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Knotty twosome

Actor Manish Paul to tie the knot with childhood sweetheart Samyukta Mazumdar in Delhi on January 29

Sapana Patil Poojary Manish Paul and childhood sweetheart Samyukta Mazumdar will marry in Delhi on January 29. Manish Paul with Samyukta Mazumdar Recalling their early days of courtship, Manish says, "We have been together since our kindergarten days. We have always studied in the same class till our 12th standard. That's when we took up different faculties. But our friendship remained intact; in fact with time, it grew in respect of attachment and commitment." Samyukta, who is a teacher at K R Mangalam World School, Delhi says, "Manish and I are diverse in nature. Yet it is amazing how we gel with each other." So when did they realise that they are more than just good friends? Samyukta recalls, "When Manish left Delhi for Mumbai a year ago, I missed him a lot. He too had similar feelings for me. That's when we realised how much we wanted to be together." While the couple is excited about the wedding, the fact that they may not be able to go on a honeymoon bothers them. "I have shooting schedules for Ghost Bana Dost (Star One). Samyukta is angry. But I have promised her a vacation soon. So she asked me to reach Delhi a week before our wedding," Manish laughs.

Casper goes Indian in a new children's series Ghost Bana Dost, starting December 19 on Star One. Model-actor Milind Soman, who makes his debut as television producer announced the weekly series early this week.

Milind, who wooed children on the telly as the lead in the sci-fi saga Captain Vyom, said, "Kids' programming is big. But I don't want to make anything that talks down to the children, rather something that appeals to the adults in the family as well."

Style check
Sporting a Mangal Pandey-style moustache, long locks, rugged unkempt look, contrasted with a mischievous smile, he introduced the show's teenage and peppy 'ghost' Ni Ke (Manish Paul). Milind plays the indulgent father figure, letting his cast take the limelight. But the buzz refuses to die down around him - age certainly hasn't dimmed one of our best-known male model's charm. "But I don't make girls' hearts beat faster anymore," he modestly says.

The ghost story
Veering on the topic of his serial, he talks about Ghost Bana Dost's storyline. An exploited "poor little rich kid" Dabboo meets Ni Ki, the ghost, by chance. The script revolves around how Ni Ke uses his supernatural powers to better Dabboo's sorry state of affairs."It's about relationships, growing up experiences and emotions that are relatable at a basic level," explains Milind.

On similarities to the popular friendly comic ghost Casper, he says, "Casper was animated, but our ghost Ni Ke is a person and much better looking than Casper. But there are two similarities between the two - they are good-hearted, but mischievous ghosts." Milind adds, "Though there may be occasional plot similarities, Ghost Bana Dost is an indigenous concept we have been working on." He says only good scripts and presentation will work on TV. And a sneak preview of the show does support his claim of having "some of the best special effects seen on TV".And does Milind believe in ghosts? "Only in good ghosts."

Thursday, December 07, 2006
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Mumbai, (UNI): Premier entertainment channel Star One is all geared up to launch its new show 'Ghost Bana Dost', from Decenber 19.

The show is about a rich orphan kid, Dabboo aka Adil Baadshah, being looked after by his uncle, Vichittar aka Manoj Joshi and his wife Tejo ji aka Sushmita Mukherjee who ill treat him and are only interested in his money.

Dabboo's only savior is Ni Ke (Nikhil Kedarnath) aka Manish Paul, the friendly ghost who helps him in time of need.

Produced by Milind Soman's Face Entertainment, this thrilling and entertaining show will premiere on Tuesday, December 19 at 2030 hrs, a release here today said.

Milind Soman, producer, Face Entertainment says, ''we are thrilled to launch our first show on Star One. 'Ghost Bana Dost' is about a frightened little boy whose life changes when a 'cool dude' ghost befriends him. Every child has a Dabboo in him and deep inside also longs for a magical friend like the 'full of life' ghost in this show.'' ''As a child I always looked for fun, magic, and fantasy and through 'Ghost Bana Dost', with its marvellous special effects and compelling narrative, I think we have succeeded in bringing this to Indian television in a way never been seen before,'' Soman added.

Shailja Kejriwal, Senior Creative Director, Star India Pvt Ltd said, ''We are very excited to launch 'Ghost Bana Dost' as we have all been curious about ghosts as kids and this show captures the child within each one of us. This is a show that will appeal to everyone with Ni Ke as the endearing lonely ghost who becomes the 'super-bhoot' and makes a meek child a 'super-boy'. We hope it will win the hearts of our audiences.''

Here is what Dabbo has to say about his role in Ghost Banaa Dost.

You've been a very popular ad boy and now you'll soon be a television star. How does it feel to be so popular in such a short span?
I'm very excited since every one who knows me as a model, will now see me on tv doing something completely different.

How different or similar are you to the character Dabboo?
Dabboo's character is similar in only one aspect and that is he loves his parents very much, but there are many differences. Dabboo is very meek, he is always sad because of his circumstances and also he is always frightened to take up challenges, which is completely opposite to what I am in real life.

Was it very difficult to get in to the skin of the character?
No, it was not very difficult because I had made up my mind to do something which is very different from my own personality and from what I had done in all my 371 ads.

Favorite show on the telly is?
Nach baliye.

Three words that describe yourself.
I am cute.

Favourite Actor.
Hussain.

Your favourite scene so far.
The boxing scene, because in that I got to bash up Cheeku.

Relate a funny incident on the show.
In one of the episodes of Ghost Banaa Dost, I had to dress up as a girl. My father who had accompanied me for the shoot that day did not know about this.

The make-up was so good that when I came out of the make-up van dressed as a girl, he thought I was some one else who had come for the shoot. Even when I said hi to him he waved at me casually thinking otherwise. He realised that it was me dressed up as a girl only when all the others on the set called me by my name.

Can't get enough of television? Grab your weekly gossip from the industry right here.

Going Global

With Indian industry going global, was the entertainment industry going to be left behind? No way.

BAG Films, producers of the serial Kumkum, has started producing shows for overseas markets, with its first international show due to be telecast early next year on the renowned channel Ary Digital.

The show, called Yeh Vaada Raha, will be telecast in Pakistan , UAE, the United States and UK. Perhaps predictably, Yeh Vaada Raha is the story of two lovers Sadia and Salman, and the turmoil in their life caused by the mutual hatred of their respective families.

The multinational star cast includes Pakistani actress Maria Wasti (Sadia), Raj Verma (Salman), Pankaj Dheer and Shahbaz Khan.

Work-life balance?

With shooting schedules taking up 16-18 hours of an actor's day, relationships are under pressure as never before. The savvy ones, though, have figured a way out -- marry your colleague, so you get to spend those 18 working hours together.

Hiten Tejwani and Gauri Pradhan, of Nach Baliye fame, are shining examples. But then, such proximity can bring its own problems, even funny ones. Take for instance Manoj Bohra and Tina Parakh, better known as Prem and Mukti in Kasauti Zindagi Kay.

The two will be seen in a new Star One show, Ek Se Badhkar Ek. Launched as a countdown show with a difference, it features the real life pair as a temperamentally opposed couple, constantly fighting with each other and trying to outdo one another. Like, there aren't enough problems within a marriage without having to simulate more on screen, too?

The countdown show, meanwhile, includes categories ranging from 'Top 10 Action Heroes', 'Top 10 Love Triangles' to 'Top 10 Sizzling Singles', amongst others.

Supernatural Soman

Television's first hunk, Milind Soman, now turns producer with a new entertainer, Ghost Bana Dost.

To be telecast on Star One, the story revolves around a rich orphan kid, Dabboo (Adil Baadshah), living with his uncle Vichittaraka (Manoj Joshi) and aunty Tejoji (Sushmita Mukherjee). The uncle-aunt combo ill-treat Dabboo and are interested only in his money.

Dabboo's savior is Nikhil Kedarnath (Manish Paul) -- a friendly ghost who helps him in times of need. Old wine, old bottle, but Soman must be hoping the serial gives him the foothold he has been seeking, into the production side of the business, for quite a while now.

Good times for bad boys

It seems to be the season for the return of villains to the small screen. If you thought the return of Raj in Kyun Ki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi was not enough, here's one more -- Aparna in Kasauti Zindagi Kay.

Though she was dead and buried long back, Balaji scriptwriters have brought her back, never mind that it takes reincarnation to a whole new plane. Gitanjali Tikekar plays the role; for now, no one is telling us what the script holds in store for her, and for Tulsi Virani and the Basu and Bajaj families, who will be impacted by her machinations.

Enter, left, Kitu Gidwani

Here's some good news for fans of Kitu Gidwani. Starting Christmas Day, she will be back on the small screen in a new serial, Kulvaddhu. The love story of a girl who selflessly enters into a relationship to protect the family of the man she loved and cared for since her childhood, the serial is set against the backdrop of Rajasthan.

Produced by Maverick Productions (first venture of actor turned producer Dr. Anuj Saxena, better known as Abhay in Kkusum), the serial will be telecast Monday through Thursday, at 8.30 pm, on Sony and stars Suhasini Mulay, Milind Gulanji, Sushmita Mukherjee and newcomer Daljit Kaur and Imran Khan. Besides Gidwani, of course.