The comeback
lady
BELIEVE it or not she first made
waves on the small screen over 12 years ago in Buniyaad.
And much like the soaps lead actress Anita Kanwar,
Natasha Sinha too disappeared. And like Anita she too
re-surfaced with some ordinary films like Anand Aur
Anand and more which shed like to forget.
Now Natasha Sinhas back with a bang
on the small screen. With Zanjeerein having
propped up her sagging prospects she is in the thick of
things doing lead roles in Viraasat and Cinemascope.
"It was a mistake
leaving the small screen," says Natasha, a Dev Anand
discovery who played the lead opposite Suniel Anand in Anand
Aur Anand. When the film flopped, she turned back to
TV only to realise that she had lost her standing there
as well.
What followed were
run-of-the-mill offers in serials like Kashmakash
and Devi Chaudharani. But she struck out and then Zanjeerein
happened which changed her life. Now, there no looking
back for Natasha who has more roles than she can handle.
For
goodness sake!
In todays reckless
times the story may have little relevance. But qualities
like honesty, hard work and integrity are universal
truths which have stood the test of times.
Sweekar Hai Mujhe is based
on these issues which an upright woman confronts in her
life. The serial coming shortly on DD Metro is an
absorbing tussle between the forces of good and evil. It
is about Vidhu, a young lady brought up in an environment
of morality and traditions who marries Prashant, a
college lecturer. Soon Vidhu discovers that Prashant is
the anti-thesis of all she has come to learn in life. She
finds out that he has stolen a students Ph.D of one
of his students and put his name on it and got a degree.
The shattered student committed suicide.
Vidhu is devastated that
she starts despising her husband. Thats when she
meets a young and dynamic architect who shares her high
moral values and its love at first sight.
Will she succeed in
ridding herself of Prashant and starting a new life all
over again? For the answer watch Sweekar Hai Mujhe coming
soon on DDMetro. The end is bound to surprise you.
Quite
an eyeful
Hers is the face and figure which
cameras love. And so do viewers.Watch Paloma on DD2 in Saturday
Journal or DD1 as anchor of Our Guest and you
know this lady is going places.
More than her small
screen presence, it is her voice which producers are
hankering after. She has done the title song for Anupam
Khers Saath Saath and Surf Dhamaka.
Shes done singing shows with Bali Brahmbhatt.
And now Paloma
has recently released her first album, simply titled
Paloma. But theres nothing simple about it. It has
foot-stomping numbers like Sardi Mein and Music
Is For Fun. And its video sure is already
making viewers lusting for.
Touching
a familiar chord
Mention Zee and a wide
smile appears on the face of small screen producer
Gulshan Sachdeva. Thats because he has recently
taken his popular serial Zanjeerein over to Zee
from DD for an undisclosed sum which, according to
industry grapevine, has been a megabuck deal.
And the money has been
worth it for Zee. Zanjeerein has zoomed up the
charts and put Zee on top of the charts as far as
northern viewership is concerned. Thats because the
104-episode serial has a backdrop of Punjab and revolves
around a family unit which includes Hindus and Sikhs.
Its the story of
family patriarch (Alok Nath) who refuses to sell a prime
property because it was his uncles last wish to
build a gurdwara on it. But Alok Nath keeps his
uncles wish a secret and this leads to
complications with the family coming to the verge of a
break-up. But in the end the bonds prove stronger than
the plot of land.
The story woven around
situations very familiar to many Punjabi families has
touched a chord in the heart of viewers. This has been
the underlying secret of the phenomenal success of Zenjeerein.
Open-minded
viewing
Its a show which
attempts to answer questions that people dont know
whom to ask. Sony Entertainment Television presents Open
House which is not a talk show or a celebrity chat
show, its about issues that matter and the people
affected by those issues. In fact, the few celebrities
who do appear are invited only because they are best
qualified to speak out on a certain issue.
Some of the issues that
the show deals with are: Is the regional quota system in
the selection of Indian cricket players preventing India
from putting its best team together? What can we do to
prevent another Jayabala Ashar incident? Is adultery in
TV soaps encouraging infidelity in real life?
The show also has one
regular feature that appears in every single episode
the very first Agony Uncle Mahesh Bhatt.
Well-known for his outspoken opinion and eventful
personal and professional life, Bhatt clarifies that he
is no expert or guru but promises the viewers something
that isnt easily available in these oversensitive,
politically correct times an open mind!
The
nine lives of Cher
At 52, Cher has clocked
the biggest hit of her life. Her latest album Believe
is the worlds number one chartbuster and is
steaming up the MTV and Channel V and has made her into a
superstar all over again.
But theres more to this
modern-day Cleopatra with a silver white skin,
dense black permed hair, ebony eyes and a presence which
takes the breath away. Shes has won the Oscar for
the best actress and has also hosted Americas most
successful TV show.
Many years ago Cher had
audiences bent over with mirth in her TV chat show The
Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour. Now she is planning yet
another comedy show for television in which she will
spoof top personalities like Bill Clinton and Pamela
Anderson.
And knowing the
potential of this amazing lady, major television studies
are already lining up grab the nights of her new show.
Surely, for Cher, one good turn deserves another.
Mukesh Khosla
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