Kratika Sengar,the actress who plays the title-role in Jhansi Ki Rani,recently fought a rather ferocious-looking giant on the show. In a bid to uphold the pride and dignity of her king,the Rani is said to have dressed up as a man and taken on a seven-feet tall giant called Pascal in a daredevil sword-fight. When asked if she was a tad jittery about engaging such a big man in a duel,Kratika said,Scared of the big guy? Hardly! Little does Pascal know that he is up for a fight with a big rascal. I may be smaller in size but Im pretty feisty. I dont give up easily,once I get started. And having shot for the show over the last two months,manoeuvering the sword is something I know like the back of my hand! Reports have it that Kratika may even be blindfolded for a part of this fight! Extension for Red Chillies IshaanShah Rukh Khans Red Chillies Idiot Box has got an extension for its show Ishaan aired on Disney. After its initial run of 21 episodes,the show will take a break and come back after two months for the second season. Ishaan is the inspiring musical journey of a boy who finds friends and a sense of belonging through music. Its a story of triumph of friendship and passion over ambition. The ensemble cast stars newcomer Tapasvi Mehta as Ishaan and Anisa as Shyla. Other cast includes TV actors Shruti Ulfat,Rajinder Mehra and Rajiv Paul. The series had popular celebrities like Arshad Warsi and Shaan playing themselves in it. The show has caught on with the kids with the lead actor Tapasvi getting around 100-500 messages on his fan page. Even the music is a big hit. No wonder the serial has got an extension. Fear Factors Brazil connectionFor Fear Factor,the real heroes are the stunts. We have a library of stunts that will be used for this edition of the show, Deepak Dhar,country head,Endemol India said. The reality show,which has been jinxed ever since it was renewed for a third edition,will finally take off with Priyanka Chopra and actors in the August. When asked why the channel decided to shoot the current season in Brazil,Dhar said that Fear Factor has hubs in different cities of the world such as Argentina,US,Malaysia and South Africa where the show was shot last year. The current season will have a lot of aerial and water stunts for which Brazil was the perfect choice, Dhar said. Endemol has also announced plans to turn into a 360 degree content provider to television channels by entering into the fiction and regional space. Our strength,which was non-fiction,was like a 100 metre race,but fiction is like running a marathon. Were evolving and experimenting in this space and our creative team is always on the lookout for good shows, Dhar said. Gender wars in the kitchenHaving done with the leading ladies of Colors,Kitchen Champion is now roping the men from different shows. The second season that started airing from July 12 has men and women pitted against each other. The mens team Mast Munde comprise Veer (Nandish) and Jogi Thakur (Ayub Khan) of Uttaran,Raghav (Aditya) of Laado,Thakur (Sharad Kelkar) of Bairi Piya,Abeer (Gaurav) of Yeh Pyar Na Hoga Kam and Bigg Boss 2 winner Ashutosh Kaushik. The boys culinary skills will be tested by Kool Kudiyan like Tapasya (Rashmi Desai) of Uttaran,Bindia (Richa) of Bhagyavidhata,Amoli (Supriya) of Bairi Piya,Rani Ma (Kishori Shahane) of Aise Karo Na Vida,Kaki (Asawari Joshi) of Thoda Hai Bas Thode Ki Zaroorat Hai and Rupali Ganguly from KKK level 2. Which team will emerge as the winner remains to be seen. As good as it getsMazher Sayed,who recently made his stage debut as a pansy character in Imtiaz Khans new play Loot,is all set to make his debut in Bollywood. He will be sharing the screen with Anupam Kher,Seema Biswas and Pawan Malhotra in Yogesh Mittals Yeh Faasle. Sayed plays a dark complex character in this psychological thriller that is likely to be released later this year. I play a negative role with multiple layers. Im portraying the role of a hardcore businessman without any emotions who neglects his wife, says the actor. Hes playing the younger version of Kher in the film. The actor admits that he has no qualms in making his debut with a negative role. Its an intense role that forms the focal point of the film. So I was quite glad to bag it. Sayed was roped in after he was spotted by the films producer in his last show Saat Phere. Apart from theatre and films,the actor will also be seen as a negative character in Rakta Sambandh on Imagine. I play a male chauvinist who craves for power. Hes a bitchy man who hates his wife. Im enjoying playing this character as its well-written, Sayed adds. Vansh to die in UttaranUttaran is all set for a new turning-point with Vansh set to die in the show. Apparently,the makers were contemplating about killing one important character and the toss was between Ichcha and Vansh. Finally,Vansh will be the one to exit. After years of torturing Ichcha with his misguided jealousy and evil deeds,Tapasyas secret will finally be revealed to Vansh. He realises that Ichcha is innocent and decides to get justice for his wife. In a fit of rage,he confronts Tapu at gunpoint. In the ensuing struggle,he is killed. However,well have to wait and watch if his death spikes the shows TRPs! Good news for Glee fansThe makers of Glee have announced a deal with Oxygen,a syndication agency,to begin airing in 2013. The musical will receive a huge funding boost that will keep it running long into the future. The show has been snapped up for US $500,000 per episode. This is a particularly critical gain for Glee as it has a large ensemble cast and huge musical song-and-dance numbers. With new funding sources,the production values can only get better. The deal reflects the massive success that the show has achieved both on US soil and overseas. Ordinarily,cable networks will wait for several seasons before offering a syndication deal to ensure that the series maintains its viewer ratings and therefore make for a good investment.Oxygen has also won the rights to begin production on a Glee-themed reality show to find a new cast member for the programme. This is definitely Glee-ful news for fans of the hit series.
