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This Monday, from the makers of hit television comedies like Instant Khichdi, Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai and Baa, Bahoo Aur Baby, comes Resham Dankh, Hats Off Productions' first major foray into daily dramas.

Starring big names from the world of telly like Mouli Ganguly, Raahil Azim, Apara Mehta, Sumit Raghavan and Rajeev Mehta, Resham Dankh is based on a weekly story by Aatish Kapadia and Mahesh Yagnik that used to come out in the Gujarati magazine Chitralekha and was later converted into a novel.

"The serial has navarasa... all the ingredients for a successful soap," producer J.D. Majethia tells Metro. "Where it differs from other soaps on TV is that Resham Dankh is a finite daily. We have a beginning, middle and end and we know exactly where we wrap up."

That was very crucial for Mouli who has been selective about her small-screen assignments. "As an actress I am very happy because I know at the very outset where my character is headed," she says. "Initially when I got a call from Aatish and JD, I thought it must be a comedy and was disappointed to find Resham Dankh a drama. But when I heard the script, I was excited with the detailing of the various characters in the soap."

To be beamed on STAR One, the new serial will air from Monday to Thursday, every night at 9.30 pm. "Family-oriented dramas are very much an intrinsic part of TV-viewing in India," says Shailja Kejriwal, senior creative director, STAR India. "Resham Dankh targets the audiences who are looking at a contemporary story that retains the traditional ethos of our country."

Resham Dankh revolves around young parents and how their life changes when the first son in the family is born. "It is a super-rich multi-millionaire family that hasn't had a son in years," explains Majethia. "The elder brother is not married and the younger one has two daughters. What happens when the middle brother finally has a son, the heir to the empire, is the crux of the story."

To play out in a period of 12 to 15 months, Resham Dankh will replace the Siddharth Basu celebrity quiz show Heart Beat — Dil Thham Ke Khelo in the prime-time slot.

Kiran Karmarkar who was to play a major character on Star One's upcoming show Resham Dankh has now been replaced by Sumeet Raghavan, who was earlier slated to play another character on the same show. Subsequent to this major change in the casting, the family drama has now undergone quite a few changes in terms of characters and script.

Producer JD Majethia says, "We have re-started on a fresh note. Honestly, when we started off we took a lot of time. So, after shooting four episodes, we made certain changes and started re-shooting."

So, were these change the reason for Kiran to leave the show? "When we made the changes we needed more dates from him, but that was not possible for him as he had other commitments. So, we had to move on without him being a part of the show," says the producer.

A source close to the production house reveals that they started re-shooting 15 days ago because of technical problems. He says "The lights were not up to the mark, so they had to shoot all over again."

Sumeet Raghavan will now be playing Shantanu Balraj, Rahil Azam's elder brother on the show. Rahil essays the lead role of Aditya Balraj.

"When they approached me for Shantanu's character, I did take some time to think about the same, as the dates were clashing with Akela. But, as it was Hats Off production I was very confident, so agreed upon the same. Also, this role is much more challenging than the role I was offered before. My character is that of a drunkard, and has sarcastic undertones to it."

Sumeet Ragahvan's earlier character will now be played by Jiten Lalwani who is currently been seen in Sony's Rishton Ki Dorr and was a part of Kyunki…before the leap. "Yes, I am doing Resham Dankh. My role is that of Aditya's (played by Rahil Azam) best friend, and later on the show we turn out to be business rivals," says the actor.

Apart from these changes, Rajiv Mehta aka Praful of Instant Khichadi and Dimple Shah, a famous Gujarati actor who was last seen in Kudkudiya House No 42 on Sony will also be seen on the show.

"They have always been a part of the show, but were to enter the track after the ninth episode. But since it's a family drama, we thought that a house with only six people won't look good enough. In fact, it would look very empty, so now the audience will get to see everyone from the very beginning itself," affirms JD.

We hope after a clump of changes the show lives upto everyone's expectations!

She has almost disappeared from the tube post Sarkkar on Zee. And now Moulli Ganguly is all set to woo the telly audience with her charismatic performance, as Mrs. Divya Balraj, in Resham Dankh on Star One.

Well known for doing dramatic roles, this will be the first time where Moulli will be essaying a role which is light on emotions. "Till date I have played characters which are dark and with a mixture of emotions, ranging from anger to sadness to revenge. But in Resham Dankh, I will be acting like a normal woman. She has her share of happiness and problems. But there is a touch of comic relief too. This aspect is what struck me, and also prompted me to take up this show,"says the Bong actress.

"Resham Dankh, the title itself means something as soft as satin too, could give you pain. Too hard to believe, isn't it? The show's theme is centered on a wonder child who changes the family's destiny," adds this doe eyed beauty.

How her new serial will fare with regards to viewership, we ask and she states, "It all depends on the story line. There are many shows on various channels which were thought to be a dud, but proved to be otherwise. Resham Dankh, unlike many serials, has a well-defined, strong story line, right from the start to it's end, which is based on a novel. So it should strike a chord with the audience and thereby be popular".

JD and Aatish! Who JD and Aatish? For the uninitiated, the duo being referred to is Jamnadas Majethia and Aatish Kapadia, who run Hats Off Productions which has been behind Star TV's TRP toppers Khichdi, Instant Khichdi and the serious family drama Baa Bahu Aur Baby.

The two are readying to roll out their new production called Resham Dankh on Star One come 14 August every Monday to Thursday at 9:30 pm. The show is based on Aatish's novel of the same name. For those unfamiliar with it, it has also been adapted by Chitralekha magazine in Gujarati and Marathi.

Replacing Heartbeat (which moves to a new time slot), Resham Dankh is being touted as a social family entertainer with all the essential ingredients and varied emotions. The story revolves around a wonder child who changes a family's life.

And like most Star TV show in recent times, it has a huge star cast which includes Sumit Raghavan, Raahil Azam, Moulli Ganguli, Apara Mehta, Punit Vashisht, Disha Vakani, Dimple Shah, Rajiv Mehta, Sulbha Deshpandey, and Manva Naik. The six year old who plays the pivotal role is newcomer Yash Bhadrani who bagged it after a huge round of auditions (of more than 200 kids).

"We were discussing a couple of ideas with Star senior creative director Shailaja and she wanted us to take up a comfortable story and when I discussed Resham Dankh with her she loved it," reveals Majethia. "We have tried to change the screenplay and have added new characters to the story thus making it interesting for the readers who've already read Resham Dankh and for the viewers. Also the show will have an intrigue factor which will have the viewers wanting for more each week."

Aatish says he got the idea of Resham Dankh while traveling from America to

Canada in in 2000 and by 2002 he had already published it as a book. "It's about a child who works as a catalyst for the whole family. For now we are all committed to working and are not bothered about the outcome," he adds. This is not the first time that he is experimenting with a genre beyond comedy as he has written for Ek Mahal Ho Sapno Ka and Alpaviram in the past.

When the new show launches, it will be a distinction of sorts for Hats Off. It will have a tight grip on the 9:30 pm slot through the week on the Star TV network. Baa Bahu Aur Baby already airs Friday to Sunday on Star Plus at 9:30pm.

Hats Off to you JD and Aatish.