Moni Roy is the new Tulsi
Ekta Kapoor's latest find, the actress plays Krishna Tulsi in the Kyunki Saas… re-launch on June 7; Smriti Irani will be the new Ba
She had almost given up till she stumbled upon Moni Roy. Now, finally Ekta Kapoor, head-honcho of Balaji Telefilms, has found her new Tulsi. "Moni Roy, a Bengali student from Delhi who knows zilch about television is the new Tulsi. Moni, who had come to audition with her friends just for fun, found herself with the coveted role. Now she's Krishna Tulsi. I hope viewers accept her. She's raw right now. But it works to her advantage as she doesn't come across as a know-it-all. More than acting it's your attitude that attracts viewers. Moni has the right attitude. The rest is up to the script and destiny," says Ekta.
A new male actor is also being launched opposite Moni. "We've cast Pulkit. He was in Manish Goswami's serial Sixerr. Pulkit's contract with them had expired. Now he's in Kyunki Saas…. He was the last person to be cast. We didn't like the earlier boys we auditioned. We'll have to shoot all the portions pertaining to Hardwar with Pulkit in Mumbai," says Ekta.
Ekta has written the first eight episodes of Kyunki... featuring the generation-leap. "We're all set to launch the new-avatar of the soap on my birthday, June 7. Indeed, 7 is my lucky number. I had earlier planned it for April 7, and then May 7. But now we've found our new Tulsi, and the show can go on air on June 7! Funnily, the earlier day is the Omen's day (06.06.06). So we strike a day after the devil!" says Ekta. Also, she had released the film Kya Kool Hain Hum on June 7 and started Kyunki…. on her dad's birthday.
Ekta admits it was difficult to zero on to the right girl for the new Tulsi. "We held many auditions all over India. We distributed pamphlets, did radio interviews and even short-listed eleven girls. None seemed to match up. But, I knew that I'd know the new Tulsi when I'd see her. There was this one girl whom we wanted to cast in Kasauti Zindagi Ki. We flew her to Mumbai and completely styled her. And then I knew Kasauti ... couldn't have her. That's how Moni became Kyunki's new girl," says Ekta.
All the same, Smriti Irani will continue to be the pivot of the serial. "It's her story and she continue to be the catalyst of Kyunki…. That doesn't change. She moves to a new level in the plot," says Ekta.
Regarding the new responsibilities the characters assume, Ekta says, "Krishna Tulsi will be a mirror image of Tulsi while Smriti Irani will now become Ba. When the serial started Tulsi's anchor was Ba. And today, Smriti is all set to take over the role of Ba."
Every other member of the cast remains. Earlier plans to bump off Ba (played by Sudha Shivpuri) have been put on hold due to her popularity. "Ba will now be very old on the show, in fact, celebrate her 108th birthday. People love Sudhaji so much. Recently, when she was shooting in Hardwar people touched her feet, men included. Ba dies after 35 more episodes."
Ekta is looking forward to the leap. "We've been planning it for so long. The first generation of Viranis lasted only 360 episodes and the second generation for 600 episodes. We hope the third generation will last for a 1000 episodes," says Ekta.
Moroever, Ekta's Kya Hoga Nimmo Ka has become the first soap to be successful on Star One. "We were shooting for it in Mauritius last week. I was in the water all the time. It was great fun. While the whole unit would shoot and then party, I'd be underwater, snorkelling. I saw an eel and nearly fainted underwater. I thought it was a snake. I took along two friends from Delhi, and my friends Natasha and Shabbir Boxwallah."
Ekta has also entered into a filmmaking partnership with Sanjay Gupta. "To collaborate with someone who's a master at production will be good fun." What about her birthday plans on June 7? "It's just work, work and more work. I rejoice in work. I get withdrawal symptoms if I don't work. I'm planning three-four more shows. I'll have my birthday party a month ahead on July 7 when I've some breathing space. I'd rather finish my workload and then enjoy my party," says Ekta.
• I hope viewers accept moni. She's raw right now. More than acting it's your attitude that attracts viewers. Moni has the right attitude
– Ekta Kapoor
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