The woman who would be queen

WHAT do Shah Rukh Khan, Alok Nath and Ashish Vidyarthi have in common? They all used TV as a stepping stone to films. Now hold your breath. Here’s a star who has rejected a dream offer from Bollywood to act in a serial.

Meet Gauri Pradhan the Noor Jahan of Noor Jahan. When she was offered the role of the powerful Mughal empress it was a dream come true. "Being a history student I’ve been fascinated by the women who’ve ruled India. I couldn’t believe my luck when I was approached to play Noor Jahan", says the wide-eyed Gauri.

But what happened next would have spun the head of any other aspiring actress. Gauri is said to have been approached by Yash Chopra (Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge) to be the main lead opposite his son, Uday who is making his debut in Mohabbatein.

But jaws are said to have dropped when Gauri reportedly declined the offer saying that the dates Yash Chopra wanted clashed with those she had committed to Cinevista for Noor Jahan. The coveted role has now gone to Shamia, younger sister of Shilpa Shetty.

Call it principles, call it fair play but Bollywood folklore has it that no one has ever spurned a yash Chopra offer. But as far as Gauri goes the heart must have its reasons the mind never understands.

Hitting the high notes

When it first premiered on the small screen, many said that it was nothing but a TV version of B.R. Chopra’s early eighties hit Nikaah.

But Heena on Sony Entertainment Television has defied all odds. The serial about a simple Muslim girl whose dreams of a fairytale marriage are shattered, has hit an all-time high of 17.1 (source TAM Peoplemeter, Mumbai).

The channel has registered a steep rise in viewership ever since it started a series on Raj Kapoor, Showman of the Millennium. Alongwith with this excellently produced show, the ratings of other serials too have gone up.

The moral of the story: A hit show pushes up the ratings of all other programmes.

Mind over body

Can a healthy state of mind make for a healthy body? Yes, says the new programme on DD-I Body, Mind and Soul. In fact, the soul is the third component in a person’s overall healing.

The programme is divided into three segments — how stress, hypertension and alcoholism effect health. The second deals with the latest research in health technology and the third is about staying healthy through nutrition, exercise, meditation and yoga.

Medical experts are now realising the power of the mind over the body. A healthy mind can actually do wonders for a sick body just as a ‘sick’ mind can trigger off negative physical disorders.

So, if you want to stay healthy the right way, watch Body Mind and Soul, and find out the subtle linkages between the three.

It’s your turn

Don’t like a certain serial? Want to say hi to your favourite TV star? Get ready. It’s response time at Star Plus. The channel has started an imaginative new show Viewpoint a kind of a television version of the letters to the editor column in a newspaper.

Hosted by Mahesh Thakur (Hudd Kar Di and Tu Tu Main Main), the interactive show is all about queries, complaints, opinions, suggestions, brickbats and bouquets.

Presented in a light-hearted manner, Viewpoint entertains viewers with amusing tales and anecdotes from the channel’s happy and unhappy viewers. So, tune in and share your Viewpoint every Sunday at 5.00 p.m. The channel is listening.

Science of the wild

Throughout the world, scientists, activists and biologists are dedicating their lives to studying some of the world’s rarest and most fascinating species. Through their years of observation, they have come to understand and care for their animal of interest better than anyone else in the world.

Champions of the wild on Animal Planet combines the fascination of exotic natural history with compelling human-interest stories. From the pandas of China and the mountain gorillas of Africa, to the polar bears of the Arctic, witness amazing animal behaviour and experience the passion, adventure and discoveries of dedicated individuals working to save these animals.

Watch this fascinating series from Monday to Friday at 7 p.m. It deals with endangered animals of all kinds in October. The main focus being orangutan, swift foxes, Bengal tigers and kaolas.

— Mukesh Khosla