Category Archives: TV

Anusha Mishra: From Flab to Fab – it’s all on the inside!

Moti. Gol matol. Laddu. Football…these are some of the names I have been called by people. Yes, you guessed it right. I am overweight. Worse still, a young, unmarried girl who is overweight. And the society has a massive problem with it. Why? Because ‘fat’ people are only supposed to be ridiculed and made fun of. That is what we have been taught, haven’t we? We laughed at Tun Tun. We laughed at Guddi Maruti. We laughed at Bharti Singh. Why? Because they’re all fat women, which makes them less of a woman and more of a joke to be laughed at.

We look at jiggly arms and dimpled thighs and flabby tummies and we are taught to feel disgusted by them. We revere washboard abs. Young girls are often made to look up to the girls in perfect shape, not by their own choice but by societal pressure. Trying to fit into that most admired group of girls, these little ones barely in their adolescence, resort to starving themselves. It is already a depressing state watching your body change, not for good and this is something I myself went through a few years ago. Hectic work schedules and irregular eating habits contributed in me gaining a tremendous amount of weight in a short span of time, which also led to me being depressed and tensed for myself. So, having been through that situation, I know it isn’t easy to deal with, especially when the people closest to you are the ones giving you an even harder time while you battle through this change. But I rose above all of that only because I knew what is worth paying attention to and what isn’t and that exactly is my message to all the young girls out there.

Our body is our pride and we need to be in a position to accept it. While people will always find a reason to walk up to you and somehow tell you about your not-so-perfect body size, ignore it. The only one who should be comfortable about your body is you. I have always been pointed out for my weight, even by my mother or ‘concerned’ aunties who would just come and say “you’ve changed a lot”. I knew how to decode that into “Oh, you’ve gained a lot of weight” but I didn’t care enough to feel offended because I was confident with my body. I love my body the way it is. And thanks to this very body, today I have been given this incredible opportunity of becoming an actress. I was chosen by Sony SAB to play the lead character in ‘Tera Kya Hoga Alia’ thanks to this very supposedly flawed body of mine. And honestly, nothing could make me happier.

I hope that through this character of Alia, I am able to reach out to these young girls to help them understand that their true worth does not depend on how they look on the outside but rather on who they are on the inside! Because I know there must be a lot of young girls who don’t think they’re pretty enough, or thin enough or well, just worthy enough because that’s what the world has been telling them until now. Its important to live a healthy life but do not starve yourself to fit in, in what this society perceives ‘as perfect’. Don’t let the size of your waist decide what you eat, wear or do because confidence will make you happier than any diet ever will.

Will Rama marry Princess Devyani on Sony SAB’s Tenali Rama?

Sony SAB’s widely acclaimed historical fiction show, Tenali Rama has kept its audience hooked to the screens with new and unexpected twists and turns. Following Rati Pandey’s entry in the show as Princess Devyani, the show is high on drama, wit and humour where the viewers will witness Bhaskar (Krishna Bharadwaj) disguised as Rama in his wittiest element in a bid to save the future of Vijayanagar.

The Princess of Jamvant, Devyani, challenges Rama to solve the riddles presented by her and if Rama fails to answer the riddles correctly, the Kingdom of Jamvant will declare war on Vijayanagar. Rama in order to save Vijayanagar accepts her challenge in front of the entire darbaar. Impressed by Rama’s wit and intelligence, Princess Devyani falls in love with him and makes a shocking addition to the terms of the challenge that states – “if Rama answers all the riddles correctly, he will have to get married to me.”

Rama is in a deep dilemma where he can either save his kingdom or save himself. How will Rama find his way out of this marriage proposal at the same time save Vijayanagar from the looming threat of destruction? Or will the wedding bells ring for Rama and Devyani?

Krishna Bharadwaj, essaying the role of Rama said, “Rama is at a crossroad which directs him to two diagonally opposite paths, neither of which he wants to take. Princess Devyani has put Rama in a tough spot which will either lead to a wedding or to a war. In the upcoming episodes, the viewers will witness the best of Rama’s wit and it will be exciting to watch if he will be able to save himself and Vijayanagar from this looming terror of Princess Devyani.”

Kya Rama ki jayegi baarat? To know more, keep watching Tenali Rama every Monday-Friday at 7:30pm only on Sony SAB

Tanvi Dogra takes the fasting route to essay devotee’s role in &TV’s Santoshi Maa- Sunaye Vrat Kathayein

The concept of fasting has majorly been driven by religious values but with time, it has become widely popular for various health benefits across the globe. While spiritual connection might be one of the reasons to consider, the health factor behind this route has often been the highlight for many to opt for this lifestyle. Actress Tanvi Dogra who has played varied roles across television is a new member to the regular fasting club and is on her ‘game on’ mode to try the intermittent fasting route. Soon to essay an ardent Santoshi Maa devotee’s character in &TV’s new socio-mythological fiction, Santoshi Maa – Sunaye Vrat Kathayein, Tanvi says that taking up the challenge of fasting is one of the ways for prepping for her character.

A spiritual person at heart, Tanvi has been keeping an occasional fast for religious reasons since the last 2 years. Having heard of the various health benefactors, the actress decided to challenge herself to keeping regular fasts, consuming just a single wholesome meal during the day. Busting the various myths surrounding fasting, Tanvi said, “The biggest myth I have heard is that fasting is as good as starving and I feel that’s a misconception. To me, fasting is not just keeping yourself away from food but also mentally keeping your mind pure and away from negativity. It is a process of detoxifying yourself by opening one’s mind to fresh and positive thoughts.”

Actress Tanvi DograSpeaking about a routine she has developed, Tanvi said, “I have recently started intermittent fasting regularly where I begin my day by meditating for 10 minutes. During the entire day, I literally carry a bottle of water with me and keep drinking plenty of water to keep myself hydrated. Because I shoot for long hours, I decided to keep 1 meal of my day during lunch where I eat a healthy, nutritious and filling meal that would keep me for going for a while.” Adding further about her reason to begin, Tanvi said, “Initially I had slight apprehensions before stepping into this character primarily because I was unsure of how to really depict the spiritual person within me. Following the fasting norms somewhere helps me delve into the skin of the character while the meditation helps me a maintain the spiritual connection. It’s a challenge which I hope to excel in.”

Known as the Goddess of love, peace, sacrifice, goodwill, and contentment, Santoshi Maa possesses many mystical powers and is believed to spend most of her time on earth where she helps her devotees bring order to their disorder. Bringing back the magic with a new tale on how Santoshi Maa instills the true reasons and beliefs behind fasting and proper ways of worshiping, &TV is set to launch its new socio-mythology show Santoshi Maa – Sunaye Vrat Kathayein that conveys a strong message of ultimate triumph for the sincerely devoted. Making a comeback as the mythological figure of Santoshi Maa will be Bollywood actress Gracy Singh while essaying the character of her ardent devotee, Swati will be actress Tanvi Dogra.

Santoshi Maa – Sunaye Vrat Kathayein coming soon on &TV

Gracy Singh back to the Goddess character with &TV’s Santoshi Maa – Sunaye Vrat Kathayein

With the unprecedented success of Santoshi Maa launched in 2015 on &TV, the channel is yet again happy to bring to the viewers a socio-mythology show titled – Santoshi Maa – Sunaye Vrat Kathayein, new narrative set to focus on a completely different aspect of Vrat Kathayein, that hasn’t been explored before. Well known actress Gracy Singh is known as an artist and individual who has a sweet, gracious and poised demeanour and has successfully mesmerised audiences across Television as well as Bollywood industry overtime and continues to do so even today. Extremely mindful of the kind of roles she has taken up over the years, Gracy will now, once again be seen returning to the television screen with the role of Santoshi Maa in &TV’s offering.

Santoshi Maa – Sunaye Vrat Kathayein brings forth a strong theme and originates from Maa instilling the true purpose and beliefs behind fasting and proper ways of worshiping in order to fulfil wishes. Through Santoshi Maa, the show will present diverse beliefs and practices behind the emergence of every vrat (fasting), stating the proper means to worship to attain satisfaction. Talking about taking up the divine role once again Gracy shared, “Fans and well-wishers keep asking me the reason I take up only select roles when I am constantly offered various roles. Well, the reason is that with every character, I look for something deep that I can connect with on a personal level. The character of Maa Santoshi in my first stint with &TV’s Jai Santoshi Maa was extremely fulfilling for me and to bring out the essence once again is surreal. Playing a divine character isn’t easy, but there’s an inexplainable positivity that it brings along. With Santoshi Maa – Sunaye Vrat Kathayein, I hope the viewers will appreciate the effort each one of us puts in.”

Further adding Gracy said, “My affinity towards Maa Santoshi is what brings me back to the character, and I couldn’t be more happier accepting this. The show will focus on the importance of Vrats in our lives and how it can be used as a weapon to fight all our troubles and adversities”.

Celebrating the innate divinity and showcasing the power of Vrats through a beautiful narrative, the show is all set to take the audience on a journey of spiritual satisfaction.

Santoshi Maa – Sunaye Vrat Kathayein coming soon only on &TV

Raj Singh once again turns Naarad on television

From playing the lead in many notable drama shows to attempting his acting skills by playing big bad negative characters, well-known television actor Raj Singh began his career experimenting with negative roles before finding his comfort space with the mythology genre. The actor has been essaying the mythological character of, Naarad Muni for the last two years and is once again set to play the character in &TV’s new mythological fiction show, Kahat Hanuman…Jai Shree Ram, produced by Peninsula Pictures.

Talking about picking this character once again, Raj said, “I have been doing mythological shows for the last three years and the character of Naarad has stayed with me for quite long now. People recognize me more as the character than with my original identity. Frankly, that makes me swell with pride as it says a lot about my art. I have always loved this character for its nature, personality and intelligence and considered it to be one of my strengths.”

Commenting on his comfort and love for mythological shows, Raj said, “While doing drama shows on and off, I have played quite a few negative characters. I have come to believe that positive characters are highly respected. Mythological shows in general are finite in nature and never follow a similar plot line which always gives viewers a variation in content and a different perspective to look forward to. In so many ways they help give a glimpse of our mythological history to the younger generation who are mostly exposed to content via television. While I would love to take up drama again, my fans have thoroughly enjoyed seeing me as Naarad and maybe someday I wish to play the lead in a full-fledged show on this character.”

An incarnation of the powerful and supreme Lord Shiva, Lord Hanuman was created as the most powerful being on earth with a certain purpose and potential. Defining this purpose while giving viewers a glimpse of the tale between Lord Shiva and the invincible evil Ravana, Kahat Hanuman… Jai Shri Ram on &TV will narrate the story of Lord Hanuman’s origin. It is set to take the viewers on an interesting mythological journey of how Bal Hanuman eventually emerges as the greatest devotee of Lord Ram and manages to bring a successful end to Ravana’s reign of terror.

Kahat Hanuman Jai Shri Ram coming soon on &TV!

Alasmine ka Ishqnama’ on Sony SAB’s Aladdin: Naam Toh Suna Hoga

Love is in the air as Aladdin (Siddharth Nigam) and Yasmine’s (Avneet Kaur) love blooms again on Sony SAB’s Aladdin: Naam Toh Suna Hoga. Previously, the couple witnessed a tragic end to their dreamy journey together and the upcoming episodes are set to reunite this adorable couple. Alasmine continues to receive immense love and appreciation for their striking chemistry on the television screen and the episodes further will witness the much awaited reunion of these love birds as Yasmine finally comes to know Ali’s truth.

Yasmine has grave doubts on Zafar’s (Aamir Dalvi) intentions and is now on a quest to expose the conspiracy behind her father’s murder. Zafar is on a mission to open the doors of Raaz-e-Kainaat. While he succeeds to open the first door, it reveals Haiwaan-E-Hiblis, the Devil from the hell (Vinit Kakkar). In a shocking turn of events, Hiblis escapes Son Minar and Zafar in a fit of rage reveals that his efforts of killing the King and framing Aladdin for the murder didn’t help him achieve his goal, while being totally unaware that Yasmine who was following him has witnessed his confessions.

Shehzadi Yasmine after learning the truth is broken and as she heads to confront Zafar and Ginoo (Raashul Tandon), Ali stops her from putting herself in danger by openly confronting Zafar. The couple break into a fight just like old times where Ali addresses Yasmine as ‘Nakchaddi’, revealing his true identity as Aladdin.

How will Yasmine react? Will the love birds be together again?

Siddharth Nigam, essaying the role of Ali aka Aladdin said, “Aladdin and Yasmine are meant to be, although the story is on an intense point where Zafar is trying to reveal the Raaz-e-Kainaat, this reunion will bring an unexpected turn. After all that Alasmine has been through, the viewers will enjoy this Ishqnama. So stay tuned as Ali finally reveals his true identity to the love of his life.”

Avneet Kaur, essaying the role of Yasmine said, “There is a lot happening around Yasmine as she will comes to know her father’s real killer. Her world is shattering and learning Ali’s identity will bring a new twist to the story. I really enjoyed shooting for this much awaited reunion and I am eagerly waiting for our viewers’ reactions. So stay tuned to watch how Yasmine reacts after being called Nakchaddi after so long.”

Watch the gorgeous duo, Alasmine, as they take you through their Ishqnama on Aladdin: Naam Toh Suna Hoga every Monday – Friday at 9pm only on Sony SAB

Kunal Jaisingh ups his style game the Gold Awards

Gold Awards honour the best performers of Indian television every year. Actor Kunal Jaisingh won the Award for the Most Stylish Actor (OTT). Kunal Jaisingh who is best known for playing Omkara Singh Oberoi in ‘Ishqbaaaz’ ‘Dil Bole Oberoi’ and in Voot’s Silsila Badalte Rishton Ka looked dapper in a custom made 3 piece Brocade patterned Tuxedo with matte gold buttons and an embroidered black and gold pocket square by designer label Anj. His wife Bharati, looked stunning in a Black pleated gown with an embroidered waist belt by the same designer.

The couple was styled by Stylist Neema Lulla, outfit designed by Anj and the hair and makeup was done by Bandra’s luxury salon A’Kreations Hair & Beyond.

&TV’s Paramavatar Shri Krishna completes a milestone of 600 episodes

From depicting the chronicles of the notorious ‘Makhan Chor’ to presenting the most incredible war of Hindu mythology for the first time on television, ‘The Mahabharata’,  &TV’s magnum opus, Paramavatar Shri Krishna has kept the audience captivated since its’ first episode and has risen to be a stellar entertainer to viewers across age groups ever since.  Completing 600 glorious episodes this year, the makers decided to bring forth a small celebration to commemorate the love and popularity that they have received over the last three years.

Joining in the celebration were the new family members of the show, Ssudeep Sahir (Lord Krishna), Hunar Hale (Rukmani) and Daya Shankar Pandey (Sudama) who along with the makers celebrated the new milestone with a cake cutting ceremony.

From making his debut appearance in mythology to now essaying characters of three different lords in the same show, Ssudeep has come a long way in the last few months and could not be more excited to celebrate this occasion. Expressing his joy, the actor shared, “It a proud moment for all of us as we celebrate 600 episodes. Personally, I owe a lot to this show as it has given me a wonderful opportunity to explore different roles. Paramavatar Shri Krishna is my first mythological show and I have learned a lot from portraying a mythological character. It is a completely different experience from the usual character-based roles. I began fresh and with no experience in mythology and today, I can say that not only I have enhanced my acting skills through this show but also have managed to master essaying mythological characters on screen. Each day I am learning and incredibly delighted to be a part of this journey. 600 is just the beginning for us and I think we have a long way to go. Kudos to the entire team on this achievement!”

Commenting on the journey so far, Producers of Peninsula Pictures, Alind Srivastava and Nissar Parvej said, “Our show Paramavatar Shri Krishna has successfully completed 600 episodes today and what better way than the auspicious day of Navratri and Durga Puja to reach this milestone. We are very delighted, and we will continue to bring forth beautiful stories around Lord Krishna and his life. We are glad the audience has accepted our show and we appreciate that. To mark this day, we will be having a cake cutting celebration on our set with the entire cast and crew”

Here’s to a wonderful 600!

Tune in to watch Paramavatar Shri Krishna on &TV from Monday to Friday at 8.30 pm

Ishita Ganguly takes 6 hours to take the incarnation of Mother Kali

The recently launched new Mytho show “Jag Janani Maa Vaishno Devi – Kahani Mata Rani Ki’on Star Bharat is being well liked by the audience. In this show, Maa Kali is playing TV actress Ishita Ganguly. Ishita takes almost 6 make-ups to take the incarnation of Mother Kali.

Ishita has won the hearts of the audience with her best performance in many shows before. She has also worked in history and Mytho shows before. Her performance has won accolades among the audience

Ishita Ganguly has to do heavy makeup to take the incarnation of Maa Kali, which takes her almost 6 hours. Ishita performance is worth watching. When spoken to the talented actress she said,“ A lot of goes to get ready for the character but when I am in the character I feel energized and pumped up. I am really enjoying the character and hope the audience will shower love for the show and for the character.”

In such a situation, it is expected that after so much hard work of Ishita Ganguly, her mother Kali’s avatar will definitely be liked by the audience.

Keep watching ‘Jag Janani Maa Vaishno Devi’ – Kahani Mata Rani’s show Monday to Saturday at 9.30 pm only on Star India.

Avtaar-Vidya’s onscreen brother-sister bonding finds a connect with audiences

TV actress Meera Deosthale, who is currently playing the lead in the TV show Vidya, as Vidya Singh, shares a great rapport with her onscreen brother Avtaar Singh aka Kunwar Vikrant Singh. Vikrant is enacting the role of a politician and he is also very protective about his sister Vidya in the show. While the two enact brother-sister bonding onscreen, it has been confirmed that the two share a great camaraderie off-screen too and have fun bonding on the sets. They crack jokes and share a great level of comfort which translates onscreen.

Ratings clearly prove that audiences love watching the beautiful bond that Avatar and Vidya share in the show.  Their work is winning rave reviews with audiences.

The brother-sister bonding has been appreciated by audiences well and there will be much more that will come up in the form of twists and turns in the brother-sister relationship in the show.