Ratan Rajput and Usha Nadkarni shake a leg at Prem and Nandini’s wedding in Dil Se Diya Vachan

Guess who danced at the Big fat Wedding of Prem and Nandini — apni Laliya (Ratan Rajput) of Agle Janam Mohe BItiya Hi Kijo and Savita tai (Usha Nadkarni) of Pavitra Rishta.

Going by the latest trend in the television industry, no wedding is complete without our popular actors shaking a leg in it.  So, to grace Prem (Gaurav Khanna) and Nandini’s (Vandana Joshi) wedding in Dil Se Diya Vachan, Usha Nadkarni and Ratan Rajput were called in to make the festivities look a li’l more grand and special. And to everybody’s surprise, not only did the ladies from the two generations bond fabulously on the sets but also picked up the intricate dance steps like a professional.

“Laali has performed on the song ‘Mujhe Saajan Ke Ghar Jana Hai’ from the movie Lajja and despite having no prior rehearsals, she gave an astounding performance in flat 2 hours!  She is undoubtedly one of the best dancers amongst the current crop of actors that we have in the Industry today. Hats off to her professionalism,” said Nandita Mehra, the director of Dil Se Diya Vachan.

“I love dancing and usually tend to get caught up in whatever music is playing” said a smiling Ratan. “It has been so much fun doing this number for Prem and Nandini.”

Also sharing the space with her on the wedding was Usha Nadkarni who performed a Lavni to the track ‘Vajle Ki Bara’ from the movie Natrang along with Jayshree T. It was a total masti time on the sets as the veteran actor gelled well with other actors like Neena Gupta and Jayshree T.  Here’s wishing these celebrations mark a new  and happy beginning for Prem and Nandini.

DIL TOH BACCHA HAI JI: Zarina Wahab is all set to play a child in Yahaan Main Ghar Ghar Kheli

Zarina Wahab is all set to play a very challenging role in Zee TV’s Yahan Main Ghar Ghar Kheli, where she currently plays the role of Pratibha, Karan’s mother who is believed to be dead. The upcoming episodes will see her play a childlike role caused by a head injury while trying to save her daughter in law, Abha, from the wrath of the cruel Mama. Zarinaji will lose her memory and start behaving like a child in the forthcoming episodes.

Zarina Wahab is a seasoned actress with more than three decades of experience in the Film and Television industry and has played several characters with élan. “This is the first time I will be playing the role of a child and that too at this age. Its very challenging for me”, says Zarina Ji.

The character is so essayed that in a very endearing manner and audiences should love her in this role as much as they did Hrithik Roshan in Koi Mil Gaya playing the role of a developmentally disabled boy because the character demanded so. Similarly,  the production team is confident that viewers would accept Zarina Ji in her upcoming avatar. Getting into the skin of a character not befitting one’s age is a Herculean task and Zarina Wahab is putting extra efforts to play this role. She is seen playing like a child during breaks or spending time in front of the mirror making childlike gestures.

While Zarina Wahab will be seen playing the role of a child, on the other hand Abha, Suhasi Dhami will be seen taking care of her mother in law like a mother. Both Suhasi and Zarinaji are actors of repute and this role reversal will help them add another dimension to their acting skills.

Tune in to Yahan Man Ghar Ghar Kheli every Sunday to Thursday at 8:30 pm on Zee TV.

King Gangadhar Rao assassinated on Jhansi Ki Rani

All ardent viewers of Zee TV’s historical saga Jhansi Ki Rani will be a tad disappointed to know that Sameer Dharmadhikari, the handsome actor who plays Raja Gangadhar Rao of Jhansi will end his year-long successful stint on the show in the coming week. No, it’s not a fall-out with the production house or the channel but the plot of the show has progressed to the point where the Raja must die.

Sameer says, “It was a wonderful journey being a part of a historical show focusing on one of history’s most powerful women, a legendary figure who sparked off the Indian Revolution against British Colonialism and the struggle for Indian independence. The death of my character will mark the beginning of an extremely riveting battle between the Rani and the British. The show is slated to have a grand climax in the coming months. I am glad to have played the pivotal role of King Gangadhar Rao and will cherish every memory associated with the show.”

Despaired by the death of his innocent child, King Gangadhar Rao of Jhansi has been seen as a heartbroken man lately. In recent episodes of the show, his spirit to fight the oppressive British rulers has been crushed. His quest for azaadi (freedom) has taken a backseat as he fails to come to terms with his personal tragedy. Even as the queen holds on strong and motivates him to keep the struggle for freedom going, King Gangadhar Rao is assassinated in a brutal manner that is bound to curdle your blood. Catch all of Jhansi reeling under this monumental loss on Zee TV’s Jhansi Ki Rani at 8 PM this coming week.

Kunika Lal replaces Sudha Chandran in Sangini!!!

Kunika Lal steps into Sudha Chandran’s shoe in Zee TV’s Sanjog Se Bani Sangini

When word got around that renowned dancer Sudha Chandran was joining the cast of Zee TV’s Sanjog Se Bani Sangini and that too in a role of the lead protagonist’s granny with absolutely no make-up for the first time on television, her look and character was applauded by media. Three months down the line and with the show being a primetime hit at the 10 pm time slot, Sudha has been unceremoniously dumped from the show.

Sudha Chandran

The buzz from the sets is that the lady herself has been displaying some very unlady like behaviour on the sets and driving all around up the wall. A little birdie tells us that she has been known to take off on trips out of town after confirming to the team that she will be on the sets… upsetting the entire shoot planned for the day. Just last week, the shoot was brought to a complete standstill when the team discovered that Sudha had not landed up on the sets and had instead gone to Thiruvananthapuram without giving the team any prior intimation of her departure. Apparently having signed a reality show in the South, Sudha’s tantrums have only increased.

Kunika Lal

“Sudha had been creating havoc on the sets with her highly irresponsible behavior and unprofessional attitude. You certainly do not expect a senior artiste to behave in such a way and we are tired of having to deal with it hence it’s been decided to replace her. If she doesn’t respect the sanctity of the contract that she has signed, then we certainly do not want to continue having her on the show. After giving us a confirmation for shooting with us for five days, she will only turn up for a day and that too for less than two hours. The content cannot be compromised due to this unprofessional behavior and we will get someone else immediately,” said a source from the sets who did not wish to be named.

And added, “Sudha has been very indecisive and despite umpteen requests to adhere to dates given she had become an ace in playing truant. We are not shooting with her after today. We were in talks with a lot of other actresses like Bindu, Shoma Anand, Pratima Kazmi, Sheeba Chadda, etc but there was some or the other problem with them. Finally we have zeroed on Kunika Lal. She is a wonderful actress and was very excited about the role.”

Diwali special Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Singing Superstar on Zee TV

Date & Time: November 5 at 800pm

When the rest of India is in a festive mood and Diwali celebrations are in full swing, how can we not celebrate Diwali on the sets of Zee TV’s Hero Honda Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Singing Superstar. Diwali was celebrated with naach-gaana, lighting diyas, making rangolis, bursting crackers and dhamaal music. Sets looked very beautiful with colors strewn around with flowers and decorations and everyone was sporting the broad festive smile. The show started with the contestants, mentors and anchor singing and wishing viewers ‘Happy Diwali’. Sajid-Wajid donned the hat of ‘Diwali Santa’. They brought gifts for all the contestants and Sajid Bhai went a step further and paid extra attention to his attire. He was dressed in crisp white dhoti and kurta with all different variety of crackers embroidered in the front and HAPPY DIWALI written in bold on the back. On his innovative kurta, Sajid Bhai said, “Bas maachis jalane ki der hai, I will take off like a rocket”.

Shekhar gave another reason for the girls to ogle at their TV screens. He looked dapper dressed in a green sherwani and Vishal Dadlani kept aside his rock star image for the day and came dressed in traditional Diwali attire. Well the interesting point is that this is for the first time anyone has ever seen Vishal wearing anything apart from round neck tees and jeans. Not only this but Vishal also got home cooked delicacies and sweets for everyone. He said, “The contestants who are not from Mumbai crave for homemade food all the time and I thought this will be an apt Diwali gift for them.”

Every performance was rocking and reflected the spirit of festivity. Watch the Diwali special episode on Zee TV’s Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Singing Superstar,  November 5 at 800pm.

Akshay and Ash celebrate Diwali with Zee TV

‘Action Replayy Dhinchak Diwali’ at 9.30pm on Nov. 6

Zee TV’s Diwali Extravaganza has a ‘Retro’ twist this year! Bringing in the festival of lights with a three-hour bounty of non-stop, pure and unadulterated, complete family entertainment at 9.30pm on Saturday, November 6 2010, Zee TV presents ‘Action Replayy Dhinchak Diwali’ — a star-studded evening with crackling performances by the cast of the forthcoming film Action Replayy and a bevy of Zee TV’s own stars. With Aishwarya Rai, Akshay Kumar and Neha Dhupia setting the stage afire, this one’s going to be a ‘Zor Ka Jhatka’ you don’t wanna miss. After all, it’s not very often that Ash shakes a leg for a television show!

And it just gets bigger and better from here! With a very hip ‘retro’ theme, the evening will have all your favourite Zee TV actors dressed up in retro-chic, dancing to all-time favourite chartbusters. So you’ll have Sushant Rajput and Ankita Lokhande bringing alive Amitabh-Rekha’s Silsila magic with Ye Kahan Aa Gaye Hum, and the dancing stars of DID reviving the 80’s Disco fever with superhits like I am a Disco Dancer, Om Shanti Om and Saara Zamana. And that’s not all … the bonanza of dance continues with spectacular acts by Binny Sharma, Jay Bhanushali, Sayantani Ghosh and Jasveer Kaur and many more of your favourite stars. Adding a soulful musical touch to the proceedings will be the finalists of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Singing Superstar! The evening will be peppered with humour by witty hosts Manish Paul, Rajpal Yadav, Shruti Seth and Ranvijay Singh.

With a show packed with such kick-ass performances coming up at 9.30pm on Saturday, November 6 2010, it’s time to put a red cross against the date on your calendar and stay glued to the tube!