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Star scraps three shows produced by Balaji

anushree.m@livemint.com

http://www.livemint.com/2009/02/11003513/Star-scraps-three-shows-produc.html?h=B

Wednesday - Feb 11, 2009

Nivedita: Ekta and I are in touch through Facebook

Nivedita Basu, a big name associated with Balaji for the past nine years, quit the production house in January. And after a well-deserved break the ex-creative head is back to the grind, joining a new production house.
http://www.indya.com/news/newsDetails.aspx?xfile=2009/March/News_20090305_22

https://india-forums.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1114360

Ekta Kapoor's love affair with Star Plus

March 13th, 2009

The heat is on in March, It's just not the rising mercury levels but students across this country feel the heat and pressure of final exams that commence from this month. Our TV industry too has its fair share of such students. After all, the average age of our TV stars is shrinking.

It's always a difficult ask for these actors to balance studies and profession. What do they do during their exams? Do they take leave from work or they manage to strike the right balance? And, do they intend to indulge into some copying if the need arises?

Tellychakkar spoke to a few actors to find out how they are going about performing their task during this month.

Kunal Verma (Yugindhar of Tujh sang preet lagai sajna)

Studying in Thakur College

Appearing for TY.B.Com exams

Well, we haven't been shooting since the last three days. It's only during these days that I started studying. I'll be appearing for my TY.B.Com exams which commence from 23 March. I haven't even touched subjects like Economics and Management. In the last few days, I've taken crash courses for accounts.

I expect to clear accounts, computers and taxation papers. Luckily we have 20 project marks for a few subjects. So, I might only have to score 15 marks in the written papers. I'm only worried about economics as I fear I might have to appear for it again in October. As for copying, I'm not sure whether I'll be able to do it at NM College (examination centre) but if there are other measures to ensure my passing, then I'll appreciate if any one can bring them to my knowledge.

Her new show begins with a K but has nothing to do with kitchen politics. Rather, it aims to send shivers down many a spine with real life stories. Ekta Kapoor admits to Rachana Dubey that she's spooked too.

Hello.
(Smiles) Hi.. have we met before?

Kind of, I'm your Facebook pal.
(Lights up) Of course.. now I remember. You look much younger without your glasses.The slowdown has affected me also. (Pointing at her clothes) Look at me, I've started wearing Fab India clothes.

Thank you. How does your throat feel now?
Oh, I'm still sounding like a cross between Manoj Kumar and Nirupa Roy. But I'm better, thank you.

You were asking for Vicks on your Facebook status message.
Yeah, and some friends thought I was looking for a hot dude. I must give it the few, who realised I meant Vicks, the medicine.

You're very updated on Facebook.
Ha, ha, I'm a Facebook queen of sorts. It's become an obsession of sorts with me. Just like horror.. I love spooky stories.

Is that why you decided to make Koi Aane Ko Hai for Colors?
I don't go for channels, my association is with people. I made this show for Colors because of Ashwini (Yardi), who is the
programming chief. I've known Ash for a fairly long time. We worked on Kasamh Se together.

You haven't been lucky with spooky shows..
(Cuts in) On the contrary, two of the most successful spooky shows on TV ' Maano Ya Na Maano and Kya Haadsa Kya Haqeeqat 'were my productions.

But this show doesn't have the Balaji Telefilms feel.
These stories are based on real-life incidents. That's why we've not shot at any of the usual Balaji's locations. Effect of making Koi Aane Ko Hai: I can no longer sleep alone in my room. I return from work at odd hours and make my poor maid sleep in my room.

We shot in Lonavla and Mira Road at actual locations. We haven't even used any of Balaji's actors.. we have taken common faces.

Did any of the stories spook you?
I can no longer sleep alone in my room. I return from work at odd hours and make my poor maid sleep in my room.

After the first promo went on air, I've been feeling really eerie. Paranormal activities happen all around us but we notice them only when something happens up close.

But viewers expected a family drama from you, not a spookfest.
I might just make a family soap for Colors next.

You've kept a low profile for the last couple of months.
(Laughs) I was on a mental sabbatical. Physically, I don't know when I will go on a vacation.. it's been eight busy years. But
mentally, I just took off. I'm dying to go to Barcelona.. mind and body.

How come Ronit Roy is directing Bandini for you?
He's really impressive as a director. It was a spontaneous decision.. he didn't let me down.

How are Bandini and Kitani Mohabbat Hai doing?
One is the No 1 show on NDTV Imagine, the other one is No 3. Ramayan is at No 2. Expect more announcements.

With Bandini, you switched from K to B.
Dude, I switched to T in between with Tujh Sang Preet Lagayi Sajna. I'm obsessed with K.

K follows me everywhere. I can't help it, it works for me. I was told by the channel that the title I'd suggested wasn't working.. that Bandini was a more apt title. It couldn't be Kandini, so..With Tujh Sang.. we were working on an extremely tight schedule. We had just three weeks to get the show going. My creative team came up with the name. I consulted my astrologer and he assured me it was a shubh title.

Isn't Tujh Sang.. going off air?
Nope, it's only been shifted to the afternoon slot. There are a certain number of hours for which I have to provide content as per my
contract with STAR.

Three of your longest running shows, Kasamh Se, Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu thi and Kahani Ghar Ghar ki, went off air in this accounting year. You must have suffered acute parting pangs?
I did, it happens with every show that ends. With Kyunki.. the pangs were more because I was really attached to it. It will go down in history as my longest-running show.

I have an emotional connect with Kasamh Se also for two reasons. The first reason is Ashwini, who gave me the most amazing twist to my story. In the original draft, there was no provision for Jai and Bani to marry.

Ash called me one morning and gave the idea. I didn't respond immediately.. I agreed after 30 seconds. The reason was that I was doing my morning pooja. When she called, some ash and a flower from the statue fell on me. It was a signal from God that something good was coming my way. The rest, as they say, is history.

And the other reason?
The other reason is that for once we told the channel that we want to end the show.. it wasn't proposed to us. We knew we could not stretch the story any further and gave it a happy farewell. It will always bring back pleasant memories.

Have you been following Ram Kapoor on Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 3?
Yeah, I saw him on the first episode. I think that fat people are naturally graceful. He looks so cute. And it's commendable the way he dances with all that weight. I think he'll win.

Recently, when your dad, Jeetendra, was judging Dancing Queen, he was criticised for favouring Anita Hassanandani?
How many times will my father's decisions as a judge be under the scanner? Just because I have friends in a channel and an old
colleague was a participant on the show, doesn't mean that my father will make biased decisions on national television.

You were extremely passionate about Kahaani Hamaarey Mahabharat ki on 9X.
It's a distant memory now. I couldn't do anything about the show ending so abruptly, the channel itself ran into troubled waters. It shut shop and started having re-runs. I was helpless.

Kids rule the tube. What would you have watched if you were a kid today?
Definitely, Balika Vadhu. It's one of the nicest shows I've seen. I'll hate Ash for the rest of my life because my mother watches that show more keenly than she ever watched any of my shows.. she even watches the re-runs.

You're making a film on the TV industry inspired by the recent murder of one of your former colleagues, Neeraj Grover. That project is under wraps, I can't tell you much except that it will not be directed by Madhur Bhandarkar. I will rope in someone with a TV background. The subject matter is as shocking as the person who will direct it.

When does Once Upon a Time in Mumbai go on the floors?
This May, I'm really excited.

You're making movies when most companies are stopping production owing to the economic slowdown.
The slowdown has affected me also. (Pointing at her clothes) Look at me, I've started wearing Fab India clothes. A newspaper is so obsessed with my footwear that they published five pictures of me wearing the same pair of slippers. (Sarcastically) Listen, I don't have money now. So I get a roadside mochi to make me a pair of slippers once a year.

Finally, your Facebook account was hacked recently. Did you find out how it happened?
No, it's unheard of that anyone's Facebook account gets hacked. What kind of losers do we have around today?

Edited by Moderator to add link to the article.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?sectionName=NLetter&id=9fa75afe-2a7f-48df-a63d-115826babc61&Headline=Ekta+returns+to+tell+a+spooky+tale

Vishal Singh heads to Vaishnodevi.. By Srividya Rajesh | 25 March 2009 | 6:17pm 33 Comments

The actor is heading to Vaishnodevi to offer his prayers. Accompanying him will be his family and Abigail..

Vishal Singh is no doubt missing Kasamh Se these days, but the actor is looking forward to completing some religious commitments in this break.

And now, the actor is headed to Vaishnodevi to seek the blessings of Mata. "Before coming to Mumbai, I had been there and had prayed to Mata for getting me a good project. Today I have achieved whatever I was in need of, and am again going to Jammu to thank her for giving me projects like Kuchh Is Tara, Kasamh Se, and Tuj Sang", quips Vishal.

He got his first big break with Balaji Telefilms' Kuchh Is Tara. Later he was seen playing a cameo in Tuj Sang Preet Lagaayi Sajna, and then bagged one of the lead roles in Kasamh Se. "I had to go to offer my prayers earlier, but could not make it due to my hectic schedule. Now I have realized that I cannot take panga with all these things. I am religious and want to fulfill my promise that I had made earlier", quips the actor.

Abigail will also be joining him in the trip. "Abigail will be coming with me and my family will also be there. We will be leaving today and we get back on April 7th", says the young lad.

So what's next in the pipeline? "Well, I have not decided anything. I have few offers in hand, but guess I will be clear with my selection only after seeking the blessings of Mata", he concludes.

Vishal Singh's on screen pairing with Priya Bhatija in Zee's Kasamh Se was very much appreciated by viewers.

As for now, it is religious time for the handsome lad, Vishal!!

Reporter and Author: Rachana Trivedi
http://india-forums.com/tellybuzz/article.asp?id=4313

Reader Review : -

Hi,
This message if from all the "Tujh Sang Preet Lagai Sajna" fans, who really like the Yug-Vrinda (Kunal-Pooja) couple onscreen. Many of us have been watching this serial from the start in November, after becoming familiar with the storyline, which was how the love of Yug and Vrinda will end the 20-year enmity between two friends. After reading this plot, and watching the first few episodes of Yug and Vrinda, almost every viewer fell in love with this couple, and their cute love story being featured. These fresh faces of the leads added a very "refreshing" feel to the overall show. Kunal Verma was very lovely portraying the cute and naughty Yug, who tried his best to bring Vrinda all the happiness she deserved. Meanwhile, Pooja Bose was wonderfully displaying the role of a responsible and innocent daughter, Vrinda, who soon fell in love with Yug. These cute moments brought on a smile to all the viewers who watched this show, and soon when Yug and Vrinda's love story started progressing, we all got excited to see how their true relationship will fight and end the hatred among the two families.

All the viewers knew that there will be times when Yug and Vrinda will be separated by the two families, and we will see the two characters enduing pain; however, we also knew that no matter how hard times arrive, their strong love will sooner or later show the elders the path back to friendship.
However, all us fans were deeply shocked when Vrinda married another guy, Rajbeer, in the episode telecasted on 30th March, 2009. We had received some information in the article about the entry of another lead opposite Vrinda, however, since it was not confirmed, we did not believe it; it also did not seem to be matching the storyline, because if Vrinda married someone else, then she and Yug will never be able to end the hatred with their love. Also, the cute love story between Yug and Vrinda for the past 4 months had made us so addicted to the couple, that when the marriage happened, all of us were left heartbroken.

We understand that we do not know what Ms. Ekta has planned for us in this show; maybe she has planned some way for Yug and Vrinda to get together again, however, we would like to point out that this current track, going on for the past few weeks is not popular among almost all the fans; in fact some major fans found this track to be so painful to watch, they have left this show for a while. It is our dearest request that this track be altered a bit, and we should get back only with Kunal Verma and Pooja Bose being the only leads in the show. Rajbeer is shown to be a very cute guy, and Sandeep Baswana is doing a very good job with his acting, however, all us fans cannot see him married with Vrinda when we have fallen madly in love with the Yug-Vrinda couple. We fans are very big supporters of "Tujh Sang Preet Lagai Sajna" and we are very happy that it's not going off air, like some articles stated it would. We would like this show to be a long running success, however, we also want it to stick with the original storyline. We only want this to be the story of Yug and Vrinda bringing the families back together, without any other lead. We don't mind them having to stay separated from eachother in their own houses, however, we cannot bear to see either one of them being married to another.

This is our very dearest request for Ms. Ekta and the creatives for this show. Please bring back Yug and Vrinda soon; please do not let Vrinda stay married with Rajbeer, and only keep Kunal Verma and Pooja Bose as the only leads. This would bring back a lot of major fans, who have left this show with pain, back and we would all watch this serial with pleasure.


Thankyou

Sincerely,
tspls fans

Reader Review : -

Dear sir/madam

We just wanted to let you know how much we love Tujh Sang Preet lagai sajna (TSPLS) and how much we appreciate the jodi of Yug and Vrinda (YuVi). When TSPLS started it had a beautiful concept and a lovely story which was so lovely that it got all of us stuck on it from the get-go and when Yug was introduced it was a breath of fresh air because he wasn't a every day hero you get in a serial and have to say no one could have done that part as well as Kunal did he fits the character of Yug to the Tee

The main reason that most of us started to watch this serial was because of the beautiful love story that was happening between YuVi. it was one of the best love stories ever in the history of television it was pure, innocent and a very natural love story like most love stories it wasn't about physical aspects like touching, hugging and holding hands it went beyond all that and showed us what true love is all about but sadly that love didn't last long thanks to the trp game such a wonderful story was destroyed by Starplus and Ekta which left us not only sad but heart broken as well specially when we think about what could have been.

We don't understand the point in separating YuVi and how on earth will it help in trps is beyond our understanding because what its doing is destroying the best part of the show when the show started it was about how the grand children of two enemies fall in love and how they stop the enmity then why did they change it to the current story line which is ruining the whole concept of the story. When Starplus changed the time slot, even though we didn't like it and it was difficult to watch it at that time, we still stuck with TSPLS because we loved YuVi so much and wanted them to get together but what did we get instead Vrinda getting married to another person and Yug getting side lined. We don't want another lead we just want our YuVi back please help us get them back it's a humble request to you to help us because we don't know what else to do.

It is true that it's just a fictional story but for us it's not just a story because we watch it with so much love and devotion that it really hurts us especially when we are only watching this show for YuVi and to add fuel to the fire we heard that Yug will be sidelined why if YuVi is the heart of the show Yug is the soul this show cannot survive without either of the two.

What YuVi means to me?

YuVi have become my favourite couple on television after a long time, their love, passion and sincerity to each other has made them the best couple on television today. They have fun, sweetness and cuteness to them and have made me think they have relationship which is meant to last for lifetimes. YuVi need to be together because they are well loved and without them TSPLS has no way of getting the enmity between the two villages to end and they have loved each other despite knowing it was wrong, like Romeo and Juliet it has made there love story more interesting. If they stay together their love story can be remembered for centuries like Romeo and Juliet is still remembered. Another reason for them to be together is this story is fiction and for that it can have a happy ending, unlike real life which of sadness, television is seen as escapism by people so why make that sad. Yes television does so real issues and is made as life like as possible but don't make it that real that there is no hope left for change.

YuVi also need to stay together because if they are separated the story will sideline the importance of Yug, which is not wanted because Kunal is a brilliant actor and has done an amazing job so far and we want more of Kunal. He has made Yug so believable that even I want someone like Yug, he has brought Yug to life he is an important part of YuVi with him there is no YuVi which is not wanted.

So please re-unite YuVi because without them there is no TSPLS because they are the essence and the reason this show has viewers in the first place and these viewers want them together, because they Kunal and Pooja have made us love them and without them TSPLS would not have viewers because today people are watching the show for their acting and not the storylines, make it so people watch the show for the storylines.

Kunal-Pooja