Earshot

Shot GunRavi Gosain -- Nigoda of Amanat fame -- was recently shooting in Poona for Manju Singh's Swaraj (DDI) in which he plays Chandrash...

Shot Gun
Ravi Gosain — Nigoda of Amanat fame — was recently shooting in Poona for Manju Singh’s Swaraj (DDI) in which he plays Chandrashekhar Azad. It was an action sequence where he had to fire a round of bullets on the English and then flee. After a few rehearsals he was ready for a take and tucked an actually loaded revolver into his belt. Unfortunately, during the take, the gun’s safety lock came off and a bullet went off and wounded him in the stomach. But Gosain went ahead with the shoot and did not even let the unit members know about his injury, who assumed that the blood drenching his shirt was fake. Gosain was later rushed to a hospital and has recovered, but been advised bed rest.

Wrong act
Actress Chenna Ruparel of Swabhimaan fame (rerunning on STAR Plus) is in a bit of a spot these days. After Swabhimaan wrapping up she finds herself with nothing to do on the acting front and so has decided to turn producer. To start with she came up with the idea of producing an episode of Saturday Suspense or Rishtey for Zee TV. But soon Ruparel realised that it is easier said than done. When she contacted Zee authorities she was informed that she would have to wait for a couple of months as the Saturday Suspense slot is already booked till November and Rishtey till January! Too long a wait for Ruparel — she has completely given up the idea of becoming a producer!

Serve with love
Raman Kumar’s Yehi Hai Zindagi on Zee has become a game of musical chairs, at least for the actors who play the hired help in the serial. When it hit the air they had Farouque Shaikh as the dogs body who was replaced by Satish Shah who was again replaced by Archana Puran Singh. But now we hear that the lady is also out and in comes Anjan Srivastav as the new servant! We wonder who’s going to be the next one? Wait and watch.

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Exit Signs
UTV’s Yehi Hai Raaz is in the news, but for all the wrong reasons. As it is, the serial is suffering being on STAR Plus. And recently director Karan Razdan walked out of the serial — the buzz is that it was due to interference from the producers. If that’s not enough, now we hear that Ruby Bhatia who made her debut on television with this serial has called it quits for reasons unknown. But as they say, the show must go on, and so Shahjahan now takes over as the new director of this whodunit and Bollywood actress Deepti Bhatnagar makes her debut on TV by replacing Bhatia.

Idhar dekhoAnand Mahendroo, the man behind sitcoms like Idhar Udhar and Dekh Bhai Dekh is on Cloud Nine as his sequel to Idhar Udhar — which was one of the most popular sitcoms on DD many years ago — has finally got a time slot, on DD1. The sequel premieres on Thursday, August 27, which means it will be pitted against the popular Hindustani on DD2 and Aahat on Sony TV. But it doesn’t seem to bother Mahendroo. “Hindustani is no threat to us as both are different quality programes," says he.

Messages in music
Music buffs will be glad to know that the be-a-good-citizen talk that is aired between all the chart busters played on MTV has won the network a peace award. The president of MTV networks has bagged the UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi medal for encouraging social responsibility, tolerance and diversity through global entertainment for young people. Mark Rosenthal was given the award, with special mention to MTV’s AIDS prevention and awareness campaigns.

Your chance
Channel V and Virgin Records (India) are giving all aspiring singers a golden opportunity. Virgin Choice Voice Hunt has been launched in the country, calling the attention of all those who have the hidden talent. Here is what they are looking for: “a singer who can cross cultural barriers in the north, south, east and western parts of India and emerge as the single Indian voice appealing to one and all”. The hunt is open to people of all ages, singing in any language. The requirement of this three-month long search is a personal demo tape with one or two songs. The channel and record company take over from there, shaping the future of one budding artist, complete with a record. So start tuning your vocal chords.

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I am woman
Give your eyes a break and tune into the BBC World Service radio. The Hindi service has a twelve-part radio series on Being A Woman (Thursday 8.15 p.m.). The programme covers the mental, social and health problems faced by Indian women in both rural and urban areas. Series producer Achala Sharma says: “The aim is to generate a better awareness about the mental health of Indian women. I want to explore the roots of emotional trauma at key life stages which have been ignored, or just not noticed by family and society.” Food for thought, isn’t it?