Kila Raipur (Ludhiana), February 1, 2013: Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting (IC), Manish Tewari has said the ban on film titled `Vishawroopam’ by Tamil Nadu Government was not appropriate.

Interacting with the media persons here on Friday, he added once any movie is cleared by the Censer Board duly constituted by the Central Government no other agency can ban the movie suo-motto.

The Minister said keeping the view the sensitivity and interests of film makers and producers, I&B Ministry has decided to setup a Committee to review the provisions of the existing Cinematography Act.

Tewari said that composition of the Committee and its terms of reference would be declared soon.

He had visited here on the second day of Kila Raipur Sports Festival where he was accorded warm welcome.

If you were surprised with the entry of Akshay Dogra playing the family’s car driver Akash with shades of grey in Zee TV’s Punarvivaah, you are in for some more surprises as the story sees many more dramatic twists and turns with two new characters being introduced in the coming week. Actors Heena Parmar and Dolly Minhas are all set to join the cast and brew trouble in Yash (Gurmeet Chaudhary) and Aarti’s (Kratika Sengar) lives.
In the upcoming track of the show, Yash will find himself being forced to divorce Aarti and marry another woman to save l’il Ansh. Heena Parmar will step in to play the character of Ishita, the handicapped girl whom Yash is forced to marry. Who from within the family has the dark agenda of separating Yash and Aarti and is conniving and contriving to get them divorced? What is their ulterior motive behind getting Yash married to Ishita? Only time will tell!
In the middle of all this madness, the audience will be stumped to see the entry of Dolly Minhaas as driver Aakash’s mother with a tall claim that it isn’t Yash but Aakash who is the true heir to the Scindia family’s riches!

“I am delighted to be cast as Ishita in Punarvivaah … it’s a pleasure to work with talented, established actors like Gurmeet Chaudhary and Kratika sengar on a leading channel like Zee TV. My role, though that of a handicapped girl, will emerge to have shades of grey eventually. It’s a challenge I am looking forward to.”

"Yes, I play a somewhat negative role on the show, but to call my character a villain would be pushing the truth. I believe that my character is only fulfilling her duties as a mother and does what she does out of love for her son. She doesn't see the repercussions of her actions on the rest of the world; but I've heard that being a mother does give you tunnel vision to an extent. I can't wait to see how my character develops onscreen and am looking forward to this new role!" Said Dolly Minhas.
Will Yash divorce Aarti and get married to Ishita? And what motive does Aakash's mother have for showing up out of the blue? There is certainly more to the story than the eye can see. To know what it is exactly, tune in to Punarvivaah every Monday to Friday at 10:30 PM, only on Zee TV.

“Playing the roles of Zara and Indira is getting a li’l stressful!” –Rati Pandey

Rati Pandeyis smiling ear to ear these days with the ratings of Hitler Didi on the upswing. Over a year after the show went on air, the actress who plays the lead in Zee TV’s Hitler Didi, feels thankful for the opportunity to play a double role on the show. Rati feels that playing the roles of Zara and Indira has been a tremendous learning experience. In fact, she was even overheard saying that it was a bit like leading two lives that were polar opposites of each other!

Says Rati, “The journey has been amazing no doubt. I have learnt so much and had the opportunity to grow with both roles, but the double role of Zara and Indira is becoming a bit taxing now. The whole team is working really hard as we have been shooting non-stop with no episode banks. Since Zara and Indira are present in every scene, I need to change my get-ups very frequently and this increases the work load. The combination scenes of Zara and Indira are again very difficult to handle since I basically have to do the same scene twice.”

Remind Rati that her hard work has paid off and that people have loved her in both the avatars, Rati immediately adds, “I have never understood the viewers’ point of view. Whenever I have thought the ratings would fall, the TRPs actually went up and vice versa. And for me, the best phase is not when the ratings come in; it actually depends on many other factors. I feel the initial days of Hitler Didi and the phase soon after the leap where Zara was introduced were the best phases of Hitler Didi.”

(photo-caption: Indira)

In the coming week, viewers will see Rishi’s world fall apart when Zara announces that Indira is dead. She convinces Rishi to return with her to Mumbai as he doesn’t have anything left for him in the city after Indira’s death. But will Rishi give up all hope of seeing Indira and move to Mumbai with Zara after deserting the Sharma family? To know what happens in Rishi and Zara’s life, watch Hitler Didi every Monday to Friday at 8.30 PM only on Zee TV.

Ludhiana, February 6, 2013: King of Punjabi music Gippy Grewal alongwith the cast and crew of Singh Vs. Kaur visited GGN Institute of Management and Technology (GGNIMT), Civil Lines, Ludhiana  for the promotion of their latest flick.

The event witnessed a huge crowd of more than 500 students from all the wings of Gujranwala Guru Nanak Institutes.

Gippy Grewal enthralled the audience with his rocking performances on foot tapping numbers.

The audience could not stop hooting and whistling on the sight of their hero dancing on the stage.

Gursharan S. Narula, General Secretary ,Gujranwala Khalsa Educational Council  (GKEC), Harsharan Singh Narula, Secretary, GKEC, Dr. S. P Singh, Former VC, GNDU, Principal Dr. Gurdev Singh, Principal Dr. P. S Khattra and Coordinator Gunwant Singh Dua were also present on the occasion. They greeted the entire cast with taken of love and gratitude.

Gippy said he initially he wanted to become an actor but he could not become so considering that the overall scenario of the Punjabi films was not good at that time. However, the situation has changed now and credit for the same goes to Harbhajan Mann, noted Punjabi singer, actor and producer.

Further, Gippy said the director of Singh Vs. Kaur was a South Indian. This was a good sign for the Punjabi film industry, as now South Indians too have started taking interest in it.

Gippy Grewal said he would also be acting with Bollywood Actor Akshay Kumar’s Punjabi film in the near future. He said at the time of opening of World Kabaddi Cup at Bathinda had announced to make a Punjabi film.

(photo-caption: Amarpal Singh APS student of B.Com II year try to shake hand with Gippy Grewal. City Air News photo: AJAY)

This weekend Zee TV presents a Valentine toast to all lovebirds

The season of romance is here and Zee TV is all set to treat its viewers with two romance filled episodes on this Saturday and Sunday i.e. (9th and 10th  of February). Titled ‘Dil Dhamaal Dhoka’ and ‘Ishqwala Love’, the Valentine’s Day special episodes will have all the Zee TV hunks and diva’s perform on various love themes. Viewers will see Rithwik Dhanjani and Asha Negi (Arjun & Purvi of Pavitra Rishta) enact the epic romance of iconic Bollywood celebs like Guru Dutt & Madhubala, Raj Kapoor & Nargis and Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha.  Divyam (Ansh of Punarvivaah) and Shruti Visht (Indu of Hitler Didi) will depict the innocent love between two kids. Mahima Makwana (Rachna of Sapne Suhane Ladakpan Ke) & Ankit Sarang (Soham of Pavitra Rishta) will portray the mushy love between two adolescents. Shakti Arora & Asha Negi (Onir & Purvi of Pavitra Rishta) will elaborate the sensuous and layered love between a married couple. The mature and unconditional love between two old people will be portrayed by Chetan Pandit and Zaida Parveen (Sooraj Pratap & Gayatri of Punarvivaah) whereas the funny bone of love will be explored by Himani Shivpuri & Rishabh Sinha (Sunaina of Housewife and Ayaan of Qubool Hai) and Rajiv Varma, Neha Laxmi Iyer and Mrinalini Tyagi (Mr. Kaushik of Mrs. Kaushik ki Paanch Bahuein, Najma of Qubool Hai & Teju of Pavitra Rishta). One will also see Suhasi Dhami & Annirudh Dave (Sona & Kanhaiya of Housewife) do a desi sensuous act to bring forth the flavor of rural romance.  Apart from the above, there will be a special act by superstar Vivek Oberoi and Neha Sharma who will be dancing on the tracks of their upcoming movie Jayantabhai ki Love story.  Ratan Rajput and Kapil Sharma will team up to tickle the funny bone of the viewers with a standup comedy act. Iqbal Khan will be playing a pivotal role in this special episode and will add to the charm of Valentine with his incredible good looks and chivalrous demeanor.

Here’s a peek into what your favorite actors did behind the scenes:

Vivek Oberoi & Neha Sharma- Without bringing any Bollywood star tantrums to the sets, Vivek Oberoi turned out to be extremely chilled out and co-operative on the sets. He did an act with his co-star Neha Sharma to promote his upcoming movie, Jayantabhai ki Love story. Apparently on the first day, the shoot had to be stalled for an unavoidable reason and one feared that they’ll not get Vivek’s dates for the shoot again. But to everybody’s surprise, they found Vivek extremely accommodating. He made himself readily available the next day for the shoot and also convinced his co-star Neha Sharma who had already committed her date to some other assignment to do the same.

Rithvik Dhanjani & Asha Negi–Rithwik Dhanjani was over the moon when he got to know that he’ll get a chance to impersonate Guru Dutt, Raj Kapoor and Amitabh Bachchan on screen. Same was the case with Asha. Both the actors took time out to watch the old videos featuring these actors in the songs ‘chaudhvi ka chaand’, ‘pyaar hua iqraar hua’ and ‘dekha ek khwab toh ye silsile hue’ so that they could replicate the same magic onscreen and take the viewers down the memory lane.

Suhasi Dhami & Aniruddh Dave– Both Suhasi and Anirudh were paired up to do raunchy numbers on tracks like ‘sarkaileyo khatiya’ and ‘Angana mein baba’. Where one thought that Suhasi will be edgy and uneasy to do such a sensuous act…it was surprisingly Annirudh who got cold feet while doing the performance.  Suhasi was the one who calmed him down and gave him tips to carry out the act with élan without being conscious.

Gurmeet & Kratika– Kratika apparently was under tremendous pressure to perform with Gurmeet because he is an excellent dancer. One hears that even while getting ready and putting her make-up on, Kratika had her eyes fixed on her Ipad where she played her rehearsal clips in loop so that she could keep up with Gurmeet. Gurmeet’s compliment to her on her lovely outfit made her very happy and they displayed a fabulous onscreen chemistry with Kratika putting her best foot forward.

Mahima & Ankit –It was their first meeting and Mahima Makwana and Ankit Sarang hit it off the moment they met. The crew spotted them chatting away to glory and getting very comfortable in each other’s company. Both not only gave an excellent performance but also exchanged numbers and BB pins at the end of the day! The Valentine spirit was surely in the air!

Ratan & Kapil - Both did a spoof in this special episode. The moment Ratan saw Kapil, she apparently begged him not to make any fun of her engagement that had recently broken up. But Kapil being the prankster he is, teased her saying, “But that’s on top of my list..you and your Swayamvar.. .” After much sweet-talking by Ratan, he did relent to her wishes but did not spare her entirely. Ratan being the feisty girl she is, took it in right spirit and played along with Kapil!!!

Rishabh Sinha & Himani Shivpuri– Rishabh had a ball romancing Himani Shivpuri. As he is full of mischief in real life, he didn’t have any problems teasing Himani Shivpuri onscreen. Some even said Himani ji blushed like a young girl while doing the act.

Rajiv Varma, Neha Laxmi Iyyer and Mrinalini Tyagi- When an actor suddenly decided to drop out of the shoot at the n-th hour, the crew was in a soup and started looking for her replacement to pair up with Rajiv Varma (Mr. Kaushik) for one of the acts of the event. Fortunately or unfortunately both Neha (Najma) and Mrinalini (Teju) landed up on the sets at the same time to fill in the vacant shoes. The crew could not say ‘no’ to either and decided to pair up both of them with Mr. Kaushik. Post the shoot, after being thoroughly teased by two young girls, Mr. Kaushik surely returned home as a happy man!

(Ratan and Kapil)

(Suhasi and Anirudh)

(Asha and Rithvik)

(Kratika Gurmeet)

(Mahima and Ankit)

(For all this masti, magic and more don’t miss the Valentine’s Day Dhamaal with ‘Dil Dhamaal Dhoka’ on Saturday, 9 February and ‘Ishqwala Love’ on Sunday, 10 February, from 8 pm to 10:30 pm only on Zee TV!)

The University Film Club, Aligarh Muslim University, was established by some enthusiastic faculty members back in 1974 with the aim to promote the cinematic culture among the students of AMU and to encourage a milieu where 'poetry in motion' becomes one of the great sources for their aesthetic and academic excellence. From Kanan Devi to Naseeruddin Shah, K A Abbas to Javed Akhtar, Shakil Badauni to Kaifi Azmi, and last but not the least, Anubhav Sinha and Ajay Jhingran, the list of AMU alumni, who left their mark in the film fraternity in terms of direction, screenplay, lyrics, music etc is endless. The club does not bask in the glory of the past but University Film Club also always strives to motivate the students towards the creative world of films by organising film festivals, workshops, lecture series and other various programmes.
Continuing the tradition, the 6th edition of the Filmsaaz (6th Filmsaaz-2013)- an international film festival of short stories and documentaries, which is organised by University Film Club, Aligarh Muslim University every year starting 2008, would be held from 3-5th March, 2013 at the Kennedy auditorium of the Aligarh Muslim University.
The entries for the said film festival must reach on or before 24th February, 2013 alongwith the registration form and other necessary kit.
For registration form, rules and regulations, visit the website of the University Film Club (http://filmclub.amu.ac.in)

Bollywood’s ace singer Mika Singh gifted a diamond studded ‘Khanda’, a religious symbol of Sikhism, made of gold to singing legend Asha Bhosle recently.

“Feeling so good that Asha Bhosle Ji is wearing a diamond andn gold ‘khanda’ which is gifted by me,” Mika tweeted.

It is not the first time when Mika has shown this kind of affectionate generosity, earlier too he gifted Shah Rukh Khan a diamond ring few months ago at an award function.

In return Shah Rukh presented a Playstation gaming console to Mika, who is a die-hard video gaming fan.

'Badalte Rishton Ki Dastaan’

Popular movie actor Vijay Raaz has been roped in as the sutradhar for ZEE TV’s upcoming big ticket family saga ‘Badalte Rishton Ki Dastaan’. The scrawny actor who has played endearing characters like Dubeyji ofMonsoon Wedding, Raghu in Raghu Romeo, Dabloo in Yuva, the poker faced underworld don in Delhi Belly and many more will be seen promoting a TV soap for the very first time. Said the actor,“I had an amazing time shooting for the promos of the show. The teaser campaign is very interesting and is very different from what one usually sees on television. The concept of the show is very captivating and I hope I’m able to build the required intrigue amongst the viewers through the promos.”

‘Daastan’ as the show will be popularly called is about two strong women who will unite to fight a highly exploitative and extremely rigid patriarchal system in their household. It will aim to cater to viewers who seek to watch non-clichéd plots replete with dollops of twists and turns! The show is slated to come on Zee TV sometime next month.

The 11-week non-fiction series premieres on February 23, airs Sat-Having celebrated the singing and dancing talents of the masses and made heroes out of India’s common man, Zee TV is all set to provide a national platform for India’s acting talent! A pioneer at introducing unique, homegrown non-fiction formats like ‘Sa Re Ga Ma Pa’ and ‘Dance India Dance’ that have captured the pulse of the audience, Zee TV announces a brand-new reality show with a differentiated concept. Aptly titled ‘India’s Best Dramebaaz’, the talent hunt show will put children in the age range of 5-12 years through a series of tasks and challenges that will groom them as actors and test their creativity, spontaneity and acting capabilities.

With the resounding success of both the seasons of ‘DID L’il Masters’ and ‘Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L’il Champs’ - two immensely popular reality talent hunt show formats centered around kids,  Zee TV, is undoubtedly the ruler of this genre of shows. Zee TV has proven time and again that it understands children like no one else does! The kids talent hunt show, ‘India’s Best Dramebaaz’, does naturally hold a lot of promise!

The show will be hosted by the vivacious and beautiful Ragini Khanna and the charming Rithvik Dhanjani. To judge the kids on their histrionic skills, the channel has roped in popular actors Vivek Oberoi, Sonali Bendre and the much celebrated film-maker Anurag Basu. Fans of the ‘Saathiya’ heartthrob will be delighted to know that the show marks Vivek’s debut on television and the actor is very excited about the same.

Over three months ago, Zee TV began its countrywide search for the 18 brightest, spunkiest, the most mischievous and talented kids from across the country. Zee TV’s talent scouts have conducted auditions in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Nagpur, Patna, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Indore, Lucknow, Ranchi and Dehradun and the short-listed contestants are currently undergoing comprehensive workshops on honing their talent.

About making his debut on television, Vivek said, “Over the years, I’ve received many offers to work on television but it had to be a show that I connected with. Besides, I’ve recently turned Papa and it’s the ideal time for me to be surrounded by mischievous kids. It’ll give me a good heads up on what’s coming my way!” He added, My role on the show is more like that of a big brother to the kids who will guide them. Had there been such wonderful avenues for acting when I was a kid, I’d have surely participated!” 

About taking on the judge’s mantle, Sonali added, “The show concept is unique and Zee has always been a frontrunner in reality shows. It’s my first time on Zee TV and the show presents a win-win situation for me … I just love kids. I’m glad that ‘India’s Best Dramebaaz’ provides an atmosphere that puts children at ease, allows them to come into their own and be themselves. The kind of talent we have seen so far is overwhelming … they’re such cute kids and they talk so much especially when they speak about their parents… their innocence is adorable and will appeal to absolutely everybody!”

So what is it that the judges are looking for? Anurag said, “The format is new and a first on Indian television. I have worked with Zee TV before, so it is difficult for me to turn down their offer. I am selfish as I only do things from where I can take something back. With ‘India’s Best Dramebaaz’, I am getting an opportunity to interact with so many talented children. We are not saying that we will create future superstars here. Our main objective will be to bring out the spontaneity of the kids where they will perform without being conscious. That is why apart from watching their performances, I am spending time with them personally to understand their creativity. I think naughty, mischievous kids will do better in this space! As a director, I will look into the technical aspects of every act and guide the contestants in that regard.”

Ajay Bhalwankar, Head – Content (Hindi GECs), ZEEL said, “With ‘India’s Best Dramebaaz’, Zee TV is yet again introducing an all-new format in the non-fiction genre. Acting is something each one of us engages in, perhaps, without even realizing it. We all go through life portraying a variety of roles we are called upon to play. Children, without a doubt, are the most natural actors as they are simply not conscious of themselves. In this show, the judges, hosts and the creative team have created an atmosphere that is most conducive for the kids to completely come out of their shells, bloom and act effortlessly, delivering one heart-warming performance after another. I’m sure the audience will just fall in love with the kids!”

Zee TV’s marketing campaign for the show that focuses on the endearing innocence of children is bound to tug at the audience’s heartstrings. ‘India’s Best Dramebaaz’ is a 13-week reality series that will air every Saturday-Sunday at 9 PM on Zee TV, starting February 23. The show is produced by Esselvision, the in-house production arm of the Essel Group.

Judges Profiles:

Anurag Basu:His association with Zee dates back to the year 2000 when he directed ‘Koshish Ek Asha’, a show that made it to the top of the heap on Zee TV’s primetime. His stint as a director on television was quickly followed by an illustrious career as a film director as his work got noticed in the right quarters. He hit a home run and made headlines with the sensational thriller ‘Murder’ in 2004. His work in films like ‘Gangster’ and ‘Life in a Metro’ displayed his deftness and maturity as a director. His latest film ‘Barfi’ has struck a golden balance between scoring critical acclaim and raking in a powerful 100 crore collection at the box office. Friends, without a doubt, he’s clearly the man of the moment and he is all set to make his debut as a judge on a reality show on television.

Sonali Bendre:Her radiant beauty and poise made her a supermodel at the very beginning of her career. She wowed the audience in her first film and walked away with the Most Promising Newcomer award across a number of award shows in 1994. Ever since, there has been no looking back for this stunning diva as she charmed millions of fans with her winsome smile and believable performances across blockbusters like ‘Sarfarosh’, ‘Duplicate’, ‘Zakhm’, ‘Diljale’ and ‘Hum Saath Saath Hain’. Her riveting performance in the Marathi film ‘Anahat’ got her wide critical acclaim and popular awards too. Her forays on television have been met with an overwhelming response from her fans who cannot seem to get enough of her.

Vivek Oberoi:Our third and final judge is a film heartthrob making his debut on television. His hard hitting performance in his initial films like ‘Company’, ‘Road’ and ‘Dum’ fetched him every Promising Newcomer award. But it was ‘Saathiya’ that made him every Indian girl’s dream boy overnight. His villainous turn in Shootout at Lokhandwala fetched him a deluge of awards. He packed in punch after punch with bravura performances across films like ‘Masti’, ‘Yuva’, ‘Kisna’ and ‘Rakht Charitra’. Vishal Bharadwaj’s ‘Omkara’ saw him in his element as an actor and his performance drew rave reviews. Today he’s all set to make his mark on the small screen.

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WORKSHOP ON KHARIF CROPS concludes at PAU

Ludhiana, February 14, 2013: Elaborated discussions on agricultural engineering, economics of Kharif crops, and package of practices for pulses, maize, sugarcane, and forage and millets, were held on the concluding day of the two-day “Research and Extension Specialists’ Workshop for Kharif Crops,” organised by the Directorate of Extension Education of the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU).

The farm experts deliberated on various crop varieties, and their insect-pest and disease management.

The Chief Agriculture Officers, while passing on their feedback, highlighted that there is a growing demand for PAU recommended sunflower hybrid, “PSH 996.”

Chairing the technical session on “Pulses, Maize, Forage and Millets,” Dr S.S. Gosal, Director of Research, emphasised on promoting the use of bio-fertilizers for improving the soil health and augmenting the soil fertility in the Punjab state.

He said that the priority area in agricultural research is the development of water saving technologies by keeping in view the alarming situation of depleting underground water table in the state. Dr Gosal divulged that the University is also conducting research on the breeding, agronomy, plant protection and processing of Chukandar, in addition to focusing on other crops like soybean, guar, spring maize, and arhar.

The Chairperson of the technical session, “Sugarcane, Agricultural Engineering, and Economics,” Dr M.S. Gill, Director of Extension Education, expressed concern over the poor quality of water in south-western parts of Punjab and called upon the agri-experts to advice the farmers to sow the crops using less water.  He stressed that there is an immediate need to diversify the farms because of groundwater depletion. The prime focus of PAU is on precision farming and intercropping in sugarcane and maize, said Dr Gill, while urging the State Department of Agriculture to take maximum benefit of trainings, organized by the University, in farm machinery and other agriculture aspects.

The two sessions were coordinated by Dr H.S. Bajwa, Senior Extension Specialist and Dr T.S. Riar, Associate Professor of Extension Education, PAU.  Earlier, the participants visited the experimental areas of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Soils, Agronomy, and Farm Machinery and Power Engineering. 

They say you can stifle the truth but not kill it! So what happens when a sinister sordid past comes lurking around to mess around with your peaceful present???  A show that has been loved by viewers and climbing up the TRP charts steadily, Zee TV’s ‘QUBOOL HAI’ will soon present a major turning point wherein  a wretched, spine chilling past will change the course of the entire story and the lives of its characters Asad, Ayaan, Zoya and Rashid.

 “Gudiya Factory ki Saazish” will unveil a murky past which was buried behind the walls for 17 years and is now threatening to endanger the families of Ayaan and Asad.  A run down burnt doll factory will suddenly turn out to be a skeleton in the cupboard waiting to come out in the open and expose the faces of the evil doers. If the current storyline is anything to go by, the gripping revelation will be nothing less than nail biting thriller which will leave the viewers begging for more. The viewers will now get to know why Rashid is the way he is. They will learn why he left his first wife Dilshaad and kids Asad and Najma? Why he does not raise his voice against Mamu & Mumani and succumb to their pressures all the time?

The show boasts of a powerhouse cast consisting of the very talented and charismatic Karan Singh Grover (Asad Ahmed Khan) in the lead role and newcomers Surbhi Jyoti ( Zoya Farooqi) in the female lead and Rishabh Sinha ( Ayaan Khan) in the parallel lead.  They are accompanied by a host of eminent character artists like Shalini Kapoor (Dilshad Khan), Vaquar Shaikh (Rashid Khan), Tej Sapru (Mamujaan) and Alka Kaushal (Mumani). The truth behind the “Gudiya Factory ki Saazish”   track will be revealed on 18^th February, Monday at 9:30 PM.

Said Karan Singh Grover who plays the character of Asad Ahmed Khan, “This is a major highpoint in the show where a lot of unanswered questions will be answered. The lives and the future of all the characters will be embroiled in this turn of events and it will finally connect the dots in the minds of the viewers. At the crux of all this drama, a seemingly innocuous looking doll will hold the key to the past. Kudos to Zee TV, our brilliant producer Gul Khan and the writers for scripting such an interesting twist in the story with just a doll (Gudiya). Really hope our audiences do not miss a single episode and follow the story closely to see the reason why our lives have turned out the way it is!”

So what is this big conspiracy that created a rift between Asad and Ayaan’s families forever? Why is Rashid held like a hostage by Mamu and Mumani? What happened in the Gudiya Factory seventeen years ago that turned Rashid and Dilshaad’s lives upside down forever? To get to the root of all this and more, stay tuned to Zee TV’s ‘Qubool Hai’. The revelation will happen in the week starting 18^th Feb 2013 and surely blow your mind away!

(Catch the revelation of the ‘Gudiya Factory ki Saazish’ in Qubool Hai on Monday 18^th Feb, 9:30 PM only on ZEE TV!)

It’s time for team Sapne Suhane Ladakpan Ke to raise a toast on steadily gaining eyeballs and becoming the NO.1 show in the Hindi GEC space in Week 6 ‘2013. The show has left all other shows behind and achieved a remarkable 4.3 TVR this week. Sapne Suhane Ladakpan Ke is a story which revolves around two adolescent girls, Gunjan and Rachna and their dreams and aspirations in small town Benaras. The show airs every Monday to Friday at 7:30 PM on Zee TV and is currently focusing on sibling rivalry and youth oriented issues like competition, envy, triumph, failure, manipulation and heartbreak. Gunjan has also recently been voted as the Top 5 fiction characters on Indian television to achieve the highest growth by OrmaxMedia.

Ajay Bhawankar, ZEEL - Content Head (Hindi GECs) said, “I congratulate the cast and crew of ‘Sapne Suhane Ladakpan Ke for this consistent and outstanding achievement. We were the slot leaders but this has helped it become the leading serial also in the GEC space this week.  We are thankful that the viewers are appreciating our content and will ensure that this universal topic of teenage issues continues to entertain them in the time to come.”

Neelima Bajpayi, the producer of the show said, “Other than the track one can probably attribute the success of the show to the kind of values and principles that Gunjan and Rachna stand for. Gunjan is a new age girl who is courageous, breaks boundaries and stands up for her rights. She is a free spirited liberated woman of today who knows what is right and wrong for her. Rachna on the other hand is simple, warm, rooted middle class girl. She respects traditions and customs, abides by rules and regulations and is affectionate towards others. These qualities pretty much sums up a teenager of today. I’m very proud of the characters Gunjan and Rachna and the way Rupal and Mahima are portraying it on screen. I think they are on their way to become role models for many.”

An overwhelmed Rupal Tyagi (Gunjan) says, “I’m over the moon. It’s a heady feeling over the last few months that the beautiful concept is being loved by audiences all over the world. Their response is very heartwarming and they have helped us beat all the other established shows on Hindi GEC to become the No 1 show on Indian television. The story of two young teenage girls, Gunjan and Rachna, has managed to beat well established shows like ‘Diya Aur Baati Hum, Balika Badhu and Ye Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai. This is huge and it feels good that our hard work has been appreciated. I thank all my viewers with all my heart and we will only give them more entertaining and relevant content.” Mahima Makwana (Rachna) also says, “I’m thrilled beyond words. God has been very kind and our efforts have paid off.”

(Be a part of Gunjan and Rachna’s beautiful world every Monday to Friday at 7:30 PM through Sapne Suhane Ladakpan Ke only on ZEE TV!)

Chandigarh, February 17, 2013: MTV Hero Roadies X, Season 10 journey – Mauka hai, ya dhokha haiis all set to hit the television screens on 23rd February every Saturday@7pm only on MTV.

The epic 10th season sees the ultimate twist where the creator is being challenged by his very own creation, Raghu VS Rannvijay. Both Raghu and Rannvijay flagged off the Chandigarh Marathon from Rock Garden here on Sunday.

Two ex-Roadies, Suchit and Mohit, who are also participating in the Roadies X season, were also present on the occasion.

With the Roadies crew having travelled the length of the country to select 8 new Roadies to join Rannvijay, Raghu has handpicked his team of 8 with Roadies from the last 9 seasons. It is India’s favourite television icon against the bad boy of Indian television. The scene is set for an epic battle.

Starting 23rd February the journey episode will air on MTV; first stop is Kohima (Nagaland) à Mokukchung à Jorhat (assam) à Kaziranga National Park à Tezpur à Bhalukpong (Arunachal Pradesh) à Bomdila à Tawang

This season is all about change, as the new challenges the old in a battle for glory. For the first time, the 2 pillars of Roadies stand opposed, heading their teams. Rannvijay with 8 new Roadies, and Raghu with the 8 most interesting Roadies from previous seasons. We’re going back to basics, to what the DNA of the show was. Part of this strategy is to travel through India, the way the early Roadies used to.

Names of Ex Roadies : Raghu’s team

o        The adventurous Mohit

o        The daring Diyali

o        The straightfoward Anirudh

o        The bold Palak

o        The intellegent Roop

o        The fighter Suchit

o        The fearless Avtar

o        The courageous Roopali

Names of the current Roadies : Rannvijay’s team

o        Geetika Bhudiraja - Delhi

o        Jahid Kaleem – Varanasi

o        Ramandeep Kaur - Delhi

o        Swati Goswami - UP

o        Sonal Sharma - Delhi

o        Vikas Kumar - Delhi

o        Harmeet Singh - Delhi

o        Gaurav Singh - Delhi

Raghu Ram, the producer of MTV Hero Roadies says, “This year Roadies completes a decade and I am excited that the season is finally airing on the television screen. This season the viewers are going to get to see a complete new concept, hard-hitting stunts and crazier contestants. In addition to this it’s going to be Rannvijay and I against each other, which definitely is going to turn out to be more exciting and thrilling than ever before.

VJ Rannvijay explains,“Raghu and I have always been a team. This is the first time that we will be competing against each other due to conflict of opinion. The decade season of MTV Roadies will be packed with excitement.

(SSP Naunhial Singh, Rannvijay and Raghu flagging off the Chandigarh Marathon at Rock Garden.)

(Suchit, Raghu, Rannvijay & Mohjit at Chandigarh Marathon, Rock Garden Chandigarh.)

Zee TV’s Hitler Didi has seen numerous twists and turns that have had fans of the show on the edge of their seats. With the entry of the talented and versatile Rohit Roy, there are many more unexpected twists expected. The actor who makes his return to the small screen after a break, will play an intense lover, who has a past relationship with the protagonist, Indira (Rati Pandey). The character, Kabir Chaudhary happens to be a Pakistani army officer who actually belongs to the Hindu minority in Pakistan. He overcomes a lot of obstacles to come to India and meet Indira.

When contacted, Rohit confirmed the news saying, “Yes, I am essaying a very nice role in Hitler Didi. There are a few reasons for me to take up this project. Firstly, I wanted to break the myth that prevailed that Rohit does not want to do anything on television (smiles). It is just that I haven’t had anything exciting come my way till now. Hitler Didi is a very differently scripted show and I happen to know Ila (Bedi Dutta) very well. I essay an intense lover in the show, and I began shooting on Valentine’s day. I am looking forward to this challenging role.”

In the current story, we have seen Indira and Rishi reunite after the debacle with Zara. While they live together, Rishi is still helping Indira recover her memory. So when Indira gets hysterical after hearing a particular song 'Husna', Rishi seeks the help of a doctor, to help Indira get back to normal. During a hypnosis session, Indira starts getting flashes of Kabir, during which she keeps calling out 'Saheb'. Meanwhile, as Rishi sets out to trace Indira's Pakistan connection, Kabir too sets out in search of Indira but is refused a visa by the authorities. Kabir then sneaks out of the Pakistan border where he comes face to face with Rishi....

To know what happens next, watch Hitler Didi every Monday to Friday at 8.30 PM only on Zee TV. We wish Rohit all the very best for his comeback in Hitler Didi…

Just when you think you've been there … done that, life throws something new and surprising your way! With thousands of mischievous kids landing up to audition for Zee TV's India's Best Dramebaaz with their own unique creative ideas, judges Sonali Bendre, Anurag Basu and Vivek Oberoi were often left stumped, speechless or simply in hysterical fits of laughter as they sat through the auditions held in various cities of India.

While in Mumbai, li’l Ameet Tiwari of Mumbai walked out on stage stomach first, much to the amusement of the judges! Ameet had a stomach that was perhaps as wide as he was tall and by the looks of it, it looked like it could cause him to topple over any moment. Turns out the kid had come to the auditions dressed up as 'Peturam'! After his cute act which charmed the judges, the show’s in-house ‘peturam’ Anurag Basu couldn't resist going up on stage to have a 'tummy wrestle' with the lil kiddo which involved bumping tummies (both real and fake) against each other and trying to see whose tummy was the strongest/largest! Dada finally conceded the 'battle' by declaring that his tummy was smaller than Ameet’s!

Ofcourse this left both the other judges rolling on the floor in laughter with Sonali mischievously saying that "Dada, aapki paunch bahut door jaati hai"...

Watch this hilarious audition act on ‘India's Best Dramebaaz’, premiering on Feb 23, every Saturday and Sunday at 9PM only on Zee TV.

ZETC Punjabi, will now be tingling the taste buds of millions of Punjabis’ with its new show KHAAO PIYO AISH KARO anchored by the vivacious Harpreet Hanjrah, A One hour travelogue cum food show aired during the weekend has been specially designed for the traveling and food loving Punjabis.

This week the show will take Anchor and actor Harpreet Hanjrah into the streets of Ludhiana in search of authentic Punjabi food and bring alive culinary delicacies both rustic and special, trying her hands on Pannu de Pakore , Prakash De Bathure, Pandit Ji De Paranthe, Gyan’s Di Veg Thali and much more while she visits places for which Ludhiana is so famous and special .

As Harpreet quoted that she is a hard core foodie and loves to travel, for her it was an amazing opportunity as she went around Ludhiana and experienced things which she would have missed otherwise .

So keep your weekends free and entice your soul with flavors of Punjab only on ZETC Punjabi with KHAAO PIYO AISH KARO while Harpreet takes you around on a trip to Ludhiana which would you give your weekends the excitement that you were missing , watch this Sunday 8:30 p.m. onwards exclusively on ZETC Punjabi .

(Harpreet Hanjrah)

Vivek Oberoi ‘woman-handled’ and Anurag Basu kissed on the cheek!!!

 When 11 year old Alisha Sheikhof Mumbai landed up at the auditions of India’s Best Dramebaaz, she had spooky tricks up her sleeve … dressed in white and carrying a pouch of ketchup that she strategically tore into during the climax of her act, she scared the daylights out of judges Vivek Oberoi, Sonali Bendre andAnurag Basu with her power-packed horror performance.

In sharp contrast to Alisha’s spine-chilling act heightened by her wild hair, scary eyes and ketchup-coated lips, what followed had the judges rolling on the floor with laughter. Alisha’s mother who had accompanied her for the audition turned out to be one helluva mischievous mommy. Winking at Vivek, she said she’d fancy a waltz with the Saathiya heartthrob. Being the chivalrous man he is, Vivek couldn’t disappoint the lady. When he went up on stage, however, he was caught completely off-guard by the mommy’s brazen and unabashed style of dancing … she held him close and danced like it was a chance she’d been waiting for a very long time! While the audience burst out laughing and cheered her on, Vivek was left grinning sheepishly at being “woman-handled”.

On seeing all the female attention go to Vivek, co-judge Anurag Basu jokingly teased the mommy about being “partial”! Little did he know that the mommy, in a bid to prove him wrong, will come running off the stage and into his arms and plant a solid kiss on his cheek in full public view. So, this mummy left not one, but two of the three judges of ‘India’s Best Dramebaaz’ speechless and blushing a beetroot red.

Get geared up for a deluge of mischievous kids and at times, their even-more-mischievous mummies as India’s Best Dramebaaz premieres on Saturday, February 23 at 9 PM only on Zee TV!

(Anurag Basu)

(Vivek)

The Delhi auditions of Zee TV’s ‘India Best Dramebaaz’ were hijacked! By who you ask? Apparently two mysterious looking sardar jis were seen chasing children around the venue with syringes and stethoscopes saying that they were ‘searching for dramebaaz kids’ in the crowd. Imagine the astonishment of the crowd when the duo pulled off their turbans and fake facial hair to reveal the show’s hosts Rithvik Dhanjani and Ragini Khanna under the ‘paa ji’ guise!

“It was a lot of fun pulling that trick on the kids!” says Rithvik. “We pretended that we were a couple of private investigators’ who were sent to the auditions to hunt down kids who had been bitten by the ‘acting ka keeda’ and tried to talk kids into taking injections (fake ofcourse!) to cure them of their acting disease. While the older kids were a little skeptical about the pretext under which we caught hold of them, some of the younger kids actually fell for it and ran straight to their parents!”

“Initially only Rithvik was supposed to don the garb of Lucky Singh, but then why should only boys have all the fun, right?” says Ragini laughing. “I insisted on joining him in his devilish antics of ‘scaring’ these li’l kids and asked the producers to get me a costume too. The reactions of these kids were too cute, although I do feel bad about scaring one tiny girl who probably was confused as to how I looked like a guy but sounded like a girl!”

Watch Rithvik and Ragini’s masti in Delhi at the auditions of India’s Best Dramebaaz. The show premieres February 23, 2013 and will air every Saturday and Sunday at 9 PM, only on Zee TV.

Anything that Ankita Lokhande says or does always makes the headlines!!! While the rumour mills are churning out speculative stories daily about the actress quitting her popular show Pavitra Rishta on Zee TV, the actress is quick to dismissively laugh it off.

 “I just want to take a vacation with my boyfriend,” says Ankita when contacted about these rumours and adds, “After the superlatively successful run of Pavitra Rishta for over three years, why would I want to quit the show when everything is going so well? Yes, it felt different when Sushant left the show, and to be honest, I had contemplated leaving as well. But Ekta (Kapoor)ma’am gave me many reasons to stay on and I am glad that I decided to continue otherwise I would have regretted it later. It has just been so long since I have taken a long vacation and now with Sushant having some free time from his shoot, I have decided to accompany him and take a break from hectic shoot schedules as well.”

So have the channel and Balaji agreed to let her go on such short notice? “I had intimated both Zee TV and the production house of my plans well in advance and they have very kindly allowed me to take a two month break by allowing for such a turn of events in the story as well. So fans of the show will not find any abrupt turn in the storyline as everything has been planned out in an interesting manner to accommodate my sabbatical from the show. ”

Sources from the channel confirm this fact and state that the upcoming story will see high voltage drama when Manav and Archana’s son Soham is let out of prison. Torn between his Archana and Varsha, he contemplates killing either Archana or himself in order to end the family’s misery. While Manav and Archana try reasoning with him, an irate Soham pulls the trigger on the gun he is carrying and Archana gets grievously hit by the stray bullet and lands up in a coma. While the story has been written, the channel is yet to shoot this last action packed scene.

Watch Ankita Lokhande’s last scene before her vacation on Pavitra Rishta, every Monday to Friday at 9 PM only on Zee TV.

Anchal Khurana aka Charu, the hot vamp who loves to stir up storms in Gunjan and Rachna’s peaceful existence in ‘Sapne Suhane Ladakpan Ke’ was in bit of a soup recently. Though the tough ‘Roadie’ girl’s vamp avatar has been well received by the viewers, one hears she was reluctant to do a dance sequence wearing a flimsy night gown. Anchal who otherwise donnes traditional clothes in the show was asked to seduce her husband Mayank (Ankit Gera) wearing a satin nighty.

When asked why a modern girl like her would hesitate to shoot wearing a nighty, Anchal said with a smile,” It was a funny sequence where Charu was trying to get close to her husband  Mayank (Ankit Gera) who really doesn’t care much for her. I had to dance on ‘Ye mera dil pyaar ka deewana’ wearing a nighty on Valentines Day. I’m all okay to wear western attires but somehow it felt a bit awkward to wear a short nighty and prance around on the terrace. I shared my inhibitions with the creative team and they said that the scene demanded it. They persuaded me to do a mock shoot first. And when I looked at my scenes post the shoot, I realised that it wasn’t looking as bad as I had anticipated. The sequence had come out really well and I was looking like a glam bahu…”

Sapne Suhane Ladakpan Ke is currently the No 1 show in the Hindi GEC space with an average of 4 TVR. The show is focusing on sibling rivalry and youth oriented issues like competition, envy, triumph, failure, manipulation and heartbreak and winning audience appreciation. Gunjan (Rupal Tyagi) and Rachna (Mahima Makwana) are fast becoming the most talked about youngsters on Indian television who display a rare blend of honesty, courage and conviction in all they do. Apart from Anchal Khuarana, the show  alsostars, Vaishnavi Mc Donald, Ankit Gera and Nikhil Chaddha in pivotal roles. The show comes on air every Monday to Friday 7:30pm on Zee TV!

Chandigarh, February 21, 2013: Singh vs Kaur, the most recent offering from Punjabi Film industry has been pulling audience across the whole region from the very first day of its release. No wonder why cine lovers and audience has already acclaimed it one of the most entertaining Punjabi movie till date. Reports of house full shows and long queues at the box office from all over Punjab certify that. Analyst are already looking it as the most grossing Punjabi movie until now.

Released with 80 prints in Punjab and over 35 in states of Haryana, Delhi and Himachal, ‘Singh vs Kaur’ has reached out to the places where no other Punjabi movies has approached so effectively like Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Pune and Mumbai.

Released on February 15 worldwide with over 60 prints, the movie boasts of great response from international audience of UK, Canada, USA and Australia too. Singer-Actor Gippy Grewal who is in the main lead and won the hearts of the audience with his exceptional acting says, “I would like to convey my heartily thanks towards the fans and audience who have appreciated my work. So to connect with them I’ve planned a surprise visit to a cinema which can be anywhere in Punjab during the show this weekend.”

 “It is just a note of gratitude towards the people who have liked the movie and my acting so much. I’ve had a great fan response on the social networking sites likes Facebook and Twitter and its time to respond from my side but not virtually. I am very sure this surprise visit will help me show my love and gratitude towards the audience,” Gippy added.