Television
Salaam Salim

He is 13 and says he only knows how to act. And ever since The Little Terrorist — in which he plays the protagonist—became the first Indian short film to be nominated for the Academy Award, he has been basking in newfound glory.

And though the film may have missed the Oscar, Salim, who grew up in a slum in Delhi’s Jehangirpuri, seems set for a career on the fringes of film and TV stardom.

Interestingly, The Little Terrorist is not Salim’s first foray into the glamworld. He’s starred in TV serials like Khullam Khulla and Kahani Jurm Ki after the Salaam Balak Trust — an NGO for street children set up by Mira Nair—took him under its wing.

After the publicity of the film, Salim is being offered TV serials and films which he’s signing on happily.

He also has a starring role in The Forest, a film by Ashvin Kumar who gave him his break in The Little Terrorist.

It remains to be seen whether Salim can convert this Little chance into a big acting opportunity.

It was tom-tommed as one of the top primetime serials to be aired on Star Plus. But barely a few weeks on air and Kkavyanjali is already courting trouble. Balaji has replaced Rakshak, the male lead of the show, with Eijaz Khan.

Insiders say one of the main reasons for Rakshak’s exit was his inability to cope with the role. He is said to have sometimes needed as many as 25 retakes to get a shot right, frustrating the production team and completely upsetting the serial’s budget. Rakshak’s marching orders came when he was on a 10 day "break". Balaji has issued a damage control statement saying that Rakshak was not being replaced because of any bad acting but because they couldn’t afford to give him a 10-day off.

But all’s not over for Rakshak who will be replacing Eijaz Khan in Kasautii Zindagi Kay, the star who is replacing him in Kkavyanjali. A convenient face-saver for all.

He was born in the slums of Odense in Denmark. His father was a poor shoemaker and his mother a washerwoman. Because of his poverty he received little education. Yet, Hans Christian Anderson became one of the greatest storytellers the world has ever seen.

Hallmark celebrates the 200th anniversary of one of the greatest authors the world has ever seen with a premiere cartoon series Hans Christian Andersen — The Fairytaler Saturdays, 9 p.m.

The series features some of Anderson’s best know fairy tales, including The Emperor’s New Clothes, The Little Mermaid, The Ugly Duckling, Thumbelina and more.

Anderson’s timeless fairy tales deal with the good and evil, love and hatred, joy and sorrow. Amusing, never outdated and always relevant they enable kids, and parents, to reach a better understanding of themselves and the world around them. Don’t miss these rivetting stories that have brought joy to people for two centuries. — NF

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