ITV

Tag: Deepshikha

  • Zee’s ‘Kittie Party’ damsels to revel Egyptian style

    Zee’s ‘Kittie Party’ damsels to revel Egyptian style

    MUMBAI: ‘Walk like an Egyptian’ must be the song played at the next Kittie Party . Zee’s own chick flick will have an Egyptian kitty party for its next special on 26 January.

    The damsels Pixie (Achint Kaur), Manju (Poonam Dhillon), Tina (Shweta Salve), Rewa (Kavita Kapoor), Kuku (Deepshikha), Vidya (Maya Alagh), and Niloufer (Preeti Dayal) will let their hair down at the Egyptian party.

    A weekly, which airs from Sunday to Wednesday at 10:30 pm, has prior to the Egyptian party canned few theme parties like the kids party- where the protagonist dressed as and behaved like kids, Hawaiian party, and lavani party- where the leading ladies dressed up in nine-yard saris.

    An integral part of the show, kitty parties are setting for the women discuss the issues in their lives and revel in the camaraderie. In a theme party, a dress code is decided by the lady who organises the kitty party and all members have to dress up and join in for the party.

    The latest kitty party is at Pixie’s place and the episode ends on a sour note, unlike other theme parties. There is a major confrontation between Manju (Poonam Dhillon) and Rewa (Kavita Kapoor). For those not clued into the show, Manju was assumed dead. With Rewa provides both monetary and financial support to Manju’s husband Manoviraj (Kiran Kumar), an emotional bond develops between them and they decide to get married. However, Manju comes back on the day of their wedding, only to discover her husband’s marriage to Rewa. Thus arises a conflict. This party had the kitty ladies divided into two group one pro-Rewa and another pro-Manju.

    Speaking to indiantelevision.com Poonam Dhillon said, “This time, the theme party was less stressful compared to all the previous one. The main reason was that the Egyptian party did not demand costume revelry, unlike the other theme parties like lavani, where we ladies took nearly half a day to get ready.”

    Kavita Kapoor offered, “It was fun to have the entire gang after a long time. Normally, only a few of us are required for the shoot. I thought that it was a picnic- lots of jokes, sharing of food, back-slapping…”

    The Egyptian party was shot at Magnum Studios at Mumbai suburb Andheri for nearly two and half days.

  • Telly Awards Nominees’ Nite dazzles with stars

    Telly Awards Nominees’ Nite dazzles with stars

    MUMBAI: They said it wouldn’t work. But we said we wouldn’t say so until we’d tried. The response to the Indian Telly Awards Nominee’s Nite held last night at the ITC Grand Maratha however outshot our wildest expectations by several miles.
     

    Hosts Ali Asgar and Urvashi Dholakia
    A novel initiative, the Nominees’ Nite was intended to converge and felicitate all those who are deserving of the prestigious Telly (to be given away on 19 and 21 November).

    Now in its third year, the Indian Telly Awards, instituted by Indiantelevision.com, celebrate excellence in the television industry, both on screen and off screen, and are the most credible and sought after honours in their arena.

    The jury at the function – (Lto R) – Prasoon Joshi, Kiran Juneja, Rathikant Basu, Rakesh Sharma and Lekh Tandon
    While only one of the contenders in each category will finally lay claim to the statuesque statuette, each candidate had his hour in the sun at the Grand Maratha as esteemed industry veterans, who had comprised the jury for the awards, presented each nominee with a certificate that honours his excellence in his chosen field. 

    UTV”s Monisha Singh making her speech

    Monisha Singh collects a certificate from jury member Kiran Joneja
    The jam packed Ball Room 2 at the Grand Maratha (even standing room became a privilege when the party after the presentation reached a crescendo, proving without doubt that Indiantelevision has its finger firmly on the pulse of the television industry. Veteran producers like Prem Kishen

    Malhotra of Cinevistaas rubbed shoulders with Star India senior VP, content and communciations Deepak Segal, MTV’s vice president, creative Cyrus Oshidar, CNBCTV18 executive director Vandana Malik….the list goes on.

    Cinevistaas’ Prem Kishen Malhotra collects his certificate from Rathikant Basu

    Shruti Ulfat, Divya Dutta and Raavee Gupta at the function
    The glamour factor was out in full force with practically all the major luminaries on the small screen marking their presence – from Mohnish Behl, Niki Aneja, Shweta Salve, Deepshikha, Shivaji Satam, Sudha Chandran, Pallavi Joshi, Asawari Joshi, Yatin Karyekar, Hiten Tejwani, Nausheen Ali Sardar, Shweta Keswani, Mihir Mishra, Hussain, Maanav Gohil and Shweta Kawatra, veejay Kim, Aly Khan, Varun Vadola, Arjun Punj, Shakti Anand, Karishma Tanna, Gurdeep Kohli, Roopali Ganguly, there was nary a name that could not have been spotted at the venue. 
    The broadcasters were represented healthily by Sony’s Anupama Mandloi, Star’s Deepak Segal and Channel V head Amar Deb, among others.

    Actor Kiran Karmarkar being presented his certificate by indiantelevision.com founder CEO Anil Wanvari
    Jury members including the venerable producer director Lekh Tandon, the gorgeous Kiran Juneja, filmmaker Rakesh Sharma, filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri, Mc Cann Erickson national creative director Prasoon Joshi, Broadcast Worldwide chairman Rathikant Basu, Javed Sayed gamely came up on stage when called by emcees Ali Asgar and Urvashi Dholakia to give away the certificates.

    Shweta Kawatra collecting her certificate from Rathikant Basu

     

    Child artiste Tanvi Hegde gets her certificate from veteran producer director Lekh Tandon

    The packed hall sat entranced through a presentation on the history of the Telly Awards and the acts that interspersed the presentation ceremony. As the evening wore on, several artistes, directors, technical heads and the creative types flowed in, eager to mingle with the chosen few and mark their presence at a function that so obviously belonged to the entire television fraternity.

  • Vikas Bhalla, Deepshikha as the newest surprise element in ‘Karishma…’

    MUMBAI: With the second launch slated for 25 August, Karishma- The Miracles of Destiny’s unit finally let its hair down at the launch party at J W Marriott on Monday night.
    Apart form the new banners and a fresh media publicity round; the show in its revamped avatar will also have some new faces in meatier roles. Amongst actor who have their roles refurbished are actor- singer Vikas Bhalla and film and television actor Deepshikha aka Kittie Party’s Kuku.


    Besides a colour change from reddish orange to sky blue, the promotional banners of the serial sport Bhalla’s face now. When asked why it was missing in the earlier promos, he pleaded ignorance and jocularly added that he was unaware that the show had been launched earlier. According to media sources, Bhalla has been on the shoot since day one, but his romantic track with Karishma has now been refurbished, hence the inclusion.
    Speaking about his character Arjun, Bhalla said: “He is the youngest Thakur who returns to his village after studying abroad. Being Devyani’s (the older Karishma) first love, he is the only pleasant memory of her childhood. She and he have been childhood buddies.” Vikas Bhalla who started his career as a film actor, later launched a music album and was last seen in Zee’s late night show Miit. His role was later handed to Hiten Tejwani. Besides starring in Karishma… he has also launched his second album, which according to him did average business. 
    When asked, he offered that his track with Karishma is to run for 60 episodes. The relationship between him and Karishma is a typical filmi rich boy-poor girl track, with him being a rich Thakur and she his house help. His elder brother kills him on the show, over property issues, thus adding some drama.
    While Vikas has been shooting since day one, media sources claim that Deepshikha has been signed just a few months ago. In an earlier interview, Deepshikha offered that her character would be introduced after 60 episodes, but news has it that her character is the surprise element on the show from day one.


    She is to play Devyani’s son Jay’s (played by Ayub Khan) mistress, settled in Dubai. After she is gets to know that he is already married to Resham Tipnis, settled in India, she packs her bag and flies down to India to claim her right a la Mandira in Kyunki….

  • ‘Kittie Party’s success is a victory for women: Shobhaa De

    ‘Kittie Party’s success is a victory for women: Shobhaa De

    MUMBAI: Women from smaller towns have reacted favourably to Kittie Party’s theme of female bonding! This statement by celebrity novelist, script writer, journalist and socialite Shobhaa De said it all on the occasion of the celebration bash of Kittie Party’s century of episodes on air.
     

    Sidhant Cinevision organised a get together at Mumbai’s Onyx resto pub for the entire unit of the serial which is aired on Zee TV in the prime time night slot. Spotted were the likes of Shobhaa De, Shveta Salve, Poonam Dhillon, Kavita Kapoor, Deepshikha, Kunika, Kiran Kumar, Raza Murad and several others adding to the glam appeal.
     

    Zee had launched Kittie Party on Monday, 19 August 2002. It revolves around the lives of eight women who meet every month. The serial explores their individual lives through these meetings. It is not just about bored rich hausfraus splurging their excess cash on the phenomenon called the ‘kitty party’.

    Shobhaa De with the cast of Kittie Party Writer Shobhaa De has sensitively brought out their honesty even as she brutally exposes their frailties, their obsession with class and their weakness for the rich life.

    While speaking to indiantelevision.com, writer De says: “People have reacted in a favourable manner and this response has come from metros as well as smaller towns such as Indore, Nagpur and Coimbatore. I have been surprised by the response from people in different walks of life. This proves that the premise of female bonding and women meeting one another to discuss their lives is being accepted in several places in the country.”

    Actress Poonam Dhillon echoes this sentiment and says that her role has been appreciated by women audiences including her near and dear ones. “Kittie Party reflects the aspirations and dreams of today’s Indian women,” she adds.

    Manish Goswami’s Sidhant Cinevision has left no stone unturned to give the show top notch production values. The look as well as the background score is of a uniformly high quality and certainly seems to have done justice to the estimated Rs 450,000 per episode cost of the series. Sidhant also hired a special art director to bring in the required element of gloss.

    “In this age when viewers tastes are changing rapidly, it was a challenge for us to create and sustain interest. Kittie Party is a unique serial and its characters are refreshingly bold, convincing and comfortable with their selves,” adds Goswami.

    “Since the situations are from every day life, audiences are able to identify the characters and the conflicts they deal with,” says a Zee spokesperson.

    De also took a swipe at the kind of fare that dominates prime time television, saying that the story was about issues relevant to today’s women and not the “saas-bahu sagas where the protagonists’ mindsets were 50 years behind the times.”

    Actor Kiran Kumar who plays the character of Manoviraj in Kittie Party adds: “It was dream come true to be associated with Shobha De as I am a great admirer of her work. My character is that of a progressive male who gives space to his women without being too dominating.”

    “As far as Kittie Party is concerned, the eight women appealed to me. Their characters are very identifiable. It’s like we see these women around us especially in urban society,” director Tamara Nedungudi.

    “No, I won’t say it has a limited appeal. I would say that every household will be able to strongly relate with at least one of the main characters in the show. That is what makes it appealing overall,” Nedungudi adds.

  • Zee takes on ‘Kahaani…’ with ‘Kittie Party’

    Zee takes on ‘Kahaani…’ with ‘Kittie Party’

    Fortune favours the brave. That could well be the tack that Zee Telefilms is taking as it attempts to pick itself off the floor as far as the ratings are concerned.

    With the full cast in tow and the show’s celebrity writer Shobhaa De present, Zee Telefilms director marketing Partha Pratim Sinha yesterday announced the launch of a daily soap Kittie Party slotted in the 10 to 10:30 pm band. Launching Monday, 19 August, Kittie Party is pitched directly against the Balaji blockbuster soap Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki that airs on Star Plus. 

    From left Poonam Dhillon, Deepshikha, Kavita Kapoor, Maya Alagh, Preeti Dayal, Shweta Salve, Pyomori, Achint Kaur The serial revolves around the lives of eight women who meet every month fore their kittie party. The serial explores their individual lives through these meetings. And what is it that Zee hopes will connect with the viewer. According to the release issued, “Since the situations are from every day life, audiences will be able to identify the characters and the conflicts they deal with.” 

    “But if there is one key factor that Zee hopes will bring in the audiences it must be one of aspiration. For though De was at pains to point out that it was not only people of a “certain class” (the rich and upwardly mobile) that would relate to the show, the evidence of the AV that was screened did not indicate otherwise. De also took a swipe at the kind of fare that dominates prime time television, saying that the story was about issues relevant to today’s women and not the “saas-bahu sagas where the protagonists’ mindsets were 50 years behind the times.”

    On the plus side, producer Manish Goswami’s Siddhant Cinevision has left no stone unturned to give the show top notch production values. The look as well as the background score is of a uniformly high quality and certainly seems to have done justice to the estimated Rs 450,000 per episode cost of the series. One cannot forget the high profile lead cast with the likes of Poonam Dhillon, Kavita Kapoor, Achint Kaur, Deepshikha and Maya Alagh, among others adding to the glam appeal. 

  • Zee takes on ‘Kahaani…’ with ‘Kittie Party’

    Zee takes on ‘Kahaani…’ with ‘Kittie Party’

    MUMBAI: Fortune favours the brave. That could well be the tack that Zee Telefilms is taking as it attempts to pick itself off the floor as far as the ratings are concerned.

     

    With the full cast in tow and the show’s celebrity writer Shobhaa De present, Zee Telefilms director marketing Partha Pratim Sinha yesterday announced the launch of a daily soap Kittie Party slotted in the 10 to 10:30 pm band. Launching Monday, 19 August, Kittie Party is pitched directly against the Balaji blockbuster soap Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki that airs on Star Plus.

     

    The serial revolves around the lives of eight women who meet every month fore their kittie party. The serial explores their individual lives through these meetings. And what is it that Zee hopes will connect with the viewer. According to the release issued, “Since the situations are from every day life, audiences will be able to identify the characters and the conflicts they deal with.”

     

    “But if there is one key factor that Zee hopes will bring in the audiences it must be one of aspiration. For though De was at pains to point out that it was not only people of a “certain class” (the rich and upwardly mobile) that would relate to the show, the evidence of the AV that was screened did not indicate otherwise. De also took a swipe at the kind of fare that dominates prime time television, saying that the story was about issues relevant to today’s women and not the “saas-bahu sagas where the protagonists’ mindsets were 50 years behind the times.”

     

    On the plus side, producer Manish Goswami’s Siddhant Cinevision has left no stone unturned to give the show top notch production values. The look as well as the background score is of a uniformly high quality and certainly seems to have done justice to the estimated Rs 450,000 per episode cost of the series. One cannot forget the high profile lead cast with the likes of Poonam Dhillon, Kavita Kapoor, Achint Kaur, Deepshikha and Maya Alagh, among others adding to the glam appeal.

  • SABe TV launches sitcom targeting youth

    SABe TV launches sitcom targeting youth

    A day after the Adhikari brothers’ SABe TV celebrated two years on air, the “relief channel” yesterday launched another rib-tickler – Doli Leke Aiyee Hai Dullhaniya. 

    Directed by Kanchan Adhikari, the serial hopes to strike a chord with younger audiences. The plot revolves around two brothers – Prabhakar and Pradeep – both of whom are opposed to marriage though for different reasons. Prabhakar, the elder one is prejudiced him against women, while Pradeep is a compulsive flirt and hence does not want to settle down. 

    Imran Khan, Raju Kher, Sunil Tawde, Makesh Thakur & Deepshikha in Doli Leke Aiyee Hai Dullhaniya

    Says Kanchan Adhikari: “In the case of a comedy, it is very important that the initial episodes hold up the laughter and concretely establish all characters, hence the first few episodes will focus on Prabhakar’s dilemma – his prejudice against marriage and the attempts of everybody to get him married. Of course, each episode will throw up an interesting incident around this theme. Later on we will deviate towards other aspects.” 

    Kanchan Adhikari, who has also directed SABe TV’s sitcom Abhi To Main Jawan Hoon and Damini (DD Sahyadri’s top soap), among others, says that even though she likes to work on different genres, she took up Doli Leke  because this is the age of comedies and a good comedy tends to keep a viewer rapt more than a soap can.

    If the preview of the first episode is anything to go by, SABe TV may well have an ace up its sleeve this summer.