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Like son, like father

Kapoor…Role model

IF son Shahid rocked the awards function last year, father Pankaj Kapoor is not far behind. The talented actor is back in the news after receiving this year’s National Award for Best Supporting Actor in Maqbool. "It is the biggest recognition an actor can get. I am honoured that my work has been appreciated," says Kapoor who’s been visible on TV only as Mussadilal in Office Office. But now viewers will get to see more of him on the small screen. He recently appeared on the national network in the two-episode telefilm Godaan directed by Gulzar.

"For me it’s always been the role that’s mattered, not the medium," says Kapoor who confirms that talks are on for the lead role in J.D. Majethia’s new serial. Says the versatile actor, " I’ll talk only when things are finalised. Till then, you’ll have to wait for the mystery to solved." Okay Mr. Karamchand we are waiting!

SO what if his dreams of becoming the next Shah Rukh Khan lie in a heap? Cezanne Khan hasn't stopped dreaming. And hope still reigns supreme in his heart. As the popular Anurag of Kasauti Zindigi Kay, Khan has carved a niche for himself on the small screen even though his part in the serial has ended---at least for the time being.

"Everyone’s got to move on. Kasauti Zindigi Kay was a great experience and I'll always cherish it," Says Cezzane graciously. He will be now seen in Sony TV's Hum 2 Hai Na as a rich flirtatious businessman who falls for the charms of Shruti Ulfat

Interestingly he's had no apprehensions about being the second choice after Salil Ankola declined the role at the last moment. "I liked the script and gave it a nod," says Cezzane. Now he’s fervently hoping Hum 2 Hai Na does to him what Baazigar did to Shah Rukh!

SHE was Paro’s best friend in Devdas, did a strong cameo in Lajja and had a meaty role in David Dhawan’s comedy Kyunki Main Jhooth Nahin Bolta. But there is nothing comic about the venom-spitting Payal she plays in Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi.

Meet Jaya Bhattacharya the versatile star who is busy wrapping up her new film Ho Sakta Hai co-starring Victor Banerjee. "I am not going to reveal anything as it will spoil the suspense," says Jaya, raising her trademark eyebrow. Has it been a conscious decision to shun TV ever since she started getting offers from films? No, she says "I am being flooded with offers in tearjerking soaps but I don’t want to do those. I am happy with Kesar and Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi," says Jaya. No tearjerkers?

What other kind of roles does she want to do? "Roles that make people laugh." Surely that’s a joke coming from a lady playing a sinister vamp. Not at all, says Jaya, "I am dead serious about comedies!"

Replacements can sometimes work wonders. Don’t believe it, then ask Sangeeta Ghosh, the lady who’s replaced Jividha in Zameen Se Aasman Tak. Sangeeta is going ga-ga over an incident at Mumbai's Juhu beach where she went with her family.

A young girl came rushing to her, held her hand and told her that it was a dream come true meeting the star of Zameen Se Aasman Tak. " For a moment I was speechless. The serial has worked wonders for me," says Sangeeta.

She fully credits Aruna Irani for giving her the opportunity. In fact, she says she is twice blessed. The director has convinced her to come back to Desh Main Nikala Hoga Chand which established her as a TV star in the first place.

That apart she is doing the central role in another Star Plus serial yet to be titled. Sangeeta sure is a shining example of the adage that loyalty pays. Considering the way people are leaving Balaji serials, Ekta Kapoor should give Sangeeta a blank cheque offer!

Living life kingsize

JOHN Fitzgerald Kennedy lived his life as a race against boredom. He was addicted to danger and enjoyed living life on the edge.

History Channel traces the life of this dynamic man in John F. Kennedy: Personal Story from his birth to his last fatal day and explores the legacy he's left behind. How did one man inspire a nation? How did he instill the kind of sense of pride and confidence the country had never experienced before? The answer to all these was his sharp and inquisitive mind, quick wit and self depreciating sense of humor that won him friends and confidants throughout his life. Don’t miss this inspiring two-part biography on September 8 and 9 at 10 p.m.

IF the name sounds wacky, the serial is wackier and even weird in parts. Main Office Tere Aangan Ki, a weekly sitcom on Sahara Manoranjan, is about an advertising agency owner who shifts office to his home on the advice of an astrologer.

The reactions are something he had not bargained for. The shifting of the office creates an uproar in his life upsetting his hotheaded wife, widowed aunt and retired father. That’s the storyline of the comedy. But comedy seems to be the last thing on the mind of the storywriter as most of the situations fail to extract even a smile and punch lines fall flat. Sit through this sitcom at your own peril!

— NF

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