Sayantani Ghosh is excited to be a part of Meri Maa on Life OK

Talented actress Sayantani Ghosh who was last seen doing a cameo in Sony court room drama Adaalat has finally grabbed a biggie. She is now playing the lead role in new channel Life Ok’s show Meri Maa.

Says Sayantani: “It is a very emotional and very performance-oriented role and those in the channel who have seen the early episodes are also impressed by my work.”

Her character is that of a woman Pratibha who loses her daughter Jhilmil in a fair when the girl is just three or four years old. Pratibha continues to hunt high and low for her little one, little knowing that she is living with a pickpocket. “Four years pass by and though her family members – including mother in law (played by Neena Kulkarni) – are not optimistic, I am confident I will find her,” she says.

Sayantani emphasizes that she took up this show because it is not the typical saas bahu one, and her character is very different from the ones which brought her in the limelight in Naaginn and Ghar Ek Sapna.-

“There are very few concepts which deal with the beautiful mother-daughter relationship. This show’s Bengali version titled Maa is also running successfully on Star Jalsha (at the No 1 slot for the past two and a half years), ” she discloses.

Sayantan,i who also featured in Kumkum-Ek Pyara Sa Bandhan, is quite candid that she does not have any problems playing a mother. “The times are changing,” she reveals, “and today’s audience is looking for different programming, for example, mature love stories. The days of the Chiclet love story are passé. More importantly I am playing mother to a young girl and not a 20 year old. I will not do that as I can’t do justice to it. ”

Does she have any regrets about what went wrong with her previous full-fledged show, the thriller, Rakt Sambandh ? It tracked the lives of five sisters, one of whom is visually challenged, who lose their father on the handicapped girl’s wedding night. Rakt Sambandh initially drew audiences but later fizzled out.

Sayantani does not mince her words while giving her point of view. Says she: “We are just actors and there are many things which are beyond our control. I guess the new channel creative team made changes to the story which did not work and they also shifted the time slot due to Zor Ka Jhakta .”

You really shoot straight from the hip don’t you Sayantani?

Salman Khan says Bigg Boss 5 is a big turnoff

He has been the co-host of Bigg Boss 5 this year with Sanjay Dutt. But superstar Salman Khan said that whatever has been going on the show has been a big turnoff and that he switches off the television set whenever he hears the constant bickering that has been going on. He paid a flash visit to the house in the Aapka Farmaan Episode and admonished the participants asking them to stop bickering and fighting.

"Do you think all this scrapping is causing a spike in the ratings. No it is not; I get messages from people saying what is going on. This has to end," he told the participants very sternly.

He scolded Sky for picking on Siddharth to which he responded that any one would do the same as Siddharth made some blasphemous references to his family. Salman then told Siddharth that he should not call Sky as "Mamu" or uncle as Sky was only 35 years old and that he should not abuse anyone's family. He told Sky that his jokes were stale and not funny and he should not provoke Siddharth. And he once again warned the inmates not to take his warning lightly, before exiting the house to join Sanjay Dutt, and announcing that Shonali would be the one to be evicted.

While Salman was absolutely school masterly in his sermon to the housemates, Sanjay told them to continue having fun and keep up the good work.

Before that, Andrew Symonds had reprimanded Pooja Misrra for not living up to the opportunity she has been given to come back into the house and that she had better shape up or ship out.

Indian TV Show Hitler Didi Creates Controversy

Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, a spokeswoman for Zee TV stated that the channel had received the letter from the rights group; however, they are yet to respond to it. She said that the show’s title has got nothing to do with Hitler himself and clarified that the show is intended to portray the girl’s temperament. The spokeswoman said the show till date has not received any complaints from India on its name.  Later she declined to comment on whether they are considering changing its name.

A member of the civil rights group Abraham H Foxman said, “It was ‘shocking’ that millions of soap opera fans in India are now hearing and talking about a program with the name ‘Hitler’ on a daily basis.”

This kind of a controversial title in India has often annoyed the observers as the German dictators name is used more casually in India than elsewhere to tag a person who is extremely strict and has a dominating nature.

Last year in 2010, renowned Indian actor Anupam Kher opted to back out from the film named “Dear Friend Hitler,” after being condemned by the fans. The Film is featured on the letters that Mahatma Gandhi wrote to Hitler. However, the film was finally made but with a different actor in the lead role. There was also an action packed Hindi movie named “Hitler” that was released in 1998 featuring Mithun Chakravarty in the lead role.

It is often seen that people in the western countries are quite sensitive about using the name of Adolf Hitler who was responsible for the World War II. However, in India there is a different scenario and Hitler’s autobiography “Mein Kampf,” is a huge hit in India. In countries like Austria, Germany and Russia, “Mein Kampf ” is considered to be illegal. It is reported that in one of the book shops in Delhi, the book is the second best-selling work of non-fiction after Mahatma Gandhi’s autobiography. The book is said to be very popular among the business management students in the country, and is also popular among the university students who frequently consider it in their reading list.

A professor at Delhi’s Jawahal Nehru University, Surinder Jodhka, said that in India people can escape by using the name of Hitler in different context as Indians have not directly faced the violence caused by Hitler.

Veena Malik's nude photo causes fury in Pakistan

A Pakistani actress who posed in the nude for an Indian magazine with the initials of Pakistan's feared and powerful intelligence agency on her arm has triggered fury across this conservative nation.

Veena Malik's photo on the website of FHM India, in advance of its publication in the magazine's December issue, has been lighting up social network website Facebook and Twitter since earlier this week.

Many here anticipate a backlash, as nationalists and Islamists regularly stage rallies against anything they deem an insult to Islam or to the national honor. India and Pakistan have fought three wars, and the Inter-Services Intelligenceagency or ISI has been accused of sponsoring terrorist attacks inside India.

Malik has broken Pakistani religious and national taboos in the past. She is a target for conservative ire and a heroine to some Pakistani liberals.

Conservative cleric Maulana Abdul Qawi declared on Aaj TV on Saturday that her latest venture into controversy was a "shame for all Muslims." Farzana Naz, interviewed by the same channel on the streets of Lahore, said that the actress had "bowed all us women in shame."

Twitter commentator Umair Javed however called on Pakistanis to "make copies of the picture and bury it in your backyard. This way, our grandkids will know there were some amongst us who lived free!"

Asked by reporters whether Pakistan would "pursue the matter" legally, the country's Interior Minister Rehman Malik said Saturday, "First, let us see whether it is real or fake."

Malik for her part says that the photo at the root of the current uproar was published in violation of her agreement with FHM India. In an interview with Pakistani Geo television broadcast Saturday, Malik acknowledged having been photographed for a "bold but not nude shot." She said the editor of the magazine had promised that he would cover most of the photo with the ISI initials.

Malik said that the photo was intended to poke fun at the Indian fear of Pakistani spies: "Whatever happens (in India), people say ISI is behind that."

Malik said she would "probably" take a legal action against the magazine for violating terms and condition.

Magazine editor Kabeer Sharma said Malik did all with her full consent.

"We have all the record(s)," he told the Pakistani television station. "Veena was very excited about that ISI idea."

Malik does most of her work in India. The entertainment sector there is booming, while Pakistan's is moribund. Her ties to Pakistan's archrival have landed her in controversy in the past.

During a much-publicized talk show appearance early this year, she lashed out her nemesis Abdul Qawi, who criticized her for having a scripted love affair with an Indian actor on an Indian reality show.

"What is your problem with me?" an angry Malik demanded of the scholar, who had accused her of insulting Islam
.

'Up Close and Personal with PZ' fails to deliver

With an overtly pink and too bubbly promo and a disappointing first episode, 'Up Close and Personal with PZ' – doesn’t seem to have hit the mark with the public.

Not all actors can en-cash on the fame ticket once their silver screen time is over. Preity Zinta’s foray in to small screen with her own chat show seems to be an unwise decision on her part.

After her stint with the IPL and all the enthusiastic cheering from the stands, Preity Zinta has chosen a new turf to play on – her own chat show.

The public so far had been dealing with a Simi Garewal and a Karan Johar. Both in their own rights were interesting and the public were still enthusiastic enough to push their shows – 'Rendezvous with Simi Garewal' and 'Koffee with Karan' well past season one. In this genre of chat hosts, Preity is a new player and this lack of experience shows.

‘PZ’ in her scene, seems to be running in the flavour of her on screen personas of a vivacious, bubbly girl. Bubbly and vivacious she is – but she seems to be trying much too hard.

Her ‘candid’ conversations with Salman Khan, her first guest on the show, seem rather contrived. For an actress who is inviting her former co-stars to an easy and fun conversation – the effort she is making becomes too visible. The easy dialogue just doesn’t find its flow. With the easy chemistry missing, the show disappoints.

‘PZ’ jokes with Salman, asking him to marry her. He says that he wants to marry some one who is quite a brat (roughly translating) to which PZ insists that she is quite a brat. Desperate? But true.

She dances with Salman, makes him do a step from his latest hit ‘Bodyguard’ and gifts him a track suit and even prior to all this drama – the two actors had a promo photo-shoot where Salman was in a band-master’s outfit and ‘PZ’ is in a ‘lehenga’ posing with a trumpet.

The audience are forced to wonder where this is headed – the show and ‘PZ’ both. We can only hope it picks up momentum from the next episode.

Pooja Bedi evicted from Bigg Boss 5 house

She was the host of Season 2 of Bigg Boss. She impressed all with her grace and dignity in Season 5. She was the oldest member of the Big Boss 5 house. She also made everyone believe she had something going with Sky, by getting intimate with him and kind of siding with him, despite the fact that he lost his temper quickly. Well, we are talking about Pooja Bedi. The lady's stay in the house came to an end with her eviction this evening.

With her expulsion, the two Poojas have exited Bigg Boss. There was a lot of expectation that the elder Pooja would likely stay on till the end and take away the winner's crown. The younger Pooja had already been ejected because of her rowdy behavior.

Pooja Bedi, stayed in the house for 54 days and she always stood up for what is right! But the lady had more than once voiced that she was missing her two kids and would like to go home. She could not imagine how she had stayed away from them for so long.

Apparently, Bigg Boss heard her plea out and sent her home. The fact that she had not got much of the audience's support helped him make that decision too.

But before her eviction, viewers got a chance to see the housemates interact with Vidya Balan who danced with Sunny Leon on The Dirty Picture song "Oo La la." Juhi helped Sunny drape herself in the red sari which was gifted to her by Vidya Balan.

Ruk Jaana Nahi is banking on attractive promos to gain attention

Extensive marketing seems to be the mantra for a show’s success. Creative heads make sure they air the promos of their upcoming shows so many times that the viewers get sucked in to watching them. And it looks like Playtime Creations an Star Plus have similar plans in mind for their upcoming show Ruk Jaana Nahi…Aa Rahi Hai Sanchi that is based on college and political life in the north and which will be aired on Star Plus. The promos of this show are already on air.

A source reveals, “The production house has been shooting for the promos of this show for nearly a week now. In fact, they have shot one promo with every character.” When Tellychakkar.com spoke to producer Hemal Thakkar, he confirmed this.

The show will have Aniruddh Dave and Pooja Sharma as the lead actors and other actors like Paritosh Sand, Gyan Sahay, Vijay Kumar, Arun Bakshi, Sachal Tyagi,Sushil Bounthiyal, Zubin Dutt and Surendra Pal.

When quizzed about the casting, Hemal said that he is happy to work with stage actors. “I make it a point to have theatre actors in my shows as I feel they are really good at execution. And all the good actors are from theater. Mind you, I do not mean stars,” he clarified.

Though there have been reports of the show getting the 10:30 pm slot, the buzz is that Ruk Jaana Nahi will get an 8:30 pm or 9 pm slot. However, Hemal refused to comment on the same.

Well, all we hope is that the marketing strategy pays off well and the show enjoys good viewership. All the best!!

How Mitali Nag became Afsar Bitiya

Raakesh Paswan’s new show Afsar Bitiya on Zee TV is all set to go on-air from 19 December. Starring Kinshuk Mahajan and Mitali Nag in the lead, the promos have already created a buzz and one can surely see an emotionally captivating show in the making. However, before you go on to watch this saga; combrings to you an interesting anecdote on how the lead actress Mitali got the role.

Mitali, who has done a few episodes of Mano Ya Na Mano and Wanted- High Alert, was on holiday in her home town Nagpur when she got a call from the casting director of the show. She was asked to come down to Mumbai for the auditions. But since she was tied up with prior commitments, she couldn’t do so.

The production house was quite keen to see if she fitted the bill. She was given the option of recording a scene and having it sent across. Mitalii then shot a scene involving herself from her friend's phone and uploaded it on YouTube. And lo and behold she got the part. "It was really a dream come true,” says the smiling lead female actor of the show.

Mitali, now you know that efforts like these pay off really well. Hope the audiences too like their Afsar Bitiya!!!

Barkha is a cool mom; Indraniel is a possessive dad

Barkha Bisht and Indraneil Sengupta got married on 2 March, 2007 after two years of courtship. Both of them have made their mark as credible actors in the entertainment industry. But their bliss-filled life got an extra coat of happiness and satisfaction after they had their first child, a baby girl called Meira.

The little bundle of joy was born in Delhi on 10 October 2011 at 5:14 pm. “The feeling is amazing but it is yet to sink in. My focus is completely on my child now. For so many years I have concentrated on my career but now it is all about my baby. But I do want to get back to work but not for the next two or three months” says Barkha.

It is natural that during pregnancy a woman goes through mood swings. So did she wake up Indraneil late in the night and fight for a piece of ice-cream, “No (laughs). He is a lucky husband. I had a very quiet phase of pregnancy. That’s why Meira is also a quiet child. I have heard horror stories of mums staying awake for nights. But I sleep in peace,” says the actress.

Furthermore, she says that she will be a cool mom and will treat her daughter like a friend when she grows up. “I am not that possessive as a mother. But yes, Indraneil is,” informs Barkha.

Does her husband change Meira’s diapers? “No he does not and I don’t think he will do it (laughs). But yes, the way he has connected to the child, it’s amazing,” says Barkha.

We also talked to Indraneil who couldn’t stop laughing during the conversation and sounded like one proud and happy father. “The feeling of becoming a father is overwhelming. Yes, there are lots of responsibilities which I have to fulfill as a parent but right now I just cannot take my eyes of Meira.”

The photo above depicts the happiness and contentment in Barkha’s and Indraneil’s eyes. “I can’t really imagine how a mother can love her child so much in a span of few days. The attachment is divine. I love my daughter and want her to always smile in life,” signs off Barkha.

Music man Aadesh Shrivastava launches peace album

Music composer and Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2005 and 2009 judge Aadesh Shrivastava discovered he was ailing from cancer last year. And then came months of battling the dreaded C. He finally overcame the disease earlier this year. Now he has has got together a bunch of artistes for a cause-based music album that pays tribute to the victims of terror attacks across the world. Titled Sound Of Peace, it was launched yesterday at Cinemax on the third anniversary of the Mumbai terror attacks in the presence of Amitabh Bachchan, Ustad Rashid Khan and Netsurf Entertainment managing director Sujit Jain.

At the function, ACP Narsima Sherkhane of the Maharashtra Police Force was handed a cheque of Rs 1 million to recognize the courage shown by the cops during 26/11.

Sound Of Peace has 10 songs by international artists like Amitabh Bachchan, Akon, Ustad Rashid Khan, Wyclef Jean, Shaan, Roopkumar Rathod, Pamela Lajoie, Vijayta, and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. The album also features Aadesh’s sons Avinesh and Avitesh.

Says Aadesh: "Terrorism is very emotional for me, I lost two dear friends during 26/11. Killing people anywhere in the world is not right. The language I know fluently is music. Therefore, Sound of Peace is to propagate World Peace"

His efforts have got the praise of the likes of Wyclef Jean who says "Aadesh is a musical genius, working with him is always a pleasure. With the natural disaster in Haiti and terrorist attacks world wide, this is the least we can do to support this cause"

Adds the Big B: “ Kehte hain jahan achhai hoti hai wahan burai ka bhi saaya hota hai, lekin burai kitna bhi lad jhagad le anth mein sirf achhai ka palda bhari hota hai. Ye humari koshish hai ki hum aatank par aman ka jhanda lehraayein. Sound of Peace - An album for a cause.”

Akon too gushes all about Aadesh, saying: “Aadesh is a brother to me. I stand by him to support any cause. When I heard this song in LA I did not have second though for a second.. Jaago, peace for all!!"

Netsurf’s Sujit is planning to organize a live musical concert in January 2012 in Mumbai with performances by musical maestros from across the world. Funds raised from the concert will be allocated for the families of those policemen who have suffered at the hands of terrorism.

Play on Aadesh!

Pooja Misrra thrown out of Bigg Boss 5 after fight with Siddharth

The firebrand has been shown the door. Bigg Boss 5’s notorious Pooja Misrra, who was voted captain a couple of days earlier, has been evicted from the Big Boss house.

The reason: she could not live up to the responsibility that came with captaincy. Apparently, she got into an argument with Siddharth Bhardwaj last night, who has not been in a mood to accept her as the captain. The argument went out of control and she became physically violent with him. She pushed him around him and yanked his hand.

Friday’s episode (25 November 2011) ended with Siddharth telling Pooja Misrra that he will tell her what was upsetting him about her next week.

The model turned veejay has been loud, quarrelsome, and has been the rabble rouser in the house almost right from the start of Bigg Boss 5. But the way she conducted herself last night was the last straw for Bigg Boss, who issued her marching orders. This is not the first time she had got physical with her inmates, having had scraps with Vida, Shonali, Amarr in the past.

Will the Bigg Boss 5 house be as exciting without Pooja Misrra's presence? Viewers are hoping that the luscious portnstar Sunny Leone will fill the gap left by her and generate some titillating moments with the male inmates of the house. Violence and arguments replaced by oomph!!! Sounds interesting, does it not?

More drama, fights and masala on Bigg Boss

Though we have already seen enough drama on Colors' Bigg Boss 5, the contestants don’t fail to amuse us every single day. And tonight’s episode will throw in more arguments and fights for the audiences.

Day 54 starts with Siddharth cribbing about the task assigned to him. He doesn’t want to do the dishes but instead wants to cook lunch. Once that is sorted out, he gets into an argument with Akashdeep Sehgal aka ‘Sky’. And once the argument gets too hot to handle, Sky will remind Siddharth about the comments hostSalman Khan made about him. Siddharth on the other hand tells him that if Sky crosses his limit, he will reveal the comments Sky made about Pooja Bedi.

Later in the day, Amar and Siddharth will speak ill of Sky. In fact, Amar calls him a ‘Barking Dog, that seldom bites’. Not only this, the duo claim that Pooja Bedi’s affection for Sky has been increasing and go on to say that they look like a couple.

After this, the newest sizzling inmate, Sunny Leone will be called into the confession room to speak about her experience inside the house. She reveals that she is scared to reveal her true identity as it might change the attitude of her fellow contestants and they might build a negative picture of her.

Soon, Siddharth will behave rudely with Pooja Misrra (not again). When she asks him if he has a problem with her captaincy, Siddharth says that he will answer only next week.

Amar, Shonali, Siddharth and Mahek imitate Sky, Juhi and Pooja Bedi. Infact, Mahek will enact the animated conversations Juhi and Pooja Bedi usually have.

The day will end with Pooja Bedi and Sky hugging each other. Pooja tells him they are best buddies while Sky replies back by saying that she is the sweetest person in the house.

Though the contestants of Bigg Boss will find more reasons to entertain the viewers, it would be interesting to see the inmates’ reactions, once Sunny Leone reveals her true identity. If you are wondering what will happen when she does, keep coming back to Tellychakkar.com to find out!!!!

Pyaar Kii Ye Ek Kahaani to take a three month leap

It came as a shocker for many when the buzz that Star One’s popular show Pyaar Kii Ye Ek Kahaani going off air gathered momentum. However, the show is still doing great and has millions of fans across the globe. And now, Pyaar Kii… is all set to take its second leap within a year. The creative team, in order to add more spice to the show, has decided to bring in a leap of three months, wherein Pia (Sukirti Kandpal) and Abhay (Vivian Dsena) will shift to Mumbai from Dehradun for higher studies.

Furthermore, Abhay will propose marriage to Pia and she will say yes. Pia will inform her mom about the proposal. Her mom in turn will inform Pia that Misha (Priya Wal) is getting engaged to Danish.

Tellychakkar.com contacted Sukirti Kandpal aka Pia who said, “There will be a leap but I really can’t comment on it as I haven’t started shooting for the sequence yet.”

A leap and wedding bells! Hopefully, Pyaar Kii ...fans will join in the good times.

Nazea Sayed is happy to make a comeback on TV with Phulwa

Nazea Sayed started her TV career in Zee TV’s show Alladin as Jasmine. But she disappeared from the small screen soon after that. “I left for Dubai after the show as I wanted a break after Alladin. I was also unsure about my acting career,” says Nazea.

She stayed in Dubai for six months and then returned to Mumbai to complete her graduation. After that she dabbled in advertising and finally chose to get back to acting. She is currently playing inspector Aarti Rathore in Colors’ Phulwa.

“Jasmine’s role was that of a 16-year old cute girl but Aarti is a mature lady. She is somebody who will stand for the rights of other women," explains Nazea.

Furthermore, Nazea has been bonding well with everyone on the sets of the show. “Ajay (Chaudhary) and Sargun (Mehta) are real nice people. The day I joined the show they came and introduced themselves to me and asked me about my whereabouts. I feel lucky to have them around as they did not even play any pranks on me," smiles Nazea.

The pretty lady has decided not to take a vacation anytime soon as her last holiday in Dubai led to her return to the small screen getting delayed. And she is happy that she is shooting in Mumbai as she gets to eat ghar ka khaana.

We hope that fans love and appreciate Nazea’s second stint on television.

Mumbai’s Customs targeting Bangkok returning TV actors?

Television industry professionals had better watch out - especially when flying out and in of the country. The eagle eye of the Customs is watching you. Sometime back TV’s czarina Ekta Kapoor was stopped at Mumbai’s Chatrapati Shivaji International Airport and asked to cough up fines and duties for goods she was bringing back from Bangkok.

Earlier this week, the Bangkok Bug struck again. TV’s comedians Swapnil Joshi and VIP were halted by Mumbai’s Customs authorities and frisked. They were each found to have Rs 100,000 in cash on them. An unidentified lady – who was traveling with them - also had cash stashed on her.

Their celebrity status notwithstanding, the Customs officials asked them to pay fines even as they explained that they had no idea about the amount of currency they were allowed to bring back into the country and that the money they had on them was compensation for a performance at a party in Bangkok. Almost 50 per cent of each of their earnings was impounded by the officials. Both were repentant.

However, there is a lesson in this for other TV actors who go down to Bangkok to earn some easy cash. Especially, from star struck fans or event managers who are willing to pay them appearance or performance fees. Ask for the payment to be made into your account. Don't carry large amounts of cash with you, when coming back in. Remember that the Customs have caught on to your game and are keeping a sharp lookout for you.

It’s better to be clean and safe, rather than to be sorry later.

No breaking news of Ash''s baby, skeleton coverage on TV

New Delhi, Nov 16 The news of Aishwarya Rai''s pregnancy and her star-studded baby shower grabbed print and electronic media coverage galore. But thanks to a 10-point directive against excessive coverage on TV of her childbirth, news channels had

New Delhi, Nov 16 The news of Aishwarya Rai's pregnancy and her star-studded baby shower grabbed print and electronic media coverage galore. But thanks to a 10-point directive against excessive coverage on TV of her childbirth, news channels had skeleton coverage when she delivered a baby girl Wednesday.

According to media reports, the Broadcast Editors Association (BEA) had issued a 10-point advisory to its members on how to cover the birth of Amitabh Bachchan's third grandchild, following obsessive speculation about the date of Aishwarya's delivery and the baby's gender.

While some predicted 11.11.11 as the birthday of the Bachchan baby and bookies even placed bets on the date, many believed Ash would give birth to twins.

However, most of these shows and news clippings were curtailed as the advisory was issued earlier this month. The directives saw a direct impact on the amount and nature of media coverage on the television.

Mumbai's Seven Hills Hospital, where Ash delivered her bundle of joy, had tight security outside as well as inside.

The paparazzi was only allowed to set up cameras behind the walls of the seven-star hospital, where Bachchans booked three rooms -- one for Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, the other for the Bachchan family and the third for the Rai family.

Therefore, coverage was bare minimum.

Amitabh had earlier clarified that he had no role to play in banning TV channels from placing reporters and cameras outside the hospital. However, he took to Twitter to applaud media's self-imposed restraint on his celebrity daughter-in-law's pregnancy.

Other events in the Bachchan household, including Abhi-Ash's wedding in April 2007, Aishwarya's Karva Chauth, the announcement of Aishwarya's pregnancy in June, and her baby shower in October, saw almost all news channels blowing information out of proportion and jazzing their programmes to have maximum TRPs.

All aspects of Abhi-Ash's 'low key' wedding were covered. Be it the pre-wedding functions like mehndi and sangeet, to the D-day when Abhishek, went from his house Jalsa, to his other house, Prateeksha, to marry his lady love - all of it was covered frame by frame by electronic news channels.

When the former Miss World observed a Karva Chauth for the first time for Abhishek, secret TV cameras were planted behind bushes to capture the special moment, while for Ash's second Karva Chauth, prying camera spoilt the sanctity of the festival, according to Amitabh.

'The prying electronic media positioned themselves at vantage points to invade private space inside our home. It is callous, abhorrent act. Our privacy was invaded without our consent,' Amitabh had said.

As soon as 69-year-old Big B announced in June that Ash is expecting, it received a lot of national and international coverage. Since Aishwarya Rai Bachchan also announced plans of withdrawing from Madhur Bhandarkar's 'Heroine', the coverage continued to be blown out of proportion.

Following that, whether it was any party or event, Aishwarya's baby bump drew interest among cameramen - but in vain. She made few public appearances, and even if she did, she took care to hide her tummy.

Her baby shower was attended by several female celebrities - and news channels once again parked themselves outside Bachchan house to dig details of the party.

Pictures from Aishwarya's last public appearance before her delivery at a party last week, saw the actress in a black and gold heavy Abu Jani-Sandeep Khosla creation, which very well hid her baby bump. However, her bloated and glowing face were a mark of her mother-to-be status.

Singhanias to live life without luxury in Yeh Rishta...

When Director Kut’s Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai was first aired on Star Plus, TV viewers witnessed the richness and material prosperity of the Singhania family. But in a twist of fate, the family traversed the riches to rags path. Singhanias are facing difficult times and in the upcoming episodes the situation will go from bad to worse. They will shift to a small house which will be as big as a matchbox when compared to the Singhania house.

In the show, after facing financial stringency, the Singhanias moved in unwillingly with the Maheshwaris after Vishambhar (Sanjeev Seth) convinced Daddaji.

However, a source revealed to us that the Singhania family will decide to shift to a new house and begin living life ordinarily devoid of any lavishness. Things will get difficult but Akshara (Hina Khan) – who is currently pregnant in the show – will try to bring a smile to everyone’s lips.

“I have heard about the track but we are yet to shoot it. I can’t really comment much but I hope that my pregnancy will keep everyone happy,” ends Hina Khan.

Well, the wheel of fortune keeps rotating. None can beat it!!!!

Little Ichki impresses Amitabh Bachchan

Sparsh Khanchandani, well known as little Ichcha of Colors’ Uttaran, will surely remember this Children’s Day all her life. Why? The child actor got to work with her idol Amitabh Bachchan recently; when she shot for Kaun Banega Crorepati 5 as an expert and helped the participants (school children from all over India) win the prize money in the Children’s Day special episode. Sparsh was a part of the game show as Rashi, her character in Sony TV's upcoming show Parvarrish – Kuchh Khattee Kuchh Meethi. Apart from her, screenwriter, actor and director Amol Gupte will also be an expert for the episode.

An insider reveals that Sparsh cried on the show. Why? The source says, “Sparsh got emotional, as she narrated how she had unsuccessfully tried to meet Big B three years ago when she was shooting in the vicinity of one his shoots”.

The insider further adds that a small gesture of the little actress impressed the senior Bachchan. After revealing the incident, Sparsh narrated Harivansh Rai Bachchan’s poetry Koshish Karne Walon Ki Haar Nahi Hoti. Our source tells us that once the shoot was over, the actor made it a point to meet Sparsh and hug her, and got her to pose with him for a picture.

Kinshuk Mahajan's hacked Facebook account retrieved

Kinshuk Mahajan has finally found happiness. The actor, who will be a married man soon, got a little worried when his personal account and fan page on popular social networking website Facebook were hacked on 4 November. Not only this, the hacker deactivated both these accounts because of which they might have been deleted with the stipulated period of 10 days.

Kinshuk learnt about this, but couldn’t act upon the problem as his wedding is just around the corner. Luckily, one of his friends came to his rescue and got the problem solved. Now, Kinshuk has his personal account and his fan page back.

“Hi Guys...This account was hacked and I retrieved it with Kinshuk's help. He will soon start using this account,” was the first message that was posted on Kinshuk’s fan page, by his helpful friend. This fan page is named Viren Sood Lovers named after his character in Chand Chupa Badal Mein and has around 1500 fans. This fan page is usually run by his fans, but Kinshuk is one of the administrators and often comments to his fans posts.

The actor flew down to Delhi yesterday, for his wedding on 12 November. When contacted, a busy Kinshuk replied, “Yes, I am happy that my account is back. But, I am really tied up with all the celebration happening here (back home in Delhi).”

Hiten Tejwani to make big-bang entry in Pavitra Rishta

Hiten Tejwani replacingSushant Singh Rajput in Zee TV’s Pavitra Rishta. Sushant later confirmed his exit and told us that he will miss Pavitra Rishta and went on to state that a show’s success depends on its screenplay and storyline, not actors.

Well, Sushant's views might take the pressure of performance off Hiten's shoulders. After all, he has a big mountain to climb in the coming days. “Sushant is a good friend. He has worked hard and made Pavitra Rishta popular. Now, I have to make the show bigger and better. I shall work hard and hope that fans will like my work,” says Hiten.

When Pavitra Rishta producer Balaji Telefilms, approached him to take up the role, instead of being apprehensive on replacing a lead actor, he took it as a challenge and decided to give a nod. And of course, he has a great rapport with Ekta Kapoor. “Yes, the role is interesting and Ekta is a dear friend. Both are important factors which led to my saying yes.”

Interestingly, this is not the first time Hiten is replacing someone in a show. He has a long track record which includes Kasautii Zindagi Kay, Kesar, Kitani Mohabhat Hai and others. Doesn’t he have the fear of being tagged as the replacement king?

“See, I have done different kind of roles. The character should be important, everything else is irrelevant,” shoots back Hiten.

Well, the biggest challenge for Hiten will be to ignite the passionate chemistry between Manav and Archana (Ankita Lokhande). TV viewers went gaga and absolutely loved the warm and cosy moments between Sushant and Ankita, who are also dating each other in real life.

“I will try my best. I have practised with Ankita and things are looking good,” says Hiten.

There is no doubt that Hiten is one of the most talented actors in the TV industry. There is also no doubt that he will woo viewers with his good looks, heavy voice and acting skills. But there are some questions that still loom large. Can he beat Sushant in popularity? Can he do a better job than Sushant?

“We are two different actors. I will work hard and try my best. Rest, only the fans can answer,” answers Hiten diplomatically.

Fair enough, Hiten. But so much has been written about your mode of entry. How will it be?

“Arrey, that is the entire suspense na. Reveal kar diya to sara mazaa khatam. Manav is coming back and viewers are waiting to find out how. But all I can say is that entry dhamakedar (read: big-bang) hogi,” smiles Hiten.

The Karan – from Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi– of Indian TV is currently focusing only on Pavitra Rishta and not planning to take up any other projects soon.

Clearly, that will help him put his best behind this challenge.

Hiten, may your rishta with viewers be as pavitra as Sushant's!

Anurag Sharma finds his soul mate

It looks like it’s the season of romance in the telly world. After Kinshuk Mahajan, actor Anurag Sharma of Pavitra Rishta fame has found the love of his life. The actor is all set to get engaged to Aditi Mittal, who is the owner of an event management company Poison in Nagpur. Anurag and Aditi’s parents brought them together a month ago, and now the lovey-dovey duo has decided to get together for life.

The date of engagement is yet to be fixed, but it will be scheduled sometime early next year. And will it be a chat mangni patt bhya? “Yes, in most probability,” beams Anurag.

Furthermore, Anurag can’t stop praising Aditi. “She is very sweet and it’s her nature that makes her a wonderful person. She cares about me and my family a lot and I like her for that,” says Anurag.

Aditi stays in Nagpur and she keeps coming to Mumbai, Anurag’s current abode, every now and then for business purpose.

“We keep meeting and it’s more of an arranged-cum-love marriage. I am glad that I have found my soul mate,” ends Anurag.

wishes Anurag and Aditi a happy and prosperous life ahead!!!