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After Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin, Sony is all set to introduce its next do-gooder on screen.

This time the lady is going to be called Durgesh Nandini. The show will be an adaptation of famous novelist Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay's first Bengali novel of the same name, published in 1865. The novel has been made into a Bengali and a Hindi film as well. The show will be produced by Shobhna Desai Productions and directed by Vipul A Shah.

The novel, a milestone of sorts during that era, had a Rajput hero and a Bengali heroine as the lead pair. Our sources tell us that the Sony show, based on the Bengali novel is a family drama that deals with the complications that arise after the family patriarch's death.

The show, touted to be the next big thing on Sony, has been compared to Jassi…in the way the plans are being made for it. The launch date though is not yet fixed. The preparations for the show are much under wraps, and a mere two to three days' shooting has been canned. The tentative cast has been decided, but some of these may opt out due to date problems.

While the lead protagonist is likely to be played by Bhojpuri film actress Rinku, there are

several prominent television stars, scheduled to play major characters in the show.

"Yes, I am doing the show, and have just shot the pilot. I play this out and out negative character, who is the bahu of the house and who tries to manipulate her husband into doing things according to her whims and fancies," says Sonia Kapoor.

The story is based on the age old fight between the good and the evil. The head of the family appoints Durgesh as the trustee of his property and thus she incurs the wrath of the rightful heirs. They gang up against her and try to drive her out of the house, only to realise that it has been bequeathed to her by their own father. From thereon begins Durgesh's struggle to make the brothers realise their folly and become worthy of the wealth that is theirs to claim.

"I play one of the three brothers and it is a good role. He is rich but cannot claim his wealth," says Anupam Bhattacharya, who has been known to do negative characters earlier.

Rajesh Kumar, who plays Rosesh in Star One's Sarabhai vs Sarabhai, has also shot the pilot, but he is a little unsure about doing the show due to severe time constraints. "I would love to do the show. But I work 18 days for Ba Bahu…and then there is Sarabhai as well. I haven't taken a call yet," says Rajesh.

Maninee De, who has recently quit The Great Indian Comedy Show to do movies has also been approached for the show along with hubby Mihir Mishra, but the pretty lady is undecided about committing to the show. "It's a negative character and I don't know if I want to do it," sighs Maninee, while also agreeing that she might give in to the temptation of the opportunity of acting with Mihir, but she has her own share of date problems too.

Although the show's tentative cast is ready and raring to go, the time slot and the days that the show will be aired on remains to be decided.

This is the tentative cast of the show...

Mihir Maninee pic by Vicky Ahuja

Finally the long wait is over. Sony's prime time show, Durgesh Nandini (which replaces Bigg Boss) is all set to be aired on 5th February. Touted as an inspiration from Bhankimchandra's classic by the same name, Durgesh Nandini gives a great opportunity to new comer Rinku Ghosh (the protagonist) to make a noteworthy debut on television.

With the telecast of Durgesh Nandini a few days away, this model turned actor (she has done regional cinema and a few hindi films) spoke at length about her new show and the new medium, television.

Excerpts from a chat with Ruhail Amin.

Tell us about your character in and as Durgesh Nandini?

Durgesh Nandini is a girl who cherishes certain values in life like honesty, simplicity and kindness, but saying this she is also very contemporary in terms of her street smart attitude. She can be brutally aggressive and yet have a soft corner for somebody who needs her help. I play an out-and-out rustic girl, with a tomboyish twist to her. In fact she closely resembles my real persona. I would say I am playing myself in the show.

Does it sound alarming working for a show that has a rural backdrop?

Not at all. I accept that most of the TV shows these days have an urban appeal, but at the same time the fact is that most of our population still resides in villages. A show like Durgesh Nandini would cater to a larger population in that sense. I am confident that with the kind of theme this shows portrays it will definitely go well with the audiences.

After working in films, how's the television experience been so far?

I won't say that I am totally new to television. In the sense, I've done TV commercials for brands like Kelvinator, Rexona and Sweekar Oil. Though I agree that my forte has been films - regional cinema to be precise. I have done films like Iyyer IPS (Tamil), Dravina Chaliya (Telugu), Joi Maa Durga (Bengali), Suhaagni Banade Sajana Hamaar (Bhojpuri) and two Hindi films, Koi Hai and Wrong Number.

Durgesh Nandini has close shades to some characters that I have enacted in regional films. Moreover, both films and television have similar kind of demands from an actor. So, I would say that it has been a comfortable experience so far.

So, how excited are you about the show?
I am really thrilled about the shows release. I have a habit of taking up one thing at a time and concentrating on it fully. Right now my focus is Durgesh Nandini. I feel I have been lucky in getting this kind of a role which is not a very common sight on TV today.

What other projects are you busy with at the moment?
At the moment I am shooting for Durgesh Nandini in Mumbai. As I said earlier, I concentrate on one project at atime. Though a few of my Bhojpuri films are lined up for release this year.

Sony's reality show Bigg Boss is slated for a wrap up by the end of the week. So, what's going to be replacing this much talked about show? Speculations are rife that Shobhana Desai's Durgesh Nandini is being considered for the 10 pm slot. The promos of the show are currently on air.

Durgesh Nandini is adapted from Bankimchandra Chattopadyay's first novel by the same name published in 1865 that has earlier been made into a Bengali and a Hindi film as well.

The show was in the news around two years ago, but somehow the project got shelved. In order to get the latest on the current developments, we spoke to Anupam Bhattacharya, who essays an important character on the show. He says, "We're currently shooting for the show and all I can say is that it is slated for release in the coming weeks. I cannot reveal much about it, though I am enjoying myself thoroughly."

The buzz goes that many actors were considered but then have been replaced. Adds Tasneem Sheikh, who was considered for the negative lead in the show, "I was approached by the production house to play the vamp. I even shot the pilot with them but was later informed that I have been replaced." Same has been the fate of Mihir Mishra who was also approached by the production house.

To get more on Durgesh Nandini… keep watching this space!

http://www.tellychakkar.com/y2k7/jan/22jan/news_durgesh

We promised you more on Durgesh Nandini yesterday. Taking the story forward from where we left, it's now confirmed that the show is slated to go air in the month of February.

Produced by Shobhana Desai, the daily soap promises to be different from the clichd themes being seen on the small screen these days. Written by Rekha Nigam, Durgesh is set in the modern times with oodles of youth appeal.

Elaborating on her new show Shobhana says, "I don't agree that we are re-making the literary piece of Bhankimchandra, though there might be shades of the story in the serial. We've been talking about this show for almost two years now. Currently, we're in the process of finalizing the male cast and working out other details."

So, what's Durgesh Nandini about? "It's a story of a village girl played by the newcomer Rinku Ghosh, who has to shift to an urban set up due to some circumstances. The plot unfolds as she's seen coming to terms with the cultural milieu of the new place. There's a sense of loss as well as an inquisitive desire that the girl has to experience. I always make it a point to have stories that are close to real life. I don't understand how some shows can show family members plotting against each other," says Shobhana whose path breaking serial Ek Mahal Ho Sapno Ka is still remembered by viewers.

As far as the casting goes, somehow the production house is finding it difficult to pin down on the male protagonist. The buzz goes that Amit Sadh is being considered for the same. Clarifies Shobhana, "Though, we've found the girl, but we have not been able to finalize the two male protagonists for the show. Amit is just out of Big Boss. But I guess, we may come up with a solution in a few days time."

So how does she plan to carry on with the show without the male leads in the story, to which she replies, "The story would revolve around the female protagonist for the initial episodes and we are in no hurry to get her married in the first episode itself. That gives us ample time to narrow down upon the male leads and start with their track in the narrative."

The big question now is: who'll be the male protagonist of the show? Like we said, keep watching this space for more on that.

http://www.tellychakkar.com/y2k7/jan/23jan/news_desai.php

Indiantelevision.com Team

(30 January 2007 6:00 pm)

According to the recently released TAM data for the last six months (15 July '06 to 13 Jan '07) - Sony is facing a long, hard climb at number three with its relative channel share at 12 to 13 per cent compared to Star Plus now at 40 per cent relative share and Zee hovering around 23 (Hindi GEC / TG CS 4+/ HSM Market).

The two shows have been positioned to compete with Star's K-sagas, especially the predominant players Star's Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki and Kyunki Saas Bhi Bahu Thi that airs within the same time band.

Sony Entertainment Television chief creative director Sandiip Sikcand said, "It's clear that Indian audiences will watch shows that bring out their best emotions. So Durgesh Nandini has a subtle tone of humour while Jeete Hain Jiske Liye is more intense. But both are essentially stories of women with grit and determination."

While the channel claims that its immediate focus is to spruce up this band, it has also revealed that it is planning to beef up its 9 to 10 prime time slot with new programming. Without giving out details, the channel is all set to look at a sitcom and even a game show.

Sony Entertainment Television COO NP Singh says, "Around March-April 2006, we decided to take stock of our programming and come up with a healthy mix of fiction and non fiction programming. Reality series like Fear Factor, Jhalak Dikhla Jaa and Bigg Boss were results of that. While a third season of Indian Idols is already on the cards, we also wanted to get back to daily soaps."

While Durgesh Nandini is a comedy/drama loosely based on Bankim Chandra Chatterjee's novel, SET India CEO Kunal Dasgupta revealed that Jeete Hai Jiske Liye has been adapted from an international telenovella. Both of them have women as their main protagonists. No surprises there. But Jeete Hain Jiske Liye star cast includes Renuka Shahane who will make a return to television after a five-year gap. Her popularity among television viewers should prove to be a huge factor in roping viewership for the show.

Talking about bringing back some of the old shows in an attempt to garner viewership Singh says, "We believe that old brands which we have invested in and have been successful should be revived and made best use of. We decided to go back to shows like Boogie Woogie, CID, Aahaat and now Karamchand."

Sony made cricket and entertainment synonymous and the network is all geared up for World Cup 2007. While Max, Sab and Pix will air matches and shows around it , the channel is determined to keep Set cricket free and provide more entertainment for those taking a break from the game.

http://us.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k7/jan/jan337.htm

Sony Entertainment Televison is tightening its belt in the 10 to 11 pm band. Going ahead with its strategy of providing the right mix of fiction and non-fiction, the channel is now ready with two new refreshing shows - Durgesh Nandini and Jeete Hain Jiske Liye.

Durgesh, produced by Shobhna Desai productions is a story of a tomboyish rural girl, who's a fine mix of traditional and contemporary values. Whereas, Jeete Hain is adapted from a Spanish telenovella. It's an emotional journey of an orphan girl who in her later years is framed for a murder and sentenced to 20 years of imprisonment

Elaborating on the thought behind the two shows, Sandeep Siikcand, Chief Creative Director Sony TV says, "Fiction is the regular dal chawal and non fiction reality programming is the sweet dish that one keeps serving to satiate viewers. Bigg Boss dealt with showcasing real time emotions of people. Now, in the same time slot these two shows will do the same; emotional stories of two extraordinary characters. Moreover, our attempt has been to come up with something different from the regular saas-bahu sagas."

Durgesh Nandini is a story of a bright young village girl who is orphaned at a very young age. The show has a new comer Rinku Ghosh in the lead. The show hopes to touch a chord with viewers by reminding them of simple values, emotions and compassion which is missing in the daily urban grind of our lives..

Jeete Hain, which is slotted at 10.30 pm, is a psychological thriller. It stars Renuka Shahane, Ayub Khan and Varsha Usgaonkar. When queried about the time slots alloted to these shows, SET India CEO, Kunal Dasgupta said, "There are more audiences in the 10 to 11 band as of now, so we might as well hit where the belly is the biggest."

So, is the channel also looking at targeting the 11 pm band? To which SET India COO, N P Singh said, "As for now, we're concentrating on the 8 to 11 pm band and we're not looking at the 11 pm band. Also, we'll soon be announcing a few more shows in the coming months."

Throwing more light on Jeete Hain, the producer of the show Tony Singh says, "Our effort has been to make shows which caters not just to the mainstream audiences but also for the niche or alternate viewers. After Jassi, we were supposed to do a show for Sony and now when the right concept is with us, we 're putting our best efforts to make it more interesting. Also, we've found the right protagonist in Renuka Shahane."

With this show Renuka Shahane makes a comeback after a five year hiatus. She chirps, " "For five long years, I was busy looking after my children and now Jeete gives me an opportunity to essay the emotional journey of a woman who loves her family."

http://us.tellychakkar.com/y2k7/jan/30jan/news_sony.php