Executive Dossier

“I can do romantic scenes with tremendous ease and conviction”

Published

23 years ago

April 12, 2003

Sangeeta Ghosh aka Pammi of the Star Plus’ Des Mein Nikala Hoga Chand (DMNHC) was an extraordinary student in school. She would top her class and would lead in sports and dramatics as well. But a bookworm and a recluse she is not.

Her reel existence in DMNHC is in stark contrast to her real existence. The seedhi-saadhi Pammi of the small screen tube dons trendy and sexy outfits in real life. In addition, she loves to perform mushy, romantic scenes! And she loves item numbers! Today, she would prefer a live-in relationship rather than a marriage!

Sorry to destroy your illusions of a demure Pammi. Read on for her candid confessions on her life, and work in a honest tete a tete with Vickey Lalwani.

When did your TV career flag off?
I started off on television when I was just 10 years old. My first serial was directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, it was called Hum Hindustani.

Modelling?
Oh, I have done a lot of modelling, for magazines and for the small screen. Some of the major brands I have endorsed are Donear Suitings and Nirma.

When did you get into television in a major way?
Those were the days when I had finished my college studies around 1990. I did serials like Kurukshetra, Adhikaar, Ajeeb Dastan and Daraar. Arunaji saw me in Daraar and selected me for Mehendi Tere Naam Ki. And then came DMNHC.

Do you read any books on acting?
There are several books available on how to become a good actor but I have yet to come across one person who reads them. I am no exception. Sometimes, however, I do observe other artistes’ mannerisms.

” I know that I have in me whatever it takes to attain dizzy heights. I don’t want to be an also-ran”

Is there a role on television that makes you go green with envy?
None. I have the best crop!

What are your strengths as an actor?
My USP is that I can do romantic scenes with tremendous ease and conviction. Romance comes naturally to me. Basically, I am a very, very romantic person at heart. That’s one of the reasons why my character Pammi clicked so much. The romantic scenes have separated me from the bracket of other TV actresses; most of whom put their foot down when a scene demands proximity between a man and woman. This kind of attitude smacks of unprofessionalism.

What are your weaknesses as an actor?
I am never satisfied with my output. I am a harsh critic of myself. I always think that I could have done a particular scene better. At the end of the day, I am realistic too. At times, you have to understand that you cannot give 100 per cent every day. On certain days, nothing goes right. Besides, in serials, we do some scenes which are quite similar to each other. The monotonous work sometimes shows on the face, the artiste starkly appears disinterested and jaded.

Ever put your foot down about certain dialogues?
At times, I have. I can never do anything until I feel from within. So, you can say that I am a director’s actor. A director constantly convinces his actors on how and why they should do their next scene. That pays. Thus, an artiste gets into the skin of the character. Besides, we are working in a medium where there is lots of flexibility. The scenes can be changed to suit the artiste.

A serial is not a film which is dictated by the demands of the financers and distributors wherein there are diktats about the mandatory fight scene, hero heroine ke ‘racy-pacy’ dance numbers, etc.

Sangeeta with Varun Badola in DMNHC

“I have done all my homework. I just need my first break to prove my worth in cinema”

Do you demand to know the weight of your character before you sign on the dotted line?
Certainly. After becoming a household name, I don’t want to do serials which will utilise my face as a prop-up girl. Even in my younger days, I have nagged the director to take a look at the script. From here on, I’ll have to nag him more. Often, the script narrated is not what it is. You should always be on your guard that nobody is taking you for a ride. Serials contain many actors, you can easily get lost in the crowd. I want to be remembered as a great performer. I know that I have in me whatever it takes to attain dizzy heights. I don’t want to be an also-ran.

Ever goofed up a scene?
It does happen. Then I apologise and another shot is taken. Tempers don’t fly for such a flimsy reason. But I remember one scene which Varun and I could not get it right for a long, long time. It was shot in Chandigarh. We were confessing our feelings to each other. Some insects had got into our hair and clothes. It was a terrible experience. God knows how many retakes we took before it got okayed!

How important are looks to you in a serial?
Today, channels are going out of the way to ensure that TV artistes look glamorous. Personally, I love to wear the best of clothes at the first opportunity. Of course if I am playing a prostitute or a ‘bai’, I will dress up accordingly. The body language of actresses today has become a bit confident, that’s the only difference. This is unnecessarily being labelled as brash-n-brazen. Channels are also ensuring that serials have an NRI market. That’s why many episodes are now shot on foreign locales. Like we shot quite a few portions of DMNHC in Bangok and London.

The first episode of ‘DMNHC’ showed the lead couple, Varun and you, meeting each other in a rather filmi manner – the usual ‘ched chaad’, your hair getting tangled in the locket of his chain, he tying your almost backless choli… Was it embarrassing to do those scenes?
Why should I be embarrassed about love scenes? Love is an essential part of any story. I had worked with Varun in one of the Rishtey episodes and so we already shared a rapport. Also, I had worked with Arunaji in one of her earlier serials and knew what she wanted. Besides, I am quite comfortable with my body, and with TV, one can only go to a particular extent. I come from a very liberal family but I am also aware about my limits.

Do you forget that you are Sangeeta when you become Pammi?
How can I? Those who say that they get into the skin of the character and lose their identity, are lying. In every scene, there’s some Sangeeta in me. At times, the director wants Sangeeta to laugh/cry in the manner he has visualised Pammi to. But Sangeeta might not live up to his expectations. However, this does not imply that Sangeeta has failed. Emotions cannot be built up to the exact extent of perception, because no actor can totally evolve out from her skin. So, the director has to make a slight compromise, at times.

Do you think that TV artistes are underpaid?
‘Dukhti rag pe haath rakh liya‘ (laughs) (You have just touched a raw nerve).

Your co-star Varun of ‘DMNHC’ is leaving the serial, shortly. What if you have some scenes like these with the guy who replaces him?
Yes, he is leaving. But then, I have already done more than 75 episodes of this serial. So why will I not feel at home? Let any guy come. Let there be any scene with him. I have no problems. At the end of the day, we are professionals.

Is your personal life as exciting as your television life?
Right now, there’s nobody in my real life. But please don’t think that I am an unromantic person. I’m a very romantic person and I would really like my man to woo me and give all his attention. In that sense, I’m really enjoying DMNHC as the character I play peps me up, it rejuvenates me. Going back, let me reveal that I have had my share of boyfriends.

Boyfriends! Were those days fun?
Oh, those were the days… In between work, I used to slip away in some corner and start chatting up with them. But on the flip side, there is a disadvantage too. It drains you. Today, I am more focussed on my work.

“Once you are in this line, you can’t be rigid. Else, you’ll be a big loser”

Don’t you want to get married and settle down?
Somehow, I don’t believe in the institution of marriage. I used to believe in it earlier, but of late, have lost faith. I have seen so many marriages failing around me. Instead, I wouldn’t mind a live-in relationship. In a live-in relationship, there is a committment and there is no committment too.

How satisfied are you at this point in your career?
I am a satiated actor as far as the tube is concerned. I started as a child artiste and have worked with directors like Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Basu Chatterjee, Lekh Tandon and now Aruna lrani. But… (pauses)….

But what?
I am itching to work in films (smiles).

Is it easy for a TV actor to make it in films?
Certain people have got stuck in their television image. But why should I too get stuck? Didn’t Shah Rukh Khan, Urmila Matondkar, Ashutosh Rana and Gracy Singh who started from television go on to make it big in films? Even if I get into films, I shall continue to do TV work. I know that I’ll have to make some changes if and when I act in a film. I have done all my homework. I just need my first break to prove my worth in cinema.

How is it working with Aruna Irani at the helm in ‘DMNHC’?
I’m not so experienced that I can talk about her. But one thing about her, she really goads you on to do your best. She gives some amazing cues while shooting. When you see the scenes, you know how much those little things have highlighted it. In short, she can easily extract out from an artiste whatever she wants.

Ram Gopal Varma is taking a keen interest in you. Right?
Well, I have auditioned for one of his forthcoming productions. I am eagerly awaiting the outcome. To be honest, I am very excited.

Game to wearing suggestive outfits if you get films?
Sure. I would definitely wear a comfortable swimsuit. In fact, I did wear one in a TV serial Suhana Safar. Once you are in this line, you can’t be rigid. Else, you’ll be a big loser.

Related Topics:Des Mein Nikala Hoga Chand Vickey Lalwani

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Executive Dossier

Game on, fame on as Good Game hunts India’s first global gaming star

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1 month ago

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indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: Game faces on, pressure high India’s gaming ambitions are levelling up. Good Game, billed as the world’s first as-live global gaming reality show, has officially launched in India with a bold mission: to crown the country’s first Global Gaming Superstar.

Blending esports with mainstream entertainment, the show brings together competitive gaming, creativity and on-camera performance in a format that tests more than just joystick skills. Contestants will be judged on gameplay, screen presence and their ability to perform under pressure, reflecting how gaming has evolved from pastime to profession and pop culture currency.

Fronting the show are three high-profile ambassadors: actor and entrepreneur Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Indian cricket star Rishabh Pant, and gaming creator Ujjwal Chaurasia. The winner will take home Rs 1 crore ($100,000) among the largest prize pools for any Indian reality show along with the chance to represent India on a global stage.

Backed by a planned annual investment of up to Rs 100 crore, Good Game is also courting brand partners, promising a minimum reach of 500 million among India’s core youth audience. The creators position the show as a bridge between entertainment and interactive culture, offering long-format content, community engagement and commercial scale.

Auditions are now open to Indian citizens aged 18 and above, inviting amateur and professional gamers, creators and performers alike. Shortlisted candidates will be called for in-person auditions in Mumbai on 14 and 15 February, and in Delhi on 28 February and 1 March 2026.

With big money, big names and even bigger ambition, Good Game signals a shift in how India views gaming not just as play, but as performance, profession and prime-time spectacle.

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SpotDraft hires new CMO and CFO to fuel global push for its AI contract platform

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3 months ago

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indiantelevision.com Team

INDIA: SpotDraft has strengthened its senior ranks as it gears up for faster global expansion, naming Alon Waks as chief marketing officer and Amit Sharma as chief financial officer. The appointments follow the firm’s $54 million Series B round earlier this year and mark a push to scale across the Americas, EMEA and India.

The AI-powered contract-lifecycle-management platform has posted 100 per cent year-on-year growth in customer acquisition, counting Apollo.io, IPSY, Mixpanel, Oyster and Panasonic among its global clients. The firm processes more than one million contracts annually, with volumes up 173 per cent and nearly 50,000 monthly active users.

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Both hires aim to sharpen SpotDraft’s bid for a larger slice of the fast-growing legal-tech market, expected to exceed $63 billion by 2032. Co-founder and chief executive Shashank Bijapur said the company is focused on scaling go-to-market operations in the Americas, deepening leadership in EMEA, and accelerating AI capabilities for general counsels and legal-operations leaders.

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Executive Dossier

Outdoor Ads Get Smarter as LOC8 Shifts OOH from Visibility to Attention

Published

3 months ago

November 28, 2025

indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: Out-of-home ads were once the wallflowers of marketing seen by everyone, noticed by few. But in an age where attention has become the world’s most fought-over currency, even billboards are getting a brain upgrade. Enter LOC8, OSMO’s AI-powered attention engine, quietly reshaping the old OOH playbook by measuring not just who could have looked at an ad, but who actually did. The shift is subtle but seismic: impressions are out, impact is in and data, not gut instinct, is calling the shots.

In a landscape where marketers question every rupee spent outdoors, LOC8 is turning lampposts, flyovers and traffic islands into precision-mapped attention laboratories. By crunching dwell time, visibility zones, perceptual size and real-world obstructions, the platform is dragging OOH into a future where creativity meets computer vision and where the best ideas aren’t just eye-catching, but eye-measured. From automotive facelifts to FMCG novelty and real estate trust-building, the message is clear, outdoor has stopped shouting and started listening. Indian Television Dot Com explores more about it in an Interview interview with OSMO co-founder Nipun Arora.

On how OSMO is shifting outdoor advertising from a visibility-led medium to an attention-led one through LOC8.

Traditional OOH has long been measured by visibility and impressions i.e how many people could see an ad. OSMO, through its proprietary AI platform LOC8, is shifting that narrative more towards likelihood of being noticed. Using computer vision and machine learning, LOC8 analyzes real-world video data to measure visibility zones, obstructions, dwell time and perceptual size; bringing precision to how attention is quantified outdoors. It moves the focus from mere impressions to quality of impressions, making OOH a data-verified, attention-led medium comparable to digital in accountability.

On how marketers can use LOC8’s dwell-time, visibility and perception insights to craft more effective, emotionally resonant OOH campaigns.

LOC8 helps brands understand how people truly experience outdoor media how long they look, from what distance, and under what conditions. By quantifying dwell time, visibility duration, and perceptual size; marketers can plan campaigns that align with real human viewing behavior. This empowers creative and strategy teams to design emotionally resonant storytelling where messaging, visual hierarchy and placement are optimized for how people actually notice and process OOH creatives.

About what LOC8 has revealed through campaigns like Renault Triber and Namaste India on how categories such as auto, FMCG and real estate use attention metrics to drive outcomes.

Each category uses attention data differently but all share one common goal: to convert outdoor visibility into measurable engagement.

• Automotive | Renault Triber

For the new Renault Triber facelift, bold creative met data-led planning through LOC8. By analyzing on-ground video data, LOC8 measured real audience attention across placements factoring in visibility zones, obstructions, traffic speed and perceptual size. This enabled Renault to identify corridors that delivered maximum reach, saliency and engagement, optimizing media efficiency and ROI.

• FMCG | Namaste India

In OOH, innovation is the hook and assets are the bait. But bait often hides the hook. With Loc8’s attention metrics, we ensured the bait wasn’t a hurdle, rather it became the perfect stage for innovation to deliver its full impact! The insight proved that creative novelty, when validated by attention data, drives deeper engagement and measurable brand lift.

• Real Estate

For luxury and real estate campaigns targeting HNI/UHNI audiences, attention patterns differ especially between front and rear passengers, who are often the core audience segment for premium sites. LOC8’s ability to distinguish rear vs. front visibility plays a critical role here. It helps identify sites that offer longer viewing windows and stronger perceptual dominance from the rear seat where decision-makers are most likely seated making it a key differentiator for premium and trust-led categories. Together, these insights prove that auto optimizes for impact, FMCG for recall, and real estate for trust visibility showing how attention metrics adapt to category goals while ensuring measurable outcomes.

On how attention analytics will shape the future of brand storytelling and media planning as OOH becomes more digitised and data-driven.

As outdoor digitizes, attention analytics will inform not just where to advertise but how stories are told in public spaces. This evolution transforms OOH from a static broadcast channel into a dynamic attention ecosystem, where creativity is optimized through evidence-based insight.

On how LOC8’s data-led framework helps marketers quantify OOH impact and make outdoor a more accountable, ROI-driven medium.

LOC8 bridges the gap between intuition and evidence. By quantifying metrics like visibility duration, attention opportunity index, and visual saliency rank, it allows brands to benchmark site performance and justify investment. This data-led approach brings transparency, comparability and ROI measurement to a medium historically driven by perception.

On how OSMO ensures AI and computer vision enhance creativity rather than reduce it to numbers.

OSMO believes that technology should enhance creativity, not overshadow it. LOC8’s attention models reveal what naturally draws the human eye helping creative teams refine design cues, contrast, and visual hierarchy for greater impact. By merging art and science, LOC8 empowers creativity with intelligence.

About the creative best practices and design cues LOC8 has uncovered regarding what truly captures consumer attention outdoors.

LOC8’s visual cognition analysis has surfaced clear patterns across campaigns:

• High contrast and minimal messaging outperform cluttered designs.

• Motion cues draw significantly longer dwell times.

• The first two seconds are critical, creatives must establish focus instantly.

• Contextual alignment between the creative and its environment increases attention by over 30%.

These learnings offer a scientific foundation for creative effectiveness helping brands design OOH that’s visually magnetic and emotionally memorable.

On how attention metrics will integrate into omnichannel planning where OOH, digital and social work together for unified brand impact.

Attention can become the unifying KPI across OOH, digital and social to creates seamless storytelling continuity, where outdoor triggers digital engagement. The future of omnichannel planning lies in attention-led integration ensuring that campaigns don’t just reach audiences everywhere but truly capture and hold their focus.