, in spite of the delay of about an hour, was Farah Khan's rib-tickling humour and Jaspal Bhatti's dance steps. It was hilarious to catch Farah saying, "Look, there are only three parachutes in the flight and they are reserved for the judges."

Karisma and Arjun Rampal couldn't have looked hotter. Karisma, dressed in an all black outfit was making all women aboard envious. And Arjun had the women eating out of his hands.

As Farah Khan rightly put it, "It's a reality show. And I know, as a choreographer how tough it is to get the moves right in one go. It is not like a movie where takes and retakes form a part of the show. And if you have stiff jury members, the participants might as well as pack their bags and go home. Yes, we are the jury members. But at the end of the day, we also know what it feels like to be on the other side. So, what we bring to the table is good decision-making laced with humanness and empathy."

The camaraderie amongst the participants were very visible. Our favourite moment was when Jaspal Bhatti was dancing away while we were trying to have a chat with him. Already touted as a popular couple, Jaspal and Savita are the front-runners for the 'Nach Baliye Season 4'. The mood was upbeat, the chemistry great, the environment very comfortable…all in all, the kick-off was positive.

The fun and games have begun…

Nach Baliye Season 4 on Star Plus, on 17th October at 8 pm.

http://www.tellywatch.com/telly_news/nach_baliye_4_filmy_style/october-17-2008/nach_baliye_4_filmy_style_jet_airways.html

Savitha Bhatti and Jaspal Bhatti, who are a part of 'Nach Baliye-4', spoke to us for our couple-column on dance and beyond…

Q: One dance step/form that you would never do…

Jaspal Bhatti – I would like to try every kind of dance step. I don't know the technical names of the dance forms that are there but I would say that I would not be comfortable doing any vulgar moves.
Savita Bhatti – I would never do the step wherein the male dancer would lift the female dancer; I find it very dangerous.

Q: Off-screen, who dances to whose tunes?

Jaspal– It is a universal law that the husband dances to his wife's tunes; it is natural (laughs). But I am glad to be a part of 'Nach Baliye', where at least here I can make my wife dance to my tunes (laughs again). It is like a dream to be here and a chance to recognise how well you can dance.
Savita– For the sake of rumours I can say that he dances to my tunes, But if it is going to make him happy then I would say, I dance to his tunes. But the truth is that it is the respect that we, or I as a woman, have earned from my spouse. We are in a relationship and it is about mutual respect and affection. We have our own areas of work and we work independently; it is about the faith, freedom and respect of your partner. And it has to come naturally and one has to be lucky to get all these.

Q: If you were angry, which song would you want your partner to dance to woo you?

Jaspal– It is an old Dev Anand song and it is called " Acha ji mein aaon…"
Savita– I would want him to dance to an old number which goes like this, "Oh meri mehr…"

Q: If roles were to be reversed, with what song would you challenge your judges Arjun, Karisma, and Farah to dance to?

Jaspal– The song from 'Tashan', "White white face."
Savita– The judges have mastered dance and are true experts. But if I am given a chance to challenge them, then I would pick some old song which is a tad slow in its rhythm. It is very challenging to choreograph for such songs and I would like to see how the judges' would perform on it.

Q: If you had a chance to woo a Bollywood hero/heroine...which dance would you woo him/her on...?
Jaspal– It would be on Katrina Kaif on the song "Jee karda…"
Savita– I am a big fan of Hrithik Roshan and his dance moves. So I would choose him and dance on the number "Hai ke zara zara…"

http://www.tellywatch.com/telly_columns/savitha_bhatti_jaspal_bhatti/october-22-2008/savitha_bhatti_jaspal_bhatti_nach_baliye_4_couple_column_dance.html