News/Articles Related To Star One.. - Page 6

KBC: The equivalent of Sholay 2?
Starting August 5, Star Plus hopes to eradicate competition from other channels once again.

Their star serial, Kaun Benega Crorepati, will be back for its second season.

Star Plus' Chief Operating Officer Samir Nair describes the second coming of KBC as 'the same show but everything changed.'

He adds, "We're trying to do the equivalent of making Sholay 2. Is it possible, even if we pour double the resources and energy of the original? We at Star think it is possible. Mr Bachchan's demenaour, image, clothes, language and attitude will be changed. When he first came on KBC five years ago, he was down and out. Now he's the absolute emperor in every sense. AB is the ultimate rock star. And KBC will rock accordingly. To put it in a nutshell, we go from languid to pacy."

Amitabh Bachchan, who hosts the show, says, "Well, the questions will be posed in a different way. Times have changed. Tastes have transformed. The people who watched KBC the first time have moved on. Hopefully, they'll come back. And there's a whole new generation that would want to watch KBC. We're counting on them."

When the game show was first aired in 2001, Star Plus had a viewership of about 22 milion. "Today, we're being watched by 61 million people. There're 21 million landlines and 50 million mobile phones. We're gearing up for an all-out war," says Nair, hinting at Star's much talked-about plans to wipe out the headway made by rival channels through their talent shows like Sony's Fame Gurukul and Zee's Challenge.

"These are what I call 'scripted reality' shows," Nair says. "We don't believe in doctored thrills. KBC is about to whittle down the competition. We intend to broaden the horizon of participants. The guy on the hot seat is no longer the nerd who memorises the Malayala Manorama Year Book but the guy who reads the newspaper and is aware of the world around him. I've asked my quiz producer Siddhartha Basu to make sure that the questions are not too niche. If the host has become  the coolest dude in the country, then the guy in the hot seat had better match him!"

The 'coolest dude' is, as usual, unfazed. "I was committed to do 81 episodes. The entire format of presentation, including my clothes, have been decided by Star. I'm just the guy opposite the hot seat. Will KBC be as successful this time as the last? Who knows? But I'm having a blast!" says Bachchan.

KBC will be aired at 9 pm on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, starting August 5.

Star One the road ahead

Star One will become Number 2 to Star Plus. November is the plan. It is growing week on week. TGILC (The Great Indian Laughter Challenge) has really caught on; Remix is doing very well; the game shows are performing. It takes time, it's a new channel. Sony, Zee and Star Plus for that matter have been around for 10 years. And now there are some super hot shows coming up in the next couple of months. In the next two to three months, we'll do exciting programming and build on it and expand it.

The challenges it is facing is that being a new brand in as much as it has made remarkable progress, our expectations are higher. If we were not Star TV, we would actually be having a party celebrating Star One's success.

We have in any case got a lot of audiences who have sampled the channel, we just need to collate that audience and make it a critical mass. In that sense the Tam Elite panel coming is a good thing for all the channels. In fact, it will help the English category a lot. At the end of the day India is (still largely) a single TV home and the larger measurement usually tends to get subsumed. The niche channels usually get buried between the mass of Hindi entertainment. This (Elite panel) will bring in a degree of qualitative differentiation into how audiences are measured.

The challenge for Star One is really to overtake Sony and Zee. We are expanding its appeal. We wanted to start off with a differentiation, so that you create that distinction.

It was a really difficult things do. Especially when it stems from the same family and tackles the same Hindi entertainment genre. Now having created that distinction, we are broadening that distinction's appeal. When we launched, the aim was not to clone Plus. So, we started off with a complete distinct identity and now we are broadening its appeal. So that we have two versions of Hindi entertainment. We are very well co-coordinated on this. The plan is to become number two and monetize it.

Star One, is all connected to value for money; network sales.

'The Great Indian Laughter Challenge', jumps to 25th position

(Friday, Jul 22, 2005 - 06:00 pm)

Deepak Mohanty - Televisionpoint.com What Karan Johar did for Star World and What Amitabh Bachchan did for Star Plus, Shekhar Suman and Navjot Singh Sidhu are doing for Star One with 'The Great Indian Laughter Challenge', 'TGILC', the nationwide search for the best comic talent in India is developing a strong comedy identity for Star One. Shekhar Suman and Navjot Sidhu, as judges on the show were able to bring in in the Top 30 list, apart from finding bright young comedians. "Quite simply, 'The Great Indian Laughter Challenge' has tickled the funny bone of the nation! The ratings reflect the growing popularity, week on week for a show that delivers an hour of nonstop entertainment. The show was an idea that was born from the popularity of an existing Star One programme, the Great Indian Comedy Show. Today, both these shows have attained a cult status, with a loyal base of viewers who tune-in week after week for the kind of entertainment that has never been seen before on Indian television." Says Ajay Vidyasagar, Sr. Vice President, Marketing and Communication, Star India Pvt. Ltd. The show, which debuted on June 3, 2005 with a rating of 2.74, has only grown from strength to strength each week. 'TGILC', which entered the TAM Top 50 last week, now further augments in the Tam Top 25, sorting at 25 position with a TVR of 6.79 (3844 OOO's) well ahead from Sony TV's 'CID', which is standing at a TVR of 4.18 (2362 OOO's). Sony's other shows like 'Kaisa Ye Pyar Hai', 'Kkusum', 'Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin' are doing at a TVR of 3.58, 3.42 and 3.32 TVR respectively. While, Zee TV's 'Sinndoor Tere Naam Ka' and 'Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2005' are standing at a TVR of 2.31 and 1.79 respectively, in the Share Base of 9 Cities, TG of MF 4+ (C&S). On July 15, 'The Great Indian Laughter Challenge' received the TVR of 11.79 in Delhi and Mumbai cities, a record in itself in the comedy segment and a rating highest ever for Star One, thus making it really a watchable show and noted that the amateur comedians are much better than the professionals who populate Star One's other big show, 'The Great Indian Comedy Show'. Also the 6th episode, which aired on July 8 burst through the TRP scales delivering a rating of 7.7, sweeping aside all competition at this time slot. Speaking to Televisionpoint.com, Ajay Vidyasagar, believes that impromptu comedy shows on Indian Television is always a fiddly barrel of monkeys. Vidyasagar believes that Shekhar Suman is a comedian with an immaculate sense of timing and that 'TGILC' satirizes the manners and customs of a section of society, especially fashionable society, so as, Star One has particularly picked the talent hunt concept. When we asked him, what is the USP of 'The Great Indian Laughter Challenge', he says, it is "associated with humorous behavior, wordplay, pleasurable feeling, release of tension, and laughter. 'TGILC' is imbued with a playful spirit, comic entertainment frequently exposes incongruous." He adds that 'Instant Khichdi', 'Bluff Master', 'Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai' and 'Siddhanth' are also showing good numbers.

Fun Friday

Anil Merani
Posted online: Friday, July 22, 2005 at 0000 hours IST

Laughter is just a switch away. Great Indian Laughter Challenge aired on STAR One is a stress-buster in every which way...

Anil Merani

If you want to laugh away the Friday night blues, tune into the Great Indian Laughter Challenge at 10 pm every Friday night on Star One and watch how the kings of wit Shekhar Suman and Navjot Singh Siddhu choose the top comedian of the country. A total riot, check it out yourself to believe it. The show which also has ace funster Johnny Lever, as a guest judge, is anchored by the sexy Perizad Kolah, who according to Shekhar is a perfect combination of beauty with brains. This 13 week show (premiered on June 3) comes under the agesis of the Great Indian Comedy Show, another laughter based programme on STAR One. It began with the organizers asking people to phone in and prove their comic abilities in 60 seconds. A record number of calls (2,00,000 calls) were made by the Indian public out of which 50 lucky contestants were chosen for the television event. Shekhar Suman believes that such shows are a God sent, as there is such large pool of talent out there, just waiting to be harnessed. "We did not know that people in Hyderabad were so good in humour, their accent and mannerism were just awesome," recalls Shekhar. To buttress Shekhar's claim, Siddhu adds that talent is nothing without opportunity. When asked to describe humour, Sidhu says that it's something spontaneous, a reaction in response to facing a particular kind of situation "Once when Shoaib Akhtar was bowling to Virendra Sehwag, and constantly needling him to hook, knowing very well that was the Indian batsmen weakness Sehwag asked 'are you bowling or begging'." The chosen 50 contestants are going through a grueling test to showcase their unique comic timing. The first 10 episodes stretching over multiple rounds, feature five contestants each with a winner being selected at the end of every episode. The 10 episodic winners will compete over the final three episodes, for the grand winner's prize, which is getting a direct entry to the ensemble cast of The Great Indian Comedy Show, and also a chance to host all-new comedy show on STAR One. Ravi Menon, Head of Programming, STAR One said at the launch of the show that the contest would go well beyond the benchmarks set by comedies on Indian television so far.

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Sidhu who is himself known for strong wit or siddhuiim as it is popularly known, says that he is looking for original talent and creativity and not somebody who just apes others. "Humour should be served in small doses," Sidhu adds. Shekar butts in by saying that timing and expression is critical, for if you pull the joke too long or present it wrongly, it loses all its fun and the audience goes to sleep. Siddhu says that question and answer round is important as it gives them a chance to see how good the contestant truly is. In the earlier rounds, they come with their prepared jokes and their true talent is not tested. Shekhar has rejected a few participants for lack of originality. "They just walked in with old staid jokes," he recounts. The wife seems to be the butt of most jokes among male group of contestants. Siddhu says this is the case, because a man however powerful he may be outside, becomes a timid kitten the moment he enters the house. When asked as to whether there were any red lines that the participants could not cross, Shekhar informs that they did not have any clear cut guidelines and their personal sense of right and wrong was guiding them. So far, there have been no problems. The show seems to be catching the pulse of the Nation with the latest TAM data showing it to have garnered a rating of 5.14 that is the highest rating STAR One has got till date. It's even more popular in Punjab and Haryana reaching a rocking 11.47. Siddhu believes that the higher rating in the North is because of the use of Hindi language and more popularity of judges like Shekhar in the Hindi speaking belt. The high ratings are an indication that people want something different from the same old song and dance competitions aired on all the channels. That there is enormous talent out there waiting to be tapped is obvious. The sheer range of talent exhibited by the participants out there is awesome and speaks volumes of untapped talent in the nation. Comedian Raju Shrivastav is one of this motley group, he has already been seen on the big (Amdani Athani Kharcha Rupaiya) and small screen (Akting Akting SAB TV). Raju felt that the contestants were initially unsure of Siddhu, as a judge but he proved them wrong. One of Raju's jokes is that of a person who went to see off his friend at the station. But things go wrong and the would-be traveler is left stranded at the station while the one who's gone to drop him jumps on to the train, as it chugs off. It is creditable that STAR One which has some good comedy shows on the channel is thinking out of the box by coming up with a concept which not only makes the audience laugh non stop for an hour, but also gives a chance to budding talent in the country to show their funny bone.

Shekhar Suman turns singer Lucknow, July 23 (UNI): Keen to re-invent himself in a new avatar, self-styled comedy-king, Shekhar Suman, will soon debut as a singer. The inimitable actor is cutting an album titled 'Kuch Khwab Aise' with music label Crescendo. "I have been training in Indian classical music for some time now...the time is right to reinvent myself as a singer," Shekhar quipped, adding that the album containing eight "melodious songs" would soon be released. Asked why had he decided to explore the singing genre at such an advanced stage in his acting career, he said, "I feel acting is not just about playing an on-screen character. It encompasses other aspects of cinematic art also such as singing, production, direction and photography." The multi-faceted entertainer was here on Thursday to promote 'The Great Indian Comedy Show', a daily fun soap on 'Star One' channel. "Being an actor, I am never satisfied and feel the urge to keep on re-inventing myself in different avatars, singing being the latest passion with me," he said. Shekhar wants to try all genres of singing like ghazals, light music and pop. "Music has a vast canvas to try and experiment." Keen on returning to his first love of performing live on-stage, he is in process of finalising a Rahi Masoom Raza's play to be staged countrywide.

"It has been nearly two years that I had a brush with stage and I am raring to perform in front of a live audience, which gives me immense satisfaction as an actor and instant feedback to further improvise on my act," he stated.

The laugh lines Latha Venkatraman

Though not very promising initially, The Great Indian Laughter Challenge on Star One has managed to draw guffaws.

The Great Indian Laughter Challenge (TGILC) made its debut on Star One last month, and has already cruised to the top 50 shows on Indian television. Star TV seems to have the knack for picking the right show for many of its channels. However, TGILC had not appeared promising in the initial days. Despite the loud sets, noisy hosts and blaring music, the show catches one's attention and, the next thing you know, you are laughing with the hosts, Navjot Singh Sidhu and Shekhar Suman. Post-cricket, Sidhu has no doubt found an enjoyable innings on television, not necessarily anchoring sporting events. Suman has competition in the show's participants, who seem to draw the loudest guffaw from Sidhu. If Suman does a fine imitation of Lalu Prasad Yadav and his Bihari accent, the participants appear many steps ahead, imitating regional dialects with aplomb.

Some of the jokes are quite crass, yet you find yourself laughing. "Never mind that the programme is silly sometimes, but it is a Friday evening well spent," says Neeta Bhate, a viewer.

hiee friendz i luv the paring of Ashi and UV in remix serial plzz do post some cute pictures of these two.........

The Great Laughter Showmen

Shekhar Suman and Navjot Singh Sidhu have two things in common: they both like to talk (too) much and they anchor The Great Indian Laughter Challenge show on Star One. Now, they reveal their true feelings about one another...

The silliest joke you have ever heard? And now Sidhu is going to give a short introduction. What did you say to Shekhar Suman at your first meeting? Nothing, because unfortunately he opened his mouth before I could. < = src="http://ads.expressindia.com/banner/iestoryban.js"> < = src="http://banners.expressindia.com/adsnew/adjs.php?para=no&n=839975871&what=zone:377&target=_blank&exclude=," =text/> Do you understand anything Sidhu says? Give us your version of a Sidhuism. I don't understand what Mahesh Bhatt says, for that matter what Salman Khan says, so Sidhu is a far cry. Suman's Sidhuism: ''You see it's a seed that grows into weeds, it's a semen that grows into Suman, similarly my friend it's a molecule of success that finally transgresses into a bigger glory.'' Did you ever mimic Sidhu? If yes, why and if not, why not? Yes, I did because I love adventures. How do you judge Sidhu as a comic talent. Do you think his sense of humour is: a. Better than you b. Equal to you c. Very bad His sense of humour is definitely better than mine because in the show, The Great Indian Laughter Challenge, he laughs at a joke even before the participants start it. Where would you place Sidhu on the best dressed list of men? Don't you think he is too well coordinated? Top from the bottom. Yes, he matches his turban with his tie and shoes. If you had to date Aishwarya Rai, Sonia Gandhi or Sania Mirza who would you choose and why? Sania Mirza. So that with her I can always have — ''Advantage Shekhar.'' How would you describe President Bush? The Great American Comedy Show. Would you like to appear on the Karan Johar talk show? One question you would like to ask him? Definitely not. I like to have my own coffee, preferably alone. 'How do you manage to serve the same wine in the same bottle everytime?' The best joke you have heard on The Great Indian Laughter Challenge Show? Politician desh se zyada Shekhar Suman ke kaam aate hain. Which is your least attractive feature and why? My cheeks because I am very, very cheeky. The silliest joke you ever heard. A mouse was bathing in a lake when an elephant came up and said, 'Get out.' The mouse got out. The elephant looked at him and said, 'Okay, now go back in again'. The mouse asked, 'What happened?' The elephant said, 'I lost my underwear. Just wanted to check you were not wearing it.' What did you say to Shekhar Suman at your first meeting? ''Tussi great ho paaji.'' Whom do you think Shekhar imitates better — Vajpayee, Laloo Yadav or you? Laloo Yadav. How do you judge Shekhar as a cricket commentator when he was on Star Sports/ESPN? Do you think he should audition for Harsha ki Khoj next time? Shekhar is very versatile. He is like a chameleon — can change colours according to the situation. He would be as awkward as a cow on ice. Where would you place Shekhar — on the best or worst dressed list? Best dressed. He is so handsome he would look good in underwear. If you had to mimic someone, who would it be and why? Prem Chopra for the dialogue in one of his movies where he is raping a woman. The woman pleads — 'For God's sake, leave me'. Prem says — 'Itni acchhi cheez bhagwaan ke liye kyun chhod doon? Prem naam hai, prem ke mood mein hoon.' If you had to date Aishwarya Rai, Sonia Gandhi or Sania Mirza who would you choose and why? If my aunty were a man she would have been an uncle. There are no ifs in my life. If ifs and ands were pot and pans, there would have been no tinkers. How would you describe President Bush? Would not like to comment on this. Would you like to appear on the Karan Johar talk show, Koffee with Karan? One question you are dying to ask him? I shall be honoured. Good deeds speak for themselves. The tongue only interprets their eloquence. The best joke you have heard on The Great Laughter Challenge Show? Chaman goes to meet Daman. Daman tells his wife, 'My friend is here, make some good tea for him.' The wife replies, 'Don't you know there is no sugar in the house?'. Daman says, 'Arre, I take only one spoon of tea, so you give one kiss and the tea will automatically become sweet. The wife says, 'What about Chaman's tea?'. To which her husband says, 'He takes two spoons of sugar.' Which is your least attractive feature and why? I am an ugly duckling who looks like a swan because of the clothes I wear. Fine feathers make fine birds. We are all Adam's children, it's silk that makes the difference.

Narayani is my support system
   By: Shaheen Parkar
   August 6, 2005

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Gaurav Chopra with Narayani Shastri Actor Gaurav Chopra who plays Bhola in KalCchakra (Star Plus) and Raghu in Dil Kya Chahta Hai (Star One) is always spotted with Narayani Shastri (Rhimjhim of Piya Ka Ghar).  It's a kind of package deal: Both make their entry, exit together and even heat up the dance floor together at parties, film screenings and other functions. Narayani's chaperone? In the process, it has earned Gaurav the title of Narayani's chaperone and has helped him get noticed. Chopra is forthright, "Yes, I am very close to Narayani. She is closer to me than anyone else. She is my support system. She understands me totally and advises me . We discuss everything including professional decisions. She is very matter-of-fact, so no one can mess around with her," he adds. Narayani is the one The couple first met on the sets of Piya Ka Ghar when Chopra essayed the role of Prem in the Zee show. "Initially Narayani was just a co-star, later we became friends and now, of course, we are there for each other."  At the moment, Gaurav is not looking beyond the present, so what shape the relationship takes in the future is best left to  time. Ironically, Chopra claims it was their closeness that led to his ouster from Piya Ka Ghar six months back. "It was a strange situation. They would tell me that I was not required for the scenes. Then the track was curtailed. I was acting opposite Narayani on the show. And just when off-screen our relationship became stable, our on-screen relationship went for a toss and I was out of the show!" Approached for Reth On the acting front, besides KalCchakra and Dil Kya Chahta Hai, Gaurav is also seen in the reruns of Lavanya (Zee) and Ruby Duby Hub Dub (SaharaOne). "That makes four of my shows on air at the moment," says the actor who recently had a taste of TV production houses' erratic way of operating.  He was approached to play the lead role in the Zee daily Reth (as a replacement for Ankur Nayyar, now being played by Sachin Varma). "It's strange how people behave. It was they, who approached me. They finalised me, even discussed the money aspects and just a day before the shoot was to start, I was left in the lurch with no communication till date," he fumes. Didn't even inform me Chopra claims he was shooting for an ad campaign in Kashmir when one of the Reth production folks called him repeatedly. "They wanted me to begin shoot immediately. I received repeated calls from them on July 29. By July 30 everything was finalised and I was to start shooting on July 31. And then there was no communication from them! My point is  that you take the actor's time , discuss and then don't even bother to inform. Due to that commitment, he may lose out on other offers." This experience has left a bitter taste in his mouth and Gaurav is now cautious of being a replacement actor. Besides his television ventures, he is looking forward to this "huge offer" which he will divulge only when it is all chalked out.