No new offers for Chhavi

Chhavi Mittal, the lead in Tumhari Disha, who quit the daily because she didn't want to play a 40-year-old mother to an actor of her age when the serial went for 20-year generation leap, is not regretting her decision one bit. Though Tumhari Disha was the only serial she was doing, she stuck to her decision of not playing an older character.

She felt it was a big risk to play a character double her age. "May be five years down the line, but not now" says Chhavi who has returned from London after a 15-day shooting schedule of Smita Thackeray's film Kaise Kahen, a love story directed by Chhavi's husband Mohit Hussein which has her in a key role. "I play a girl who lives in London and is a tarot card reader," she says.

After doing Tumhari Disha for nearly two and half years Chhavi is keen on a break. "I have worked continuously for 25 days every month for two and half years. Even the London schedule of my film was very hectic. So I have decided to take a long break before I take up new work," she reasons, admitting that after quitting her debut serial she has not been offered any signifi-cant role.

We've heard of actors falling in love with their on-screen characters; but never heard of any actor falling in love with his get-up! So much so that he even threatens a walkout if his look in the serial is not maintained.

Yes, that's what took place on the sets of Tumhari Disha recently when Ashish Nayyar, who plays the character of DK threatened to stall the shoot if his trademark beard and crutches were not given back to him. "It was in fact very funny," reveals a source present on the sets.

"Ashish stalled the shoot saying he wouldn't go in front of the camera till his beard and crutches were not given back to him." He further adds that along with the 20-year-leap which the serial went through recently, Ashish's character was to grow older and have a sort of image makeover.

But when he was told he wouldn't be sporting his trademark beard and crutches any longer, he got very annoyed and demanded to talk to the channel. "Look, it all settled amicably and there is nothing to talk about it," says Ashish now. However, our sources reveal that the matter got sorted out only when the channel interfered and accepted Ashish's demand unconditionally.

When we got in touch with Pintoo Guha, producer of the show, he didn't like the idea of getting negative publicity to his serial. He screamed, "Why don't you guys write about how good the serial is? Why is that you always bring controversies only?"