TV SNIPPETS BY JYOTHI VENKATESH
Amrita Prakash says working with Vivian has been one of the most fun experiences
Amrita Prakash started her career as a four-year-old, with advertising. Her first TVC was for a local footwear company in Kerala. After which, over the course of her childhood she did over 50 commercials for prominent brands including Rasna, Ruffles Lays, Glucon D, Dabur etc. The actor says, “I feel really blessed because this country has watched me grow up. They have seen me right from when I was a chubby 4-year-old, to a gawky teenager to now, an adult. I feel extremely grateful every time I see “Then to Now” posts and articles about me.
I feel really blessed to have had the opportunity to have my entire journey traced by the audiences, who have been kind enough to not just accept me but to love me through all my years. And now, the reactions I get as an adult, are more than just comments on my looks- they are usually, ‘Oh my God! we have seen you as a teenager.’.The actor was last seen in ‘Shakti – Astitva Ke Ehsaas Ki’ and says that she loved her role. “My character in ‘Shakti’ was called Jasleen, who is Harman’s childhood best friend, who moved to Canada 20 years ago. The beauty of this character was her unconditional love for Harman. Amrita loved working with actor Vivian Dsena as well as the rest of the cast and crew. “Shakti’ was a little different. In ‘Shakti’, I feel very warmly about each one and shared a different equation and bond with every cast member.
It is always difficult for a new character to enter a show that has been running for so long as the cast is usually quite close and has their own equations with each other. But the cast of ‘Shakti’ was so welcoming to me. I had to put in no effort to break the ice with any of them,” she says, adding, “ Working with Vivian has been one of the most fun experiences. In him, I have most certainly found a very good friend that I intend to keep. He is an absolute brat with me and doesn’t consider me a female co-star, instead treats me like his younger brother and plays pranks and troubling me”.
Girl In City actress Mithila Palkar likes old school romance
Mithila Palkar, well-known for playing Meera Seghal in Bindass Originals’ Girl In The City is back with its third season.Though on-screen Mithila’s character (Meera) represents modern day relationship in real life she is a person who likes old school romance. Asking her about the same she says, “Meera’s and Mithila’s idea of romance are completely different. While, Meera is okay going on dates but Mithila is not like that. When it comes to me as Mithila, I am very old school in romance. I am letter writing, flower gifting type of a person.”Ask Mithila what advice she has for all the Girls In The City, she says, “I just want to say, Dream On, Be Brave and believe in yourself. Just do what you want to.”Girl In The City will also bring together urban millennium favourites Rajat Barmecha, Mithila Palkar and Swati Vatssa. The trio is surely going to lit all your moods with their stellar performances and camaraderie.Watch Girl In The City every Friday at 7 pm on all Bindass Original’s platforms .
Rajendra Chawla never imagined he would be an actor
Zindagi Ke Crossroads that airs on Sony Entertainment Television is set to showcase relatable life-altering stories, inspired from the drama of life. Promising to be an emotional rollercoaster ride of insights and opinions, Zindagi Ke Crossroads is hosted by Ram Kapoor, produced by Shabina Khan and written by Mahadev. The show presents a new narrative in every episode and the Crossroads faced by the protagonists is open for discussion to a unique set of studio audiences. With an interesting and never seen before format on weekday primetime, one can only expect to experience the best.One such intriguing story is on the topic of ‘Munshiji’ where the versatile actor Rajendra Chawla will be seen donning the character of Munshiji.
The story revolves around the honesty of the man who doesn’t want to do any bad to anyone and always believes in himself. It’s a poignant and emotional tale which will not just encourage the audience to share their views but will also delve into the “Whys” of their decision making so as to bring alive the melting pot of opinions in the audience for the narratives showcased. Rajendra Chawla shared, “The time I got a call from the production house for the role I was very happy. My character in the show is that of a very honest and a simple man. I kept my father in my mind while preparing for my role as he is my idol and inspiration. The crossroad of my life was choosing between the film and television industry and the interesting part is, I was from a business background and I never imagined myself as an actor. I used to stay away from reading and when my family members forced me get settled, that’s when I pushed myself and got into acting with my father’s help.” Tune in to Zindagi Ke Crossroads every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 8:30PM only on Sony Entertainment Television!
Divyanka Tripathi to be a grandmother on screen!
Star Plus’ popular daily Yeh Hai Mohabbatein has seen the entry of a much-awaited character: Roshni and Adi’s child. While the entire Bhalla family is celebrating their happy days ahead, it’s a fresh start for the protagonist Divyanka Tripathi.Television’s most celebrated actress Divyanka Tripathi, who is seen as Ishita Bhalla, wife of Raman Bhalla (Karan Patel) in the show, will now be seen as a grandmother on the show. While the show has taken multiple leaps over the course of period and recently celebrated the completion of 1500 glorious episodes, Divyanka has entered a new phase of acting, beyond just motherhood.Finally, happy days are ahead for the Bhalla family. Raman (Karan Patel) and Ishita (Divyanka Tripathi) have become grandparents. Roshni recently delivered Adi’s child, and everyone is quite happy about it. Even the animosity between Raman and Ishita end with the newborn’s arrival.Watch Divyanka Tripathi as Ishita on Ye Hai Mohabbatein, Monday to Friday, 10.30 PM on StarPlus.
Lekshmi Jayan’s Stuns the Judges on Indian Idol 10
Sony TV’s singing reality show Indian Idol 10 is all set to showcase some great singing of our nation. Popularly known to give extravagant talent to the country, the show is all set to raise the bar yet again with not only remarkable talent but awe-inspiring stories. One of the few platforms known to recognize and encourage young budding singers is off to a great start with the selection of the best young singers across the country.The audition phase that witnessed some astonishing singers from every corner startled the judges with their melodious voices. While some received great indebtedness, some were guided for improvement.
Out of the lot were a few talents who not only received great appreciation but managed to make a special place in the hearts of the judges. One such talent was a Lekshmi Jayan from Kerala, who not only amazed the audience and judges with her musical voice but astounded them with her dual – male and female voice on the song ‘Ooh La La’. Lekshmi’s performance was so impressive that she received a standing ovation from judge Neha Kakkar. Lekshmi says,” It’s a great feeling to be applauded for your talent especially by such renowned judges. It was an overwhelming feeling when Neha Mam, Anup Malik Sir and Vishal Dadlani applauded for me and gave me such great comments. It’s a dream come true and I am excited and let’s see what future has in store for us”.Watch Indian Idol every Saturday and Sunday, 8PM only on Sony Entertainment television!
American Idol – Season 16 now on ZEE5
American Idol – the reality TV show that changed television viewing forever is all set to make its debut on ZEE5, India’s largest and most comprehensive digital entertainment platform for language content. The show is available for binge-watching for all you die-hard fans.You can once again revel in the success of Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Carrie Underwood, David Cook and all other winners of the past 15 seasons. And the latest season hosted by Emmy® Award-winning host and producer Ryan Seacrest, the heart and soul of the show, will be available too.The show that debuted in 2002, American Idol held the distinct rank of being the highest-rated series for a decade.
The popular show, viewed by a worldwide audience of over 460 million across 53 countries, will be a delight for the Indian viewers to binge watch on.With superstar judges – Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie, the much-awaited 8th season of American Idol has brought fresh talent and some amazing artists forth to sweep the audience by their feet. American Idol has brought to the fore a sea of talent in the past. The 2018 season came to a close with Iowa-born Maddie Poppe being announced the winner. Manish Aggarwal, Chief Marketing Officer, ZEE5 India said, “American Idol is one of the highest watched music competition series. The show introduced many firsts for us a generation – a talent show that placed the power of choice in the listener’s hand. It also introduced the concept of text and mobile voting, forming a different kind of engagement with the audience. It was also the first show that placed the spotlight squarely on talented musicians in the country pushing music into the national eye. Bringing the show, as part of our marquee offerings that have music videos, international shows from BBC, Hollywood. Movies etc, is an aspect that is a crucial part of brand promise.” ZEE5 has an exciting original content line-up which will feature some of the biggest and most entertaining faces from the world of Indian entertainment. The platform will have 90+ original shows by the end of March 2019.
The role of Amrita is challenging in all way : Snigdha A Akolkar
Snigdha A Akolkar is back in action and this time with a web show Zakhmi produced by Vikram Bhatt. It will stream from 10 July on VB on the Web and Jio Cinema. The series is directed by Arbaaz Ali Moghul. Speaking on her look Snigdha says,”I have never portrayed a character like this on screen and also the look is something which I have never tried. I have a rich sophisticated Indian look, wearing a lot of wide range of sarees along with designer blouses. I will be sporting various lipstick shades along with a open hairdo. Amrita – my character is a corporate honcho who is shrewd but people are not aware of her other side. She is strong-headed and extremely powerful and can move things easily with her mighty power. There are dialogues in the show which I had great difficulties to perform as in real life am just the opposite. But I went with director’s vision as I am a director’s actress, while doing the character of Amrita I was not influenced by anyone. I approached the role completely from my angle. The role of Amrita is challenging in all way.” Snigdha‘s role is somehow on the line of Sridevi’s character in Laadla, powerful and shrewd who can do anything to fulfil her purpose.
Directing a film is my dream : Raashi Bawa
Raashi Bawa from Sanjay and Binaiferr Kohli’s Jijaji Chhat Par Hai is only 19 years old and she is already creating waves with her debut show. Raashi who is born and brought up in Mumbai always wanted to be a director. She says,”When I was two and a half years old i have acted in a telefilm titled Boond by Vivek Agnihotri. I was always fascinated with movies and its technicality. So after my school I went to Edinburg, Scotland and studied technical theatre in Fife college for two years. There I have learnt a lot from production to projection to many technical things. I was only 16 years old then and I went alone and had a great time over there.” So what was your’s parents reaction when they got to know about your future plans? “They were always very supportive and encouraging.
My dad Naveen Bawa is a senior actor in the industry and fortunately he is also playing the character of Daroga Pinky in my debut show. My mother runs an academy, so there was always an acceptance.” Raashi says,”One day casually I went to meet my dad on the set of FIR and there I also met director Shashank Bali. After that I was asked to participate in an audition and next thing I come to know is that I have been selected for Sunita’s role in the show. For me this is a fantastic experience and doing comedy is the toughest thing. It takes a lot to make people smile.To me it’s a matter of achievement to work with my father Naveen Bawa who is there for so many years now. It feels great to be in the same show where he is playing an important role.