Big 'B' to host KBC 4 ??

After highlighting many big names from Bollywood industry including Aamir Khan to host Kaun Banega Crorepati season 4, it seems as if the production house Synergy has summed down again to the legendary actor and persona Amitabh Bachchan who indeed holds the credit for making the season 1 and 2 a great success.

Though the core team has sorted out to retain their original host of the show but may be they couldn't do the same with the channel.

A little birdie informed us that, "The chances of Amitabh Bachchan hosting the upcoming season of KBC seems to be taking a practical turn. But there is a shift of channel the upcoming season would be telecasted on Sony unlike the past on Star Plus."

We even messaged Ajay Bhalwankar, head of Sony TV and Anita Kaul Basu, Managing Director of Synergy but couldn't receive a reply.

Sony's Comedy Circus Maha Sangram gets its winning jodi..

Just as all viewers thought that the popular pair of Krushna Abhishek and Sudesh Lahiri was going to be declared winners in Sony's Comedy Circus Maha Sangram, the speculations have gone wrong.

Yes, you have heard it right, and it is Swapnil Joshi and VIP who have emerged victorious in the Grand Finale of the show.

According to our source, "Salim and Suleiman were the celebrity judges for the finale. Swapnil and VIP rendered a fabulous performance which was the biggest highpoint of the episode. Salim performed too with Swapnil and Bharti Singh, and it was a promotional act for Indian Idol 5. Krushna and Sudesh were the runners-up while Saloni Daini – Rajiv Thakur – Rashmi Desai was the second runners-up team".

The Grand Finale of Comedy Circus Maha Sangram will be aired on May 8th, Saturday.

D.J’s Toh Baat Hamari Pakki Hai on Sony!

D. J Creative’s upcoming show ‘Toh Baat Hamari Pakki Hai’ is gearing to launch on Sony TV and is elbowing its place in prime-time slot of the channel. The show is all about the two protagonists coming from a very traditional families; families which believe in arranged marriages.

A source informs, “The show will revolve around two protagonists and their families. The male lead essayed by Barun Sobti (lastly seen in Dill Mil Gayye) is a very cool, lazy, easy going and irresponsible person whereas the female lead essayed by Ankita (Ratna of Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo) is shown as very sweet, caring, responsible person. Thus, the show is all how these two people will come together, being a unlike pair and manage to be together. As we mentioned earlier, the two family families firmly believe in ‘arranged’ marriage, the drama will move further as they fix the marriage with those two people who are quite unlike each other.”

“The initial shoots for the show are going on in the scenic Mussoorie (North India) as the families will be shown as Mussoorie residents. Later on the crew will come back to Mumbai for the regular shoots. Apart from the protagonists, the actors like Sai Deodhar, Himani Shivpuri, Vievk Mushran, Mona Ambegaonkar, Aditi Shriwaikar, Mihika Verma will be seen in prominent roles. The show will be a daily and is ready to grab the primetime slot on the channel. The show might launch till end of April or early May,” adds the source.

Well, get ready to experience one more family drama on Sony TV!

Mahi's 'Way to Goa'

Pushtiie Shakti aka Mahi, the chubby and adorable protagonist of Sony TV and YRF TV's Mahi's Way is shooting now a days in Goa.

The show currently shows Mahi heartbroken because of all the troubles in her life. First, she broke up with her dream man Ishaan Ahluwaliya and after that she lost her column. Mahi's dream to pursue serious journalism gets a severe setback due to this. So her close friend Sid and Roshni give her a break and take her to Goa.

When contacted Pushtiie Shakti said, "Yes, we are in Goa for shooting. I am back to my second-home. I've stayed in Goa for 5 years and for Mahi Way I had to shift back to Mumbai. I am so happy that we are shooting here. We are having a blast! It's a break for us from our studio-shooting and we are really enjoying a lot. There are lots of memories attached to this place… if I go on saying I won't stop. I also visited the house where I stayed."

However, it seems Pushtiie is not entirely happy with the working atmosphere in Goa for her Facebook statues message reads- "Am in goa to shoot with hardly any facilities...! Will answer mail and posts when i get back. Thank you :)"

Saakshi Tanwar tipped for Zee TV’s Do Saheliyan!

Ratna Sinha’s upcoming show on Zee TV tentatively titled ‘Do Saheliya’ may launch at the end of this month and has commenced its casting and shoot for the show.

Our reliable source informs, “The storyline revolves around two best friends, one is poor and other is rich and how eventually they both get stuck by their fate when they grow old in their life and the way the life takes examinations.”

Talking about the cast our source informs, “Along with Mouni Roy, Jatin Shah who are finalized to essay roles opposite each other, Ankita Srivastav, Sulagna Panigrahi are tipped to be in the serial. Even the well-known television face Saakshi Tanwar who is currently seen in Sony Television’s ‘Crime Patrol’ along with Anoop Soni is tipped to play a very crucial role in the serial.”
We tried calling Saakshi Tanwar but she didn’t revert!

Great Expectations: Yash Raj Films bites the dust?

Yash Raj films has come up with a weekend slot of 5 shows named ‘Seven’, ‘Rishta.com’, ‘Mahi Way’, ‘Lift Kara De’ and ‘Powder’. These shows promised to provide complete entertainment and refreshing change from the usual melodramas with their distinct looks, fresh, contemporary and engaging story lines. As said by YRF everything was fulfilled by the banner, but it seems that the mojo is lacking as the TRPs of the serial are just average, in regard to the prestigious banner they are coming from.

As far as films are concerned YRF is juggernaut in the business from the top actors to distributors, YRF calls the shots. But the territory of television is to be treaded on carefully, even by the giants. Making a big entry in the television market with not one or two but five serials simultaneously, YRF wanted to flood the market, but it seems that with a plummeting TRP, YRF is taking a note. There may be many reasons for the dipping TRPs of YRF serials, even though all the five shows have there distinct style, but they have failed to give the audience what they actually want and miss the ‘x’ factor that can grip the audience in weekends.

According to the TRP rating chart, serials except ‘Lift Kara De’ and ‘Mahi Way’ are witness dipping TRPs. ‘Lift Kara De’ is hosted by Karan Johar, in the show a Bollywood superstar is invited and they meet their biggest fan. On the other hand ‘Mahi Way’ is based on the character of funny, ambitious young girl with a different persona who wants everything in her life just like any other girl. Both these serials appeal to the audience because Bollywood stars and their personal life make interesting dinner table conversation, the same goes for ‘Mahi Way’. Viewers want something gossipy and juicy that hooks them over the weekend. YRF’s other shows ‘Seven’, ‘Rishta.com’ and ‘Powder’ deal with grim or sensitive issues and are not light hearted entertainment on the lines of ‘Lift Kara De’ and ‘Mahi Way’.

Audiences watch television on weekends to relax their mind and not to entangle their grey cells in gritty drama that is hard to keep track of after a week’s lapse. Viewers over the weekend are mostly working class people who look for one off shows, a special perhaps, which wrap up the story in a singular episode and don’t spill over to the other day or episode. Even with all the technical expertise like high picture quality cameras used in filmmaking for their daily soaps YRF has failed to impress and engage audience. Either that, or viewers are missing the regular ‘saas bahu’ and ‘mirch masala’ in the shows, which has resulted in the disappointment of YRF banner. As after all to catch the pulse of the television audience is no easy job for even Ekta Kapoor the czarina of television.

Bayttaab’s Karan Kundra to make an exit?

Lots of relationship trouble is going on between the characters of Sony’s ‘Bayttaab Dil Kee Tamanna Hai’. While earlier Veeru (Karan Kundra) was left heartbroken when Shamoli got married to Kunal (Aman Verma), now he is overwhelmed with guilt as differences come between Shamoli and Kunal. Therefore Veeru wants to put a distance between him and their lives.

With the feeling of guilt creeping in Veeru’s heart, will he try to mend things for Kunal, whom he respects like an elder brother?

“Veeru blames himself for the tiff between Shamoli and Kunal and he does not want to create tension between them and so he’ll take the big decision to go away from the couple’s life,” says an insider.

So, does that mean Veeru’s character is making an early exit from the popular show? “Veeru surely will not be seen on-screen for a while, but that does not mean his character has made an exit. Veeru who is presently a poor guy on the show will return as a suave, rich and powerful guy,” informs our little birdie.

So, will Veeru’s short exit be sweet for Shamoli and Kunal? And what will happen when Veeru makes a suave comeback? Watch out for the heady emotional rollercoaster ride on ‘Bayttaab Dil Kee Tamanna Hai’.

Ragini Khanna chali Bollywood!

Do you remember Bharti from ‘Bhaskar Bharati’, the daily show on Sony which recently went off air? Yes! It’s one and only rocking Ragini Khanna who is right now on top of the world is now planning for some thing more bigger. It can be said that big name, big fame, big banner and also big screen. Our sources inform, “Ragini Khanna will soon be seen on a 70 mm big screen. She has been approached for a movie by a big banner from the Indian film industry and is also been selected for essaying a lead role in the movie. The shoot for the same will be starting from first week of February.”

We called Ragini and she confirms, “Yes, I have been signed for a movie and I am going to be linked with a very big production banner from the film industry. But right now I can’t reveal much about the film but can only say that it is something like my dream come true and can make it sure that the film will be a brilliant movie.”

Well audience, get ready to see Ragini on a big screen and in a new avatar!

Upcoming Fiction shows in 2010

For the couch potato 2010 is sure to be a roller coaster ride with an entertaining line up of television programming all set to hit the sets. Along with the social dramas that are a hit nowadays, mythology, family fights and love tiffs are also in the race for the big, bad TRP battle.

Let’s take a quick peek into the upcoming schedule.

‘Kalki’ is Smita Thackeray’s ambitious show having Ashutosh Rana in lead while it has been rumoured that Amitabh Bachchan and Jackie Shroff had been approached for significant roles. It’s said to be mythological story about lord Vishnu’s 10 avatars. ‘Devi’ will air on NDTV Imagine which will have story of a girl-child who is considered as a goddess as her birth brings rains in the village after a long drought.

‘Do Saheliya’, which obviously is about two friends will mark Sudha Chandran’s comeback. JD Majethia’s untitled show once again brings a family drama which revolves around lives of four sisters. In competition is Asit Modi’s untitled show as he also brings a serious family drama.

Audience will be in splits as SAB TV comes up with a silent comedy ala Charlie Chaplin movies. NDTV’s funny Family show ‘Ghar Ki Baat Hai 2’ will tickle audience’s funny bone.

There are different genre shows coming up this year that may be breathers for audience from same old stuff like YRF’s ‘Seven’ a sci-fi fiction, ‘Powder’ a thriller chase drama based on underworld crime stories. Ekta Kapoor’s detective show will be competing with ‘Crime Patrol’ that returns back after long break for its second season and with similar themed show from the production house of Red Chillies.

Romance will also show its magic this year as shows like ‘Do Hanso Ka Joda’ and ‘Paheli’ are love stories with a difference which will compete to gain audience attention. YRF’s ‘Rishta.Com’ has two partners of a matchmaking company falling in love while ‘Mahi Way’ is the story of a cute, fat girl who doesn’t believe that being fat will obstruct her from meeting her dream boy and will mark Sharon Prabakar’s TV debut.

Social Dramas will also be seen on TV with ‘Dil Chahta Hai’ having Rajesh Kumar playing lead role of fat man with some obsessions and ‘Traffic Signal’ where three different women share their life experiences will be aired. ‘Visarjan’ on ‘Colors’ has the story of a village girl marrying a rich old guy to protect her identity will also compete in this category.

Seems like 2010 will be a treat with numerous kind of shows coming up and all set to impress viewers and gain viewership. So, viewers get set to watch the drama, romance, reality, comedy and let the begin!

'I hate paying my taxes' - Shruti Seth

Shruti Seth aka Isha Mirchandani in Sony’s Rishta.com takes our Quick Grills…

Which of the latest advertisements do you like?
I like the Aamir one for Smart Chips.

Anything you like to collect?
Jewelry

You like watching movies belonging to which genre?
I like happy endings, so I go for romantic and light hearted movies.

One invention you're waiting for?
A machine that would make me go invisible.

Do you believe in telepathy?
Absolutely.

Any strange request from fans?
I don't know if it's strange but certainly seems a dangerous request to me. The thing is some of my fans ask me to hold their babies and pose for pictures. It gets me really nervous because I am so not experienced in handling babies.

When do you think the world is going to end?
I really don't think about such morbid things.

Your favorite small car?
My Maruti Swift (smiles).

Any bad habit of yours that you want to get rid of?
I want to stop drinking aerated drinks.

Your favorite sports personality?
Steffi Graf and Sachin Tendulkar.

You do NOT like to spend on what things?
Taxes! I hate paying my taxes. Because to be honest, I don't feel I'm getting the kind of amenities that as a proper tax-paying citizen I deserve.

Have you encountered any near-death situations?
Fortunately no!

Do you like to be neutral or opinionated…generally?
I'm generally opinionated. But I'm pretty okay keeping them to myself.

Which section of a newspaper do you like to read?
World section.

Be honest and tell us one advice that you preach but don't follow.
The one to drink lots of water.

Vibha Anand in Sukh by Chance

Vibha Anand once again associates with JD Majethia's Hats Off Productions the second time after Shree with Sukh by Chance...

According to our source "She will be playing the girl opposite to Amit Mehta, played by Anuj Thakur. Now the track is that Amit Mehta's mom has some eye problem and they need to have an eye surgery done. Vibha Anand's father is a doctor and runs a hospital. He also happens to be an eye surgeon, so Vibha tells to the Mehta family that she will get the appointment for Amit's mother."

Vibha Anand says,"I am playing the character of Namrata. A rich girl who is in love with Amit Mehta. They also happen to be medical students studying in the same college. Everybody in the Mehta family is not aware that Amit and I are in love with each other."

Catch Vibha's entry in Sukh by Chance on Monday, the fourth of January at 9m on Sony TV.

What’s the end of Mahi’s Way?

Mahi Way, one of the five new shows launched by YRF TV on Sony TV, is the story of girl who is slightly on the heavier side. The promos give the idea that she believes in herself irrespective of the society's thoughts.

However, the latest reports suggest that, the lead actress Pushtiie will be transformed by the end of the show into an average sized girl.

According to our source, "The show Mahi Way is a sort of autobiography of its writer Devika Bhagat. She weighed ninety kilograms in her early teens and worked on losing it once she turned eighteen. So Mahi will be shown unaffected by people's comments about her flab for the initial phase. But there will be a point where she will on her own decide to get rid of her unhealthy diet and lazy attitude."

The source adds, "The show will give a deja vu of one of Sony's older shows Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahi, in which the geeky girl turns gorgeous and has a happy ending with her prince charming."

We spoke to the writer Devika Bhagat who says, "Yes it's true that I once weighted 90 kilos. Once I turned eighteen, the realization hit me that you can't continue to be fat. When I was fat, I used humor as a defense mechanism and that made me the typical 'funny fat girl'. What I didn't realize was that it also put me across as stupid and boring. No one took me seriously. So eventually I decided to change for the better!"

Devika adds, "The show is very close to me as it is in a way my memoir. Many incidents shown in Mahi way have happened in my real life."

So does that mean the character Mahi will follow suit and lose weight too, just in the way you have? To this Devika cheekily replies, "A very sneaky question, I have to say. But for that you'll have to watch the show."

Pushtiie aka Mahi apparently always knew in spite of her size she will be a lead actress one day. She says, "Yes, I always knew I'll be a lead actress. I felt it from inside." So did she put on weight for the role? "Nope. I've always been this way. In fact I lost some of my weight after I started working."

We wonder if this loss of weight continues until she becomes trim like writer Devika…

Karan Kundra bullies his co-stars

‘Baytabb Dil Ki Tamanna Hai’s charming actor Karan Kundra has been seen doing romantic scenes with pretty Suman aka Shamoli in the serial but this on-screen sweet actor turns into a naughty prankster when the cameras switch off.

About his real life equation with co-stars Suman Das and Priyamvada Kant, Karan says, “I bully them a lot on the sets. Once, me and the director were getting bored as there was half an hour to left for the lighting to be done on the sets, so we planned to force them to say dialogues even when the camera was off and everyone started laughing as only they did not know. They both are very sweet and naïve”.

So, does he often do such tricks? “Yes, the other day we were shooting for a rain sequence in a 3000 square feet location but we just needed a 200 sq feet corner and useless lights and other stuff were dumped in other area. We made Suman and Priyamvada do their scenes in that messy area and they kept on asking as to why was the mess around? The crew told them not to get distracted and carry on with the scene and quite later they realised the trick” laughs Karan.

Karan is one big bully on the sets and poor Suman and Priyamvada are easy targets for this innocent looking actor.

Ragini cries for ‘Bhaskar Bharati’!

Ragini Khanna aka Bharati of ‘Bhaskar Bharati’, the serial which recently went off air from Sony tells us about her feelings for the serial as she will be no longer linked with the show hence forth.

Now that she has lots of free time for a chit-chat she informs us, “Truly speaking, I felt very bad after my last shoot and the initial three days after the shoot were worst for me. I missed my co-actors and also missed shooting for the serial. The saddest thing is that the show telecast its last episode yesterday, and I just could not stop the tears rolling down my cheeks and I finally burst out crying like a small kid.”

“It was very gloomy to see the last episode. But after all, life has to go on and thus I have made up my mind to be seen more on TV for all the viewers out there who loved me and the show. I have some new things in hand about which I can reveal only in January but even I am eager to start new work. I will make sure that I come back with a bang,” promises Ragini.

Well Ragini, even the audience is waiting to see you in a new avatar.

Sony’s shifting loyalties

Sony Entertainment Television seems to be all in support of Yash Raj’s new venture Yash Raj Television due to which the channel has pulled off some very good serials of air.

Our close source informs, ” Sony is closing down some of its serials like ‘Bhaskar Bharati’, ‘Ladies Special’ and may be some more shows to adjust the time slot for new shows of Yash Raj banner which will go on air from 1st of January.”

One of the actor who does not want to be named quips,” We were very shaken when we heard about our show going off air. It was not even the case of dipping TRP’s as the show was getting good ratings due to which our producer was also planning to introduce one new entry to the show. But now we hear that may be because the channel is going to introduce few new shows of Yash Raj, our show is going to be off air soon to adjust the time slot.”

” As for our serial the producer is rewriting the script and a happy real ending is being planned which will also appeal to our dear audience,” adds the actor.

Let’s see which all shows have to make way for the Yash Raj banner

Ladies Special comes to a halt..

Sony and Optimystix'Ladies Specialwill soon be going off air, as the channel is all set for yet another major revamp.

According to our source, "Ladies Special has always remained the #1 show of Sony when it came to the strong content it had. But all the critical acclaim could not give the show good ratings.Ladies Special will go off air in December, and in all probability Edit II's upcoming show Jeet Jayenge Hum might replace it".

Confirming the news, Sanjiv Sharma of Optimystix tells us, "Yes,Ladies Special will be going off air soon, but the channel has not decided on the date as of now. We will be giving an open end to all our characters, as the channel has plans of coming up with a Season 2 sooner or later".

The show very recently saw the introduction of a new pair in Sreejita De and Shailesh Gulabani.

We will not wait for an official announcement on this…

Mohit Malik to play the lead in Jeet Jayenge Hum..

The handsome Mohit Malik, who was last seen essaying the role of Bharat in Zee TV's Banoo Main Teri Dulhann will now play the male lead in Sony and Edit II's upcoming show, Jeet Jayenge Hum.

The promos of the show are already on air. The show has RJ Sana Sheikh in the lead role, and the story focuses on her fight against child labor.

We had reported earlier that Ali Merchant was finalized to play the male lead in the show. However, our source informs us that, "There has been a change in this. Ali Merchant will not be taking up this show for certain reasons. Mohit Mallik who was earlier chosen as one of the options will play the protagonist now".

Mohit will be seen in a different kind of role, which he has not played before. "Though the shoot with the other actors are on, the male lead has not begun shooting. Mohit who has been finalized will now start shoot in the next few days", further informs our source.

We tried calling Mohit Malik, but he remained unavailable for comments.

We also tried to get in touch with Ali Merchant, but he too remained unavailable.

As reported earlier,Akhilendra Mishra plays the main antagonist in the show; he owns a bangle making company where he drags all the children for work. Jeet Jayenge Hum also has Ayesha Kaduskar of Chote Miyan fame, and she plays one of the siblings of Sana. Child artistes Shruti and Namit Shah play the other siblings of the female lead. Sana's parents will be played by Nawaaz and Nupur Alankar.

If all goes well, Jeet Jayenge Hum is expected to launch on December 7th. The show in all probability might take the 8.30 PM slot, but the channel and production house are yet to take the final call.

Aahat coming soon on Sony

The makers of C.I. D, Fire Works is all set to come up with a new horror series on Sony which is finally given a title, Aahat- All new series. The show will be starting from this month itself.

“After number of alternatives for the title, the production house has zeroed down on the name Aahat as they think this will connect with the audience well. Though the show is totally different from the previous horror show thus they have added the tagline of all new series,” chirps the source from the production house.

Giving more details about the show our khabroo verbalises, “There won’t be different series like previous Aahat but bit different from it. The janta will see a new story that of three students of a paranormal college who has the powers but are not aware about it.”

“Slowly and steadily they will help the people and get to know about their shakit’s and set a motive for themselves. Krystal, Chaitanya Choudhary and Vishal Gandhi will be seen in the lead roles,” adds the source.

When is the show going on air and what time slot will it occupies? “The show will be going on air from 13 November. About the time slot it may be 9 or 10:00 pm which is yet to be finalized. This series will entertain the janta on weekends i.e. Friday and Saturday,” concludes the source.

It seems Sony is getting back to its old funda of the horror series to get back their audience. Hope this works for them.

Comedy is a challenge for Tina Dutta

Tina Dutta is all in for changing her persona from rona-dhona to the comedy as she has been doing well in Comedy Circus- Teen Ka Tadka. The actress talks about her experience in comedy and the challenges related to it.

“To be frank I didn’t think that I could do comedy. I had just participated in one show in Kolkata for Laughter Challenge as my Hindi is also a bit problem,” states Tina.

But now the actress is much confident about her acts in the show. “After my first episode in CC, I received many compliments that gave boost to my assurance level. Anyways this is a good change for me and the EP of the show has shown the faith which was also a great support,” she adds further.

Which show is closer for you CC or Uttaran? “Uttaran is like a family where I can be my self when not shooting. CC is a refreshing change and it’s a challenge for me that I have accepted it in a good spirit. So both are very important for me,” she verbalises.

How does the lady juggle between the two shows? “I get very less time for the rehearsal as my timings for the shoot for Uttaran is from morning 8 to night 10. This does create problem for my co-star but they are really very nice as when ever I call them for the practice, they leave everything and come,” concludes the actress.

It’s good to see you laugh and making others smile on your jokes. This change is not only for you but also good for our viewers as they discover the new Iccha in Tina.

Bhaskar Bharti shifted further up

We had earlier reported Sony TV's Bhaskar Bharti would be shifted to 8:30pm. But recently a few new changes have developed giving the show another new timing.

According to our source, "Bhaskar Bharti will be aired at 7:30 pm from 10th November."

We contacted lead actor Aamir Ali, who says, ""It's the channel's decision. I don't want to say anything. And all this is production house and channel's decision. I'm sure they have decided this slot with something in mind."

Female lead of the show Ragini Khanna says "The slot is the channel's decision. My humble request for the audience is that please watch Bhaskar Bharti at 7.30 like you used to watch it when it was at the 9 pm slot. I read that people are really upset with the change in the slot but I request it's just the time change… Bhaskar Bharti will get more interesting."

Let's hope Ragini's words are true and the show does get more interesting.