Saarthi appears to be a serial with a difference, in more ways than one. While most of its counterparts happily celebrate their 100th, 500th or 1000th episodes by cutting a cake, telecasting a collage of old scenes and having celebrity guests, the dopahar-ka-badshah from Star celebrated its 350th episode by battling it out on the football field! The cast and crew played an actors v/s technicians match at a Mumbai suburb. Hosted by Asit Modi of Neela Telefilms, the match generated much enjoyment. "Such an event helps increase the unit's motivation. We are a very young team and enjoy sports and parties. It is a great stress reliever as well!" says Modi, who was captain of the tech team. Nawab Shah aka Man Singh led the actors' brigade. With the pretty heroines as cheerleaders, it was no surprise the actors won the match 9-5!
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Football diaries
The cast and crew of Saarthi had a fun-filled weekend
Aditi Jayakar Kane
At a time when the daily soap culture can best be compared to that of a factory, it's refreshing to see a serial which believes that all work and no play make for a dull Jack and Jane.
The makers of Saarthi, the afternoon serial on Star One, see to it that their artists and production people have ample time to unwind. Producer Asit Modi and his team organised a football match for the entire cast and crew of the serial on July 30 at the Thakur College ground in Kandivali.
Rajat Nair, executive producer of Saarthi says, "Our producer Asit Modi is extremely passionate about the serial. He looks after every aspect of teamwork. We often have similar get-togethers. Earlier we had a cricket match. It's a wonderful opportunity to celebrate and bond. This football match was between the artists and the technicians."
The match began at 11 in the morning and despite the rain, all the technicians and artistes turned up on time. The artists wore blue while the technicians wore yellow. A doctor was also on the field in the event of any injuries.
The actresses in the serial, Neha Devi Singh and Anupama, were amongst those who didn't participate but they had their share of fun. The two ran right into the field and cheered the players. One of the technicians who claimed to be well-versed with the rules of the game was made the referee.
Although Karan Grover, an ace footballer, who plays Arjun in the serial couldn't attend the match as he was unwell, the artists were undeterred. Nawab Shah who plays Mansen in the serial scored a goal and so did producer Asit Modi.
And the game concluded with the artists' team winning 9 goals as opposed to the technicians' score of 5 goals.
"We have an episode bank of 15 days so we won't start shooting at once. That's a real luxury considering how other dailies work."
After the match, the 40-odd famished members of Saarthi trooped into a nearby restaurant to feast.
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