Farhan Akhtar to host a reality show

The ‘Rock On’ star, Farhan Akhtar is back on television, and this time the producer-director turned actor is not on the panel of judges, but will be hosting a reality show on a relatively new channel.

A person close to Farhan Akhtar on terms of anonymity said, “He is doing a reality show, produced by Endemol. When the production house came to him with the offer as host of the reality show, he liked the concept and accepted it.”

He is yet to sign the contract on the dotted lines. “The concept of the show is not just about dance and singing, but is something very unique. The proceedings for the show are in its initial stages though”, adds our source.

The shoot of the same will start by the end of this month. Well for the viewers, it’s a treat to see their favorite star rocking the TV screen again.

Watch this space for more news on this upcoming untitled reality show!

TIMES NOW brings the Battle in Beijing to your living rooms!!

Ten thousand, five hundred athletes. Three hundred and two events in twenty eight sports, twenty one thousand eight hundred and eighty one torchbearers; All moving towards the same dream of making their country proud at the world’s largest sporting event: the Olympics. This year, TIMES NOW has introduced several initiatives to capture the spirit of the 29th Olympiad.

One of the key initiatives taken by TIMES NOW is to launch a focused show hosted by Charu Sharma on the 2008 Olympics – ‘GoldFest’. Expressing his enthusiasm, Charu Sharma said, “The Olympics is the mecca of all sport, and as a sports buff I couldn’t have asked for anything more. TIMES NOW’s initiative for comprehensive coverage of the Olympics ensures that Beijing Games receive the attention and prominence they deserve. Along with that, the analysis by our experts help in giving an all round perspective.”

The show reflects the nail biting excitement that surrounds the sporting event with reports from the venue,analysis by guests like former athletics star Ashwani Nachappa and world renowned shooter Morad Ali Khan, interviews with the Indian contingents, Olympics trivia, moments of the day and lots more. The show also offers the viewers a chance to exhibit their enthusiasm by participating in various quizzes and contest related to the current and past Olympiad Games. ‘Goldfest’ kicks off on August 7 and will be aired every night at 10:30 pm till the end of the Olympics, August 24.

Speaking on the unique initiative to provide comprehensive coverage of the Olympics, Arnab Goswami, Editor-in-Chief, TIMES NOW said, “As a channel, we have always given precedence to an event that impacts our audiences, irrespective of whether it is being held in India or elsewhere. The 2008 Olympics is a benchmark in history and with a prominent Indian presence at the games this year, TIMES NOW viewers have an opportunity to catch all the action from Beijing.”

TIMES NOW will also host an Olympics special in its comprehensive sports show ‘The Game’ with Boria Majumdar and incorporate regular updates on the Olympics as a part of their daily news bulletins to keep the viewers constantly updated about the latest happenings. Commenting on his involvement with TIMES NOW, Boria Majumdar said, “Olympics is the biggest spectacle in the world and I am really excited that it is taking place in Asia after such a long time. I truly appreciate TIMES NOW’s initiative for giving attention to a significant global event in a country that has focused entirely on cricket.”

So Tune into TIMES NOW to catch all the news, action and excitement of the 2008 Olympics.

TIMES NOW announces the launch of 'No Full Stops'

Have you ever felt the need to relax your mind but didn’t know how? Have you ever looked for ways to stay fit but didn’t know where to start? Hold on! ‘No Full Stops’, a new wellness show by TIMES NOW is the answer to all your questions. In the fast paced world of today, every person is under pressure to perform better. At this juncture, we require simpler ways to access happiness and satisfaction in life. ‘No Full Stops!’ is the right medium which gives us solutions on how to cope with everyday stress. It helps one live life in a better way by enjoying good health through different forms like dance, games, yoga, martial arts and others.

With an energetic and refreshingly charming anchor, Teejay Sidhu doing the honours, the show couldn’t be better. The anchor, who is a graduate from the University of British Columbia doesn’t drink or smoke and gets her relaxation from meditation and praying. The show adds a new dimension to the life of an urbane viewer. This show is also for people, who want to live a positive lifestyle, by adopting health tips and insights to experience a feel good factor in them. Many feel intimidated, to go to a spa or a gym or they don’t have the time to go, this show is the right place for them.

The show ‘No Full Stops!’ Is a 13 - part series, one- stop show on wellness for the young, busy and the bored. The show is meant for everyone, who wishes to break away from the monotony of life and indulge in pampering oneself through ‘accessible wellness, something which everyone can incorporate in the daily humdrum of existence. People would halt, sit back and feel this is a show finally, which would cater to their interest level and urge them to feel better about themselves. Arnab Goswami, Editor – in chief, TIMES NOW says,’Wellness is not just a state of mind today, but contemporary India wants to know more about it. ‘No Full Stops’ is just a step towards that. The show will arm the people with tips to achieve wellness amongst the not so good situation in todays life’ The show emphasizes and takes one through ways of de-stressing oneself, balancing ones physical, mental and spiritual needs and areas that are integral to looking after oneself. The viewer here have their choice, can identify a wellbeing issue and find a range of solutions given to it.

Every episode of the show, ‘No Full Stops!’ delves into something diverse and fresh. Episode 1 takes one through the world of dance which could do wonders to unwind and relax the mind and body. It also gives tips on how a little bit of fun could go a long way in adding spunk to ones mundane routine. The show promises to be youthful and full of energy.

The show thus gives a holistic approach to physical, mental and spiritual wellness. Every episode aims to bring a difference in people’s life. So tune into TIMES NOW, to give your life a new twist and get a weekly dose of health tips and insights to make a real difference in your life. The show will be shown on Saturdays at 7.30 PM and on Sunday at 12.30 and 6.30 PM..

Rohit Roy's latest love on Zee Next..

Zee Next’s revamping of shows starts off with a new show from Rohit and Mansi Joshi Roy’s production house Magic Works’. The show titled Rang – The Colours of Love is a love story with the usual twists and turns in the storyline in which the three female leads, Chhavi Mittal, Karishma Randhawa and Manasvi, vying for one male. Ketki and Rasik Dave will be seen together in the serial playing one set of parents. The show goes on air from mid-June occupying the prime time slot, though the time has not been confirmed yet.

Magic Works' which has produced many a non-fiction shows like SRGMP L'il Champs debuts in fiction with Rang. When contacted, Rohit Roy confirmed the news saying, “Mansi and I did not want to do the usual run of the mill saas bahu sagas. We wanted to try our hand at something different, hence decided to come up with a show like Rang. Rang is a youth centric show and will appeal a lot to the younger generation. The three girls we have chosen for the main leads, Chhavi, Karishma and Manasvi are very apt for the characters they play. The story has a touch of humor to it.” When questioned about who will be playing the main lead, Rohit was reticent to reveal anything as he says, “Right now I do not want to divulge the name of the male lead. Personally, he is my favorite actor and in time I will definitely
reveal his name to the audience.”

We also got in touch with Chhavi Mittal, one of the protagonists of the show, who substantiated the news giving us an insight to the character she plays saying, “Rang is a very interesting and different show. It is a romantic comedy. My character’s name in the show is Trisha. She is a very intelligent, serious, responsible yet sensitive girl.”

A well-placed source reveals to us that the cool dude playing the male protagonist is the bad boy Shaleen Bhanot. When contacted, Shaleen affirmed the news saying, “I play the main lead in Rang. He has just returned from the US and his family is an orthodox family. The show is a romantic comedy and is all about how I adapt to the culture and how each girl tries to prove herself and woo me into getting married.”

Reporter: Melanie, Srividya Rajesh, Ranjini Nair Author: Melanie

Iira Soni in Zee Next's Yahan Ke Hum Sikandar..

Replacements seem to be all over the place on television. After the biggies right from Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhie Bahu Thi to Kasamh Se to the small minions like Bhabhi and Teen Bahuraniyaan, Zee Next’s Yahan Ke Hum Sikandar now joins the bandwagon.

Iira Soni, the petite actress who replaced Amrita Khanverkar as Roma in Bhabhi, will be seen replacing Freisha Boman, who plays Smriti in Yahan Ke Hum Sikander. Smriti was an out and out negative character who was always up to something against Raima, till she learnt that the latter was her biological sister. With the revelation of this truth, Smriti undergoes a character change and turns positive.

Speaking to Telly Buzz about stepping into Freisha’s shoes as Smriti to play the parallel lead in the serial, Iira says, “Smriti is a very strong personality who knows how to fight for her rights. She now realizes that Raima's parents are her parents and she goes and confronts them. Smriti has been brought up by a family elsewhere till now. She will now stand for her pregnant sister and help her out and try her best to make her life better, as she knows she is responsible for what happened to Raima.”

Winners of Global Indian T.V Honours

The verdict is out…The Oscars of Indian television 'The Global TV Honours' announced their winners in a grand ceremony held yesterday at the Andheri Sport Complex. A galaxy of stars from Bollywood and Indian television industry walked the red carpet for this Indian Oscars of television. The awards presented by Balaji Telefilms will be telecast on 9X.

The battles were close in practically every category, but at the end, when the dust settled, this is how the picture looked:

In the Special Honours category

1. Aditya Narayan was recognized for his performance in Saregamapa Challenge 2007 as the Fresh New Face- Male
2. Divyanka Tripathi's performance in the show Banu Mai Tera Dulhan fetched her Fresh New face –Female award.
3. B.R Chopra was honored with Lifetime achievement award while Kareena Kapoor and Karan Johar was proud recipients of Global Achievement Award.

In the Programming Honours

1. Comedy Circus proved to be the most popular reality show Best Reality category
2. KBC 3^rd season was adjudged Best Game Show Quiz
3. Jahalak Dikhla Ja 1^st season won the Best Music Dance Show
4. Music Arts and Dance was awarded the Best Children's Programme

In the Popular Honours category

1. Karan Johar picked up the trophy for the Best Anchor for Chat show category.
2. Vikram Gokhle won the Best Actor in a Negative Role
3. Deven Bhojani was awarded Best Actor in a Comic Role
4. Ali Asgar won the Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Kahani Ghar Ghar ki.

In the technical Honours category

1. Anurag Basu's Love Story won the Best DOP (Fiction) and Indian Idol 3 was awarded Best DOP (Non –Fiction)
2. Left Right Left took the honour for Best Title Track
3. Amberdhara won for Best Costume, Dialogue and Screenplay.

And that's not all; the performances were stunning as well. The night was filled with excitement as Ronit Roy set the stage on fire with his opening act. Dancing with the Brazilian troupe on Hindi numbers like 'Hare Krishna Hare Ram' 'Welcome'. Tushar Kapoor, Shabbir Ahluwalia, Rohit Roy kept the excitement going with their 'Bad Boy' Act on Ganpat remix.

The famous mundas of television Eijaz Khan, Karan Patel, Jay Bhanushali, Sharad Malhotra tried to woo the soni kudi Lara Dutta in a fun-filled act that provided the viewers with the perfect balance of Bollywood and Television.

A very special treat- for the very first time the platform was shared by the winners of both Jhalak Dikhla Ja and Nach Baliye - Prachi Desai & Deepak and Sanjeeda & Aamir Ali.

Ace director Karan Johar shared the stage with the famous on screen couples Hiten & Gauri, Saurabh & Shriti Jha, Sayanti Ghosh & Manav Gohil and Karan Singh & Shilpa Anand. The act paid tribute to the ace creations by the director.

The icing on the cake was the stupendous performance by none other than the Bollywood ka Baadshah Shah Rukh Khan. His first ever performance for a television awards show mesmerized audiences with his reminiscent fauji look. Choreographed by Ganesh Hegde this was a tribute to the television industry and all the leading ladies of television who have created an identity for themselves through their characters they portrayed. The act introduced each member of his Chak De team - Navneet Nishan, Neena Gupta, Smriti Irani, Gautami Kapoor, Sakshi Tanwar, Rajshree Thakur, Mona Singh, Anita, Prachi Desai and Divyanka Tripathi.

The Global Television Honours were presented in a star–studded ceremony where Kareena Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan, Tusshar Kapoor , Amrita Arora and host of Television personalities attended the event attended the event

Catch all the glitz, glamour and excitement when the spectacular ceremony will telecast only on 9X

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A Recap of 2007 Television

Even a decade ago, no one could have thought of writing an annual sum-up article on the television industry, which was limited to a Doordarshan and the odd Zee TV and Star World. Not only was acting in television industry considered to be the last resort of a wannabe star, but also like an old-age home for ageing, almost-retired stars.

Today not only are reams of newsprint used to let everyone know about the goings-on in the industry, you even have television production companies listed on the bourses. The year 2007 only contributed to making the position of the television industry stronger in India. New channels were launched, senior executives were poached from competitor channels and innumerable makeovers and transformations happened.

Here's a recap of what happened in the big world of the small screen.

The Return of Reality Shows:

If there was one phenomenon that marked the television world in India in 2007, it was the return of the reality shows with a bang. 2006 saw a steady decline in the interest in reality shows, main reason being the winners getting lost in the crowds. Though the Big Boss drama did manage to generate some interest, it was not enough to overtake the serials.

That is what Sa Re Ga Ma Pa managed to do in 2007. So much was the interest generated in this reality show that the audience preferred watching it over Kyun Ki…a serial that has been on top of the TRP charts for the last six years! But what was different in this year's shows that helped it overcome 'epics' like Kyun Ki? Nothing - except the fact that there was an overdose of them. If Zee had Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, Star came up with Voice of India, not to forget Indian Idol from Sony, which meant, even if you wanted to watch something else, you had little option but to lend your attention to these shows. Plus, there is also no denying the fact that the quality of singing improved amongst the contestants, thereby leading to more interest.

Last, but definitely not the least, the cell phone companies and other sponsors also let loose their purse strings to ensure enough publicity and media hype over the contestants. With the Chhote Ustaads also in play now, very soon you will see parents wanting their kids to become singers akin to the craze of becoming cricketers today!

The unnatural death of serials:

Not every year sees so many mega serials being launched on television. The first half of 2007 saw a plethora of serials being launched, only to be taken off air within a few months. In an age when any serial worth its salt completes 1000 episodes, a run for a few months is nothing short of a mega-flop.

Take Kulvadhu for instance. Launched amidst a lot of hype and hoopla and armed with biggies like Milind Gunanji, Kitu Gidwani, Kulvadhu was Anuj Saxena's (Maverik Productions) first television venture. But it died an unnatural death due to low TRPs. Same was the story for Rishton Ki Dor, Kabhi To Nazar Milao, Durgesh Nandini, Aisa Desh Hain Mera, Resham Dankh, Twinkle Beauty Parlour, Jeete Hain Jiske Liye – all of them launched with an army of promotional salvos, but failed when it came to standing the test of time. A weak script was the culprit in most of the cases. The Indian television audience, it seems, is tired of the run-of-the-mill family dramas and want something different.

Guess it's time television producers, like their Bollywood counterparts, need to get more creative and think out better storylines. They need to look at a Naya Office Office or Baa, Bahoo Aur Baby to hit the bulls eye.

New channels on the block:

If you thought, the traffic jam on air was limited to metropolitan airports, think again! The satellite situation is no better. And a large part of the blame can be attributed to the geometric progression at which television channels are growing.

The year 2007 saw channels like 9x, Bindaas, Zee Next and NDTV Imagine as the big ticket launches. While the general entertainment channel 9X (promoted by ex-STAR head honcho Peter Mukherjea's wife Indrani Mukherjea) is the latest kid to hit the block, all the others are specialized channels with a niche market. With so many channels aiming at various niche markets, one wonders whether the consolidation movement going on in the other industries (airlines, pharma etc) will start raising its head here as well. The year also saw many head honchos of television channels changing sides for greener prospects. Balaji creative whizkid Sandeep Sickand left Ekta Kapoor to join Sony, only to quit after few months. Sameer Nair, COO of Star TV India put in his papers to move on to greener pastures. Ditto for Peter Mukherjea, the man responsible for the stupendous success of Star channels in the subcontinent.

Mega Makevers:

What was unimaginable for the last six years happened in 2007 – the iconic Tulsi (played by Smriti Irani) changed! After a thorough search, and equally rampant rumours, Gautami Gadgil (better known as Ram Kapoor's wife till recently) replaced Smriti, who (officially!) went on a break only to form her own production house and act in newer serials. While, Kyunki's popularity did not nose-dive, it did come down from the numero uno position it was retaining for more than half a decade.

If this was not enough, Balaji also replaced Cezanne Khan (as Anurag Basu) in its prime time serial Kasauti Zindagi Ki with Balaji loyal and Kyun Ki star Hiten Tejwani. With Hiten's popularity as Karan skyrocketing every day, acceptance in his new role was much smoother than Gautami Gadgil's. Kasauti also saw another replacement in the form of Vikas Sethi, replacing Manoj Bohra, who shot to fame with his role of Prem in the same serial.

But why suddenly so many changes in the cast? And why are people like Smriti Irani and Manoj Bohra who were comfortable in their roles and have cemented their positions opt to move ahead? Reasons vary from fights with producers to the quest for making it bigger. While Irani quit Kyunki due to a combination of both factors, Bohra quit purely because of a tiff with the producer. Ditto for Cezzanne Khan, who had infamous on and off set fights with Shweta Tiwari (Prerna).

Shows which are doing well in recent times are Chhoona Hai Aasmaan, Dill Mil Gayye, Mere Apne and ofcourse the reality shows. So what are we looking forward to in the year to come? More competition to Balaji, definitely, now that Smriti Irani's production house is providing serials to the newly-launched 9X. Also, with NDTV's foray into the entertainment world, Star and Times would be facing more competition. But whatever happens, the winner in all cases is the viewer!

Shraddha Nigam is back on the small screen

Best known for her role in Choodiyan, Shraddha Nigam is back on the small screen. She's playing one of the leads in Zee Next's series: Pyar Ishq aur Mohabbat. "Kiya is a girl whose life revolves around her sister, Sanaa, a Bollywood actress," says Nigam.

The twist is that Nigam falls for her sister's boyfriend, Angad, played by Sachin Sharma.

The actress is currently working on two films but refuses to divulge details. Will she quit the tube if she strikes gold in films? "I will. It would be difficult to handle both," she says.