Posted:
News/Articles Related To Star One Other shows.
Post all Articles here, No comments please.
Don't post repeated Articles.
News/Articles Related To Star One Other shows.
Post all Articles here, No comments please.
Don't post repeated Articles.
No Woman, No Laugh
The Great Indian Laughter Challenge, a talent hunt for the country's funniest stand-up comedian is on air on Star One. Of the 50 finalists, not one is a woman. India's most-known female stand-up comedian.
Mahabanoo Mody Kotwal
OF the 100 career goals set for me by my father, theatre and stand-up comedy figured nowhere. But, the powers that be ordained otherwise, and who can fight those powers. No one. Not even an over-ambitious and over-optimistic dad, whose sole ambition in life was to see his only child become a doctor.
In more than half a century, things haven't changed much, have they? Well, they have, in a way... parents now want their kids to become models, actors, celebrities, but, obviously, no one encourages his/her daughter to become a stand-up comic. A few male stand-up comedians is all we have in India, and without meaning to be self-promoting, I know of no Indian female stand-up comedian other than myself. If there is one, I would enjoy meeting her and exchanging notes.
To be able to write your own script for stand-up is a difficult task. Jay Leno, Milton Berle, Seinfeld, Bob Hope and most of the stand-ups out West had huge teams writing for them. Unfortunately, here in India, true humour is at a premium. Very often, I cringe at the stuff dished out by the so-called humorists and stand-ups, and even more at the way their stories are delivered. It is possible to tell a really naughty story without offending people. We take ourselves too seriously. We want to project ourselves as holier-than-thou, virgins, holy men, ad infinitum, ad nauseum. Unfotunately, there's very litle to laugh about in a world where nothing is wrong.
I will be lynched for this, but this particular career is just not meant for Indians. In a country where censorship rules, where cracking a joke about a politician or religion can bring everything to a standstill for days, even men, leave alone women, are wary to experiment with this art form. So, what you have, are a few jokers trying to evoke laughter by calling someone motu, kaliya, taklu, etc.
Indian women have been so silenced, so deprived of confidence for centuries, that this is a totally new but intimidating career for them. A career that requires you to be confident, articulate, and above all, have the ability to laugh at yourself. Very daunting characteristics to find in anyone. I am sure there are women like these, but perhaps they have found other careers where all these attributes have been put to good use.
Our culture is simply not comedy oriented. The same sardar jokes are told and retold, as are the Laloo ones. Our literature does not allow for comedy, and our society is steeped in hypocricy and double standards. Actually, it works wonderfully for me—I have tons of untapped material and no competition. Cheers to that.
As the wily Porineeta in Zee's Tumhari Disha, Kavita Kaushik has made her mark in tellydom. She also plays a lawyer in Star One's Remix; was a part of Sony's Ye Meri Life hai and also anchors Zee's Kahiye To. Kavita Kaushik spoke to Misha Malhotra about her likes, dislikes and her experiences in tellydom.
|
Kavita: I hate bad actors |
Can you tell us about your new show on Zee TV?
The show called Kahiye To comes on Zee TV on Sundays. It is just like Rakshanda's show on Sony Ab Aayega Mazaa. Here, I invite celebrities and chit-chat with them. This proves to be the best time for me to bond with my old friends whom I don't get to meet because of our busy schedules.
How do you prepare yourself for the show?
To be very honest, I haven't done any preparations for the show. The show doesn't follow a script. I just have to be myself. And that's not difficult at all.
Were you comfortable doing this show?
Yes, I was quite comfortable. As in, I didn't have to do any homework. Just go on the sets and then be very interactive. Off-screen also I love talking. Hence it came very naturally to me.
What part would you prefer playing?
Now, this is a very tough one. But let me try. There are many characters which I would like to play. I would love to play a cop, a Punjabi kudi (gir), a gaon ki gawar (an illiterate from a village). I believe it will be challenging and creative to do such roles.
How do you balance your time and your roles?
I am a very chilled out person. I don't like to take too many tasks at one time. So I generally do one at a time. Which as a result doesn't make my day so tiresome and I am satisfied with what I do. I just do those roles which are challenging and which excite me.
|
Kavita: I am myself on 'Kahiye To' |
Are you looking at more films after the Saif starrer Ek Hasina Thi?
I want a break right now. Hence I am planning a holiday to Bangalore. There I would do river rafting at the Kaveri. Oh it's so exciting. This will happen sometime in June after which I will be deciding which more serials to take.
What are your likes and dislikes?
I am a very home loving person. I am very simple, I don't like partying much.
Would you like to be part of saas-bahu soaps?
I find them so artificial; I love parallel genre of soaps and cinema. I have also been a part of a telefilm, called Padalaxmi for Star One, which described one day of my life.
Are you basically from Mumbai?
Officially from Delhi. I shifted to Mumbai two and half years back. Mumbai is a very warm city.
How did you decide on coming to Mumbai?
I was just about to start my direction course at Jamia Milia, when I went for the auditions of Kutumb. I got selected and once I came here, there was no looking back.
Anything happening on your personal front...
I have no love life as of now. But I might get settled; say in two years or so.
Bindaas is the one word to describe the awesome foursome from Remix, the music serial on STAR One. Very much like their screen avatars of Tia, Anvesha, Yuvi and Ranvir, the four young ones — Shweta Ghulati, Priya Wal, Raj Singh and Karan Wahi — are the hip '' happening faces of the small screen. Here's what they told Goodlife on their whirlwind trip to the city on Saturday. Shweta (Tia) — Having done a film (Detective Nani), I find television work very taxing. Not only does it mean very long work hours but also a whole lot of fast work since we have to produce software for the daily one-hour show. But I am also very comfortable doing television. Despite the fact that the Remix contract doesn't allow me to do anything else, I signed it on because I knew what I was getting into, I knew how big Remix would be. Also, dancing is my biggest passion and this serial being all about music and dancing, I said yes straightaway and I have been enjoying every moment on the sets. Anvesha (Priya) — I have never planned anything in my life. I always wanted to be Steffi Graf and believed I had her slice backhand and strong forehand. I also used to defeat all the boys in school but I soon realised that passion remains passion and doesn't become a job. So I moved on to modelling and did work for big fashion labels, like that of Ritu Kumar and Sabyasachi Mukherjee. Then Remix happened and I had to colour my hair red for the character of Anvesha. Sometimes when I look in the mirror, I do regret it, but then I become happy when I see girls in Bangalore colouring their hair like me. As for the language, my character is Bengali, but I don't really have to speak the language on screen. Raj (Yuvi) — I did my law course from Symbiosis but showbiz is something I always wanted to do. I was shortlisted for the MTV VJ hunt and also went on to do some VJing for Zee Music. I also did a couple of music videos like Leena Leena and Kabhi aar kabhi paar. But after that life became Remix. I must admit apart from the love for music, I do not relate to my character at all. But then it's a job I do and I am ready to do the saas-bahu serials also if needed. Karan (Ranvir) — I am the youngest of the four and will turn 19 on June 9. So I am constantly pampered on the sets. They treat me like a kid and I love it that way. I am doing a course in business administration. But now with this acting thing on, business has become secondary. I have also done other stuff like played cricket for the state, played football and been the only guy to play drums in my school. But now it's only Remix and I hope it continues that way...
Dracula den So what if Halloween is far far away, HHI gave the city a Dracula night on Saturday for want of something better to do. Even though the dress code was black and red, the non-conformist Calcuttans decided to break free in fluorescent greens, pale yellows and whites as well. The mood did bring out the devil in many as grown-ups merrily sported horns and scary masks. The fun continued with DJ Carlotta churning out popular numbers that packed in everything from Peter Andre's Mysterious Girl to Madonna's La Isla Bonita. |
The naya sadasya in the Star family, must be feeling left out…given the attention that elder sis Star Plus is getting
|
Dadaji: foolery all around! |
nowadays! So we devised a plan to make Star One feel a wee bit better…by giving the channel its own set of awards…The Family No. One Award! We let our imagination go wild, and this is what we came up with. An award of excellence for not being the typical…saas, bahu or beta!
Coolest Dadaji - The one person who comes to mind when we think of the best grandpa award, is the harrowed dadaji of Instant Khichadi. The man who has the misfortune to have so many nutcases under his roof, dadaji should be given an award just for his extreme endurance.
Grittiest Dadi - Well, dadijis are special but imagine a granny who motivates her little grandson to leave his peaceful abode to take on the big bad world of the mob. She stands tall, even as her near and dear ones lie dead and buried --- quite in keeping with the tradition of the ageless dadis on Star. She is dadiji from Family Business.
Funkiest Mummyji - It is one thing to be mother of dutiful children, (ask Tulsi and Parvati that), but quite another to bear a child who thinks it's cool to be a rebel. The award for the best mamma will without doubt go to Soniya, from Remix, who believes that no daughter can grow up to be strong without a little bit of competition from her mother --- she wears her attitude on her sleeve, and there is no doubt Anvesha is every bit like her notorious mother!
|
'Sonia Ray': attitude personified! |
Neatest ma-in-law - Talking of mothers, how can we forget Maya Sarabhai from Sarabhai vs Sarabhai. She is everything that a girl dreads in her mother- in-law. Maya never lets go of any opportunity to insult her LS bahu. She likes to have only the crme de la crme in every aspect of her life and her family --- Monisha just isn't one of them!
One of the things that make us give Maya this award is because she speaks her mind without resorting to foul language (She'd rather call her daughter in law incompetent than useless).
Spiffiest pa-in-law - If Maya is every girl's nightmare, then Indravadan, her husband, is a man who makes life simpler for his daughter-in-law, by constantly defying his wife. We give him the best father-in-law award for his ingenuity of purpose and his unique touch of devilry.
|
Maya and Indravadan: mamma knows best! |
Best beta - There is just one mamma's boy on Indian television today --- Rosesh Sarabhai! He is a mamma's boy, and he is proud to be one! He doesn't care what the whole world thinks of him, he is totally devoted to his momma (even if she cannot tolerate his poetry).
Must-have hubby - Our favourite pati on Star One is Mr Raghu, the bindaas artist from Dil Kya Chahta Hai --- he forgets anniversaries, valentine days and generally goofs up any chore that is given to him! He is challenged in every aspect of his life, and yet it is his shortcomings that make him appealing!
|
Hansa and Prafull: made for each other! |
Perfect patni - Obviously, the woman who can not only tolerate Raghu as her husband, but his three juvenile (read: childlike) friends, (even at odd hours, when two of them decide to play with a toy car that had been bought as a gift for a neighborhood kid) should take home the award for best wifey! Madhavi deserves it, we say!
Janbaaz jodi - Last and not the least, our favourite jodi is the inimitable Hansa and Praful of Instant Khichadi --- their love for each other makes them oblivious to the others around them. They are made for each other --- if Praful is stupid', she is definitely 'stupider', and this is what makes them perfectly compatible.
If there was ever an awards function with a difference, this will be it. But if we could really had time to dwell on the 'if'….then this would never be!
Ear Shot
Nitin Joshi
In name only
Lucky on TV: Model turned actor Diwakar Pundir may not have a great stroke of luck in films but he's doing good on television. Pundir plays Shom Pundir in Reth. Now we got to know from sources that he is liking his character so much that if he has a son he will call him Shom. And what if it's a baby girl. Well we are sure the couple must have thought of an equally sweet name for that matter.
Simply win it
Two in one: Contests galore and prizes in plenty. That's what television also offers besides loads of entertainment. Woh Rehne Waali Mehlon Ki is creating lot of buzz because it's a big show and also a Rajshri Production. Another reason is they started off with a simple contest and if you have those simple answers you could win diamond jewellery by Ishis and silk sarees. And the questions are really simple and related to the soap. Now isn't that wonderful. Never mind if you missed it. There is more coming up surely!
Comedy guest
More like me: East or West Sajid Khan is the best. He is too good. Too funny. Too spontaneous. What timing the guy has. Incredible. We saw him in one episode of The Great Indian Comedy Show. He was doing a stand up act. We were so thrilled and happy because he has the capacity to make you laugh. But we got to know also that he was a part of the show as a celebrity guest. Now that's disappointing. We wish he comes more often on the show which is also really funny.
All in one
Pot pourri: Star One has different programming. Variety is the spice of life... what say. So if they have Siddhanth, they have Khichdi, if they have Hotel Kingston, there is also Sarabhai..., if there is He Man, then there is also Special Squad. Remix lures the teeny boppers, then Bluff Master entertains one and all. This is what we call the right mix. Now we got to know they have something called Games Bond. Yes you read it correct... Games Bond! Sounds only so different. Must be too!
comment:
p_commentcount