Juhi Video...in Shaheen...one of her old.

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Nikita Khandelwal

@nikitaic

Inactive

Posted: 17 years ago

Hey...Remember Shaheen one of Juhi's old shows...Do watch..she had matured so much...Its the title song link..

http://www.dailymotion.com/related/6246736/video/x3pw1w_shah een-title-song_shortfilms

nikita..

If not correct topic..Mods may feel free to close..

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srijani

@buchuni

Inactive

Posted: 17 years ago

thanks nikitaic 4 this video..this is the title song of saheen..i've watched 2-3 episodes of saheen..so matured acting by juhi..if i'm not wrong dis is her 1st serial right??

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norzar

@norzar

Trailblazer

+ 3

Posted: 17 years ago

hi

thanks for this

shaheen wasnt ju first serial

it was woh and jee shahab i think

fab acting by juhi yet again

she played shaheen so well

she has very good urdu

spot on

norzar

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surakshita

@surakshita

Sparkler

Posted: 17 years ago

all the article links says it all. One power-packed performance by Juhi at a very young age. The happy end was too good and emotional.

http://www.indiantelevision.com/prog/locat/shaact.htm

http://www.indiantelevision.com/prog/locat/shadir.htm

http://www.indiantelevision.com/prog/locat/shapro.htm

http://www.indiantelevision.com/prog/locat/shaloc.htm

http://www.indiantelevision.com/prog/locat/shaonloc.htm

http://www.indiantelevision.com/prog/locat/shacha.htm

THE ACTORS

Under the arclights

Sushama Seth (Begum Sahiba) is the only well known name in the serial. Most others are newcomers.

Juhi Parmar

Pretty, slim, tall, and twenty something, the actress from Jaipur, Juhi Parmar plays the lead role in Shaheen. With one Gujarati film under her belt, she looks confident and excited about her role.

Very keen on her career, Juhi left Jaipur, dumping college two years back , and came to Mumbai. She received guidance from her uncle, Rakesh Parmar who had directed a part of blockbuster serial 'Tara'. 'I get to know few good people in industry due to the contacts, but never the role. For my first serial, ' Woh, ' I went through a screen test and got the role.' It was the same with Shaheen.

Juhi Parmar

'There were seven to eight girls trying for the same role, But I grabbed it.," says the charming Juhi . Although she had schooled in English, she sounds as though she was born in a Muslim family.

Sushama Seth with Juhi Parmar

She started her career with 'Woh' on Zee. After Woh came 'Choodiyan' produced by Just Production. She played the role of younger sister to the central character, a mentally disturbed character.'The role in Choodiyan is similar to my nature, where as in 'Shaheen it is totally different.'

Playing two different roles back to back does not deter her. She looks at any role as medium to prove her acting abilities. " So when I am doing Shaheen, I am involved in the role." Her enthusiasm, concentration, and zest for work are clearly visible. Each time after a shot is okayed, she runs to the monitor to see how the shot is. There is very little stress or fatigue on her face. She hopes TV will be her stepping stone to Bollywood.

Bhaveen Gossain

Bhaveen Gossain ( Nawab Junaid Akhtar) is from Delhi theater, having worked with Manoj Bajpai and Ashish Vidyarthi. He met Bharadwaj through a common friend. When offered the role, he studied the strong storyline, well fleshed out character and accepted.

Bhaveen Gossain with Juhi parmar

THE DIRECTOR

Pages from one's life

Director- scriptwriter Pravesh Bhardwaj 's wife has collaborated in writing the story. Bhardwaj says that the story has its origins in his personal life. Lucknow has happy memories for both of them. Bhardwaj is from Bareilli, and his wife is from Behraich (in Uttar Pradesh, on the broader with Nepal); and Lucknow was the meeting place for them. Their romance blossomed in Lucknow and Bhardwaj who nurtured film making ambitions had vowed that he would one day produce a film or a serial which would have Lucknow as a pivotal point.

Lucknow's old palaces, its Urdu language, and the soft-spoken, gentle Nawabs are among the memories . Mumbai was included in the script "to allow a common person to identify with the story, " says Bhardwaj.

Director Bhardwaj explaining a scene to Juhi and costar

Although Shaheen is his first independent project, Bhardwaj is confident.

" Every thing is cooked in my mind before I actually start the shoot. As far as possible I give the script to the actors well in advance to prepare. As I am a writer, I know what I want to convey," he says.

Bhardwaj has a strong background in direction. He was an apprentice and assistant to Mr. Shyam Benegal (Suraj Ka Satvan Ghoda), Gulzar (Kirdar), Aruna Raje Patil (Bhairavi) and Govind Nihalani (Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Ma).

His clear focus, knowing what he wants and doesn't, makes life easier for actors and the production team. The planning is meticulous.

"All leading actors are intimated about the schedule well in advance. It becomes easier for them. It helps us to manage our time," says Bhardwaj.

Post-production, and writing future episodes are completed in Mumbai.

Bhardwaj along with the producer (in a white shirt) having a word with the actors

Bhardwaj believes in working on one project at a time. He is not involved in other serials or films for now.

Parvesh switched locales from Lucknow to Bhopal, as he could not find the right vacant place in Lucknow. As the current location the big palatial haveli Shifa Manzil was available, he leased it.

The channel perspective

Inside Programming: Shaheen

The Channel Perspective

A Sony Entertainment Television programming executive explains why they selected Shaheen amongst the hundreds of TV series proposals that come their way every month. And how it progressed from pilot stage to airing on one of the most exciting television channels in India.

Why was Shaheen taken on ?

Prima facie the concept was seen as being very humane and identifiable as it reflected the story of many Indian girls who have to crush their ambitions and desires to marry when their parents deem fit. That too to the man of their parents choice, often without getting the opportunity to get to know him better. And being expected to make all adjustments to make the union work

In Shaheen's case what added to the drama was that her husband Junaid was previously married with a 10-year-old son. This fact was kept hidden from her by own father who seeks a Nawabi alliance at any cost. What should she do? Should she stay or leave? Shaheen is faced with dilemmas at various points and a lot of Indian women would identify with this.

Another dimension of interest was the underlying cultural difference between traditional Lucknow and urban Mumbai. Can a Mumbai girl adjust to life in a Lucknowi haveli and learn "Lucknowi Tehseeb" ?

It also gives us a glimpse into the seemingly fascinating lifestyle of Nawabs. What does being a Nawab mean in today's day and age. Are the age-old traditions still intact?

How is the story different from other serials?

The story idea in itself is unique in the sense that marriage to an older widower with a son has not been depicted before. What's more the man is still in love with his ex wife a la Rebecca. Again the cultural differences between two cities that have been highlighted also sets it apart.

The concept required shooting outside of Mumbai to depict life in a Lucknowi haveli which in itself is refreshing in light of overexposure to the bungalows and studios used for TV serials.

Not to mention the old world charm, which exudes from the haveli settings and mannerisms of the Lucknow residents, which adds to the appeal. It's almost like being transported to another world.

The serial also differs from others in terms of the treatment. A conscious attempt was made to make the characterisations and dialogues believable and subtle and do away with the loudness and over acting typical to many shows

Steps involved: from concept to… on air.

The pilot and concept were submitted, basis which the approval was given.

The name "Shaheen" used in the pilot was retained. And so was Juhi Parmar, the young girl who played Shaheen with great conviction in the pilot.

The story line and parallel track of other characters were sketched out and further developed

The casting, which was crucial to the show understandably, took a long time to be finalised. The cast includes an interesting mix of theatre personalities, some new faces as well as established veterans like Sushma Seth. Interestingly Surekha Sikri who played Begum Sahiba in the pilot was to be retained. Since she could not spare dates Sushma Seth was roped in and this decision added a lot of weight to the project

Another important task was finding the "Lucknowi Haveli". The authenticity lies in the fact that the serial has been actually shot in a haveli and no sets have been created. After scouting for more than a month we settled on Bhopal after taking in to account visual appeal and practical considerations. Of course a bit of touch up was required to make it shoot worthy

Simultaneously the title montage, logo and advertising of the show were being worked on. Shaheen has been depicted as the main protagonist to create empathy for her character and other characters are always shown from her point of view. This approach has been extended to on air promotion as well.

The on air promos were developed with a view of creating a unique dreamy look and giving the viewers a flavor of the show. Beads, paisley and gold were used to create an ethereal, old worldly feel.

A lot of time was spent on the development and recording of the title track. The title track is in fact one of the highlights of the show. The sound track has a Muslim ghazal feel to it with the lyrics depicting the story of Shaheen in first person- a woman with dreams, which get shattered along the way but she still hopes for happiness. The title montage shows Shaheen's world in the Lucknowi Haveli with interactions with different characters. The title montage was shot separately in Lucknow by the team at Sony Entertainment Television

And of course last but not least the promotion of the show. The show was announced in a joint press conference along with other shows. This was followed up with press ads in leading publications and on air promos.

To read more about The Making of Shaheen click on the links below

Inside programming: On Location

As hectic as it gets

(An exclusive On-Location Report by
Correspondent Harish Patil on the sets of Shaheen)

'Full Light', 'We roll' comes the loud voice from somewhere inside the room.

The recordist forwards the tape to the end of the scene that had been completed around 15 minutes earlier, peering at the monitor. He then bellows out "Silence," a keen sense of urgency and authority in his voice. Everybody stops talking and the buzz slowly dies down. The recordist-cum-continuity person then proceeds to write the details of the scene in the continuity book; the scratch of his pen as he scribbles can be heard loudly in the quiet room.

He yells "silence" again, followed by "Rolling. "From the other room, comes another yell: "Action." Pin drop silence follows and a cloud of cigarette smoke descends on the room as several people try to ease the tension by puffing on their tobacco sticks.

The picture on the monitor goes somewhat like this: the camera zooms onto a girl wearing a salwar suit. She is leaning over the window sill, looking out at the distant horizon, just an hour before the sun is exactly up overhead. The room, apparently, a hotel room is bathed in sunshine.

A curly-haired male gets up from his slumber, and stretches on the bed. He looks at the pretty damsel, wishing her 'Good Morning',

The girl turns around, smiles and sits on the edge of the bed.

The Person asks, "Kya Waqt Huya ?"

The girl replies,"Gyara baj gaye".

The conversation goes on for a while, and the crew continues to film the scene. Suddenly, there is a disturbance, and a loud one at that. A desperate voice shouts 'cut', followed by "Kiska awaz aaya ? "

The room is abuzz once again. A voice explains: "sahib, the refrigerator's compressor came on automatically."

'Silence," the voice booms loudly once again. And the sequence of events is repeated.

The heart and soul of the unit

We are in Bhopal. The location is the Hotel Imperial Sabre, which has been created from an old-style Nawabi mansion, and it retains that charm till today.

It is not morning; it is past midnight and I am trying hard to rub the sleep from my eyes. Artificial floodlights have been used to make it appear to be day.

When I view the scene on the monitor later, it looks like a day scene, no one will know it was shot at night, thanks to the good lighting.
I am at the location shoot for Shaheen, a television series that is airing on Sony Entertainment.

The whole unit, the crew and actors, are dog-tired. The night shoots have been going on for the past three days and worse, the previous night's shoot had wrapped up at four a.m.

The unit gets ready for another take in the garden

However, it is not pack up time yet. The shoot has been planned well in advance, and the producer and director have to stick to it. So, even though the rhythm of the unit has been interrupted, within a few minutes, the crew has to pull itself together and get ready for the next shot.

The relatively less frenetic Bhopal (compared to Mumbai) is slowly but steadily becoming a destination for TV and film crews. After the feature film Tarkeeb completed a major shooting schedule there in March 2000, a couple of other movies have been shot there as well. It's now time for TV serials. Eenadu Television is shooting the Urdu serial Namak (an interim working title) in another wing of the Hotel Imperial Palace. And of course there is Shaheen, which is being produced by Arvishi Cine Vision for Sony.

Most of the actors and crewmembers are from north India, which has helped them acclimatise themselves to Bhopal's climate. But most of them are homesick.

" I have not called home for the last four days," says Bharadwaj, desperately punching in his home number once more into the mobile he has borrowed from one of the executives from Sony Entertainment Television.

The food and temperature seem to be the major problem for the entire unit. The October heat is in full swing during the days I am there. Throw in the strong lights used during the filming and you are talking about being thrown into a veritable furnace. You tend to sweat considerably and the entire unit of 50 people consumes about eight jars of 20 litre Bisleri jars daily. The heat leads to other irritants. "The makeup gets smudged and you have to constantly go to the make up room to have yourself done up again," says a crew member. "The layer upon layers of clothes we have to wear during the shoot make us very uncomfortable."

A local person butts in then to say that the situation is going to be very different the next schedule comes around. "Within a month, the winter will start, so for the next shoot everyone has been cautioned to carry enough warm clothing. That time everybody will try to be as close to those lights as they can to stay warm," points out Anup, who is from Bhopal, and apart from acting in the serial he is also helping them out to source things locally.

Everybody is waiting to complete this schedule, to get back to his or her assignments in Mumbai. Some will continue to work on the same serial - mainly post-production and shooting of some scenes in Mumbai. Some are working on other projects. For some it will be leisure time. But come December and the crew will be back in Bhopal.

To read more on The Making of Shaheen click on the links below

The channel perspective

Inside Programming: The Location

The Hunt for Shifa Manzil

For a series like Shaheen to look authentically set, it was essential to get the right location. The search therefore took time. It covered several properties in Lucknow and Bhopal, before the team finally settled on Shifa Manzil which is actually a part of a Nawab's huge old Palace, in the heart of the city. It was located with help from some local people.

The entrance was 15 foot high wooden plus metal door which lead to a huge open corridor with small rooms on both sides (supposedly for servants). After crossing the passage, you came across a small door which opened into a small room. And that room lead you to the main bungalow, which had a lot of open space in the middle with a small pond and a fountain. The centrum had rooms on all sides. A staircase led to several more rooms as well as a terrace. The only problem: the interiors were in terrible shape as it had not been lived in for several years.

Bhardwaj warmed up to the place. What made him decide on it was the owner's attitude. He was very open to the idea of giving it out to the Arvishi crew and had no objections if they made some structural changes. He took the place on a lease.

Shaheen's art director Deshmukh, who is also from Bhopal, brought together a crew of 25-30 local help to clean it up, make repairs and make it functional for filming in a flat period of five days. The interior was modified to give it a Mughal look. Different parts were converted into a mardana (drawing room), janana (Begam Sahiba' room), bahu's room, kitchen, dining room, guest room etc.

Molded plaster of paris boulders, wooden arches, coloured glass, wooden colour, carved furniture, chic mat, old decorative lamps, designed crockery, etc. were used to enhance the Nawabi look. It helped that Deshmukh was familiar with Mughal period architecture. Repair costs are estimated to have been anywhere between Rs 350,000 and Rs 400,000.

Further improvements were not possible because of time and budgetary constraints. As only a part of the haveli has been renovated for the shoot, the rest of it wears a gloomy look.

Shifa Manzil was everything the crew of Shaheen wanted

"Viewers are bored with the same bungalows that are repeatedly used for shooting. So we wanted to give them something authentic at the same time the story also demand this kind of place to recreate that old culture," says director Parvesh Bhardwaj. "Most of the shooting takes place in this mansion, but some part is shot in Hotel Imperial Sabre and its vicinity."

"Had we settled on a occupied place, we would have to work within timing constraints. We didn't want to lose shooting days. And our current location is giving us that kind of freedom"

Producer Ajay Shah does have more plans for Shifa Manzil, reveals Bhardwaj. "He will be investing more funds to renovate the whole thing so that it can be used for other serials as well. "

Clearly, we have not seen the last of the haveli on the small screen.

To read more on The Making of Shaheen click on the links below

THE PRODUCER

An Eye on Perfection

Diamond merchant cum producer Ajay Shah started his television software production company Arvishi Cine Vision six years back. Today, it has three television series on air --Tujpe Dil Qurban and Shaheen on SonyEntertainment and Sparsh Ek Ehsaas on Sahara TV. Its first foray into programming was with Kurukshetra which it produced for Zee TV.

" We are very clear about our strategy. We want to be known as a quality content provider. The quality of the production is one thing that we will not compromise " says Vinod Shah, who heads Arvishi.

Located in the Mumbai suburb of Ville Parle, it produces shows when it gets commissioned by a channel. It has a staff of seven, mainly looking after accounts and shoot coordination. Shah and his team bring together a team of specialists ranging from directors to scriptwriters to actors, whenever Arvishi pockets an assignment, only to disband it when it is completed.

Arvishi specialises in producing television dramas. It got the Shaheen assignment after the Sony programming team approved the pilot that had been submitted to it.

Producer Ajay Shah with Sushama Seth

We want to be known as a quality content provider. The quality of the production is one thing that we will not compromise

Arvishi Cine Vision

The production company plans to air five serials by the end of this year. "Three are already on air. Two proposals are in advanced stages of discussion with various channels," says Shah. One is believed to be for Zee.

Shah is also sprucing up Arvishi's equipment inventory. The plan is to buy monitors, recorders, mixers, but only when it manages to meet its five serial target.

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ambreen

@-Amby-

Sparkler

+ 4

Posted: 17 years ago

thnaks
i never watched this serial
but i will surely try to find all vieos of it
ju is a fab actress
she is great

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norzar

@norzar

Trailblazer

+ 3

Posted: 17 years ago

hi

thanks for posting the articles surakshita

ju has played 2 muslim charcetrs, shaheen and hiba

both were different and impressive

i missed shaheen ka end, but overall the serial was good

would love to see ju do anotehr serial for sony

norzar

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Juhi Video...in Shaheen...one of her old.

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