Big TV shows fade off too soon!

The time band and viewership logic always had had its impact on the longevity of telly shows. The first half of 2013 just indicated in terms of numbers how promotional gimmicks and much hype didn't quite do wonders for the subsequent show TVTs. While there are too many speculations doing the rounds, here's a list of shows which struck the small screen with a promotional blitzkrieg, but something else on the timeband stole their thunder. Na Bole Tum Na Maine Kuch Kaha 2 To go off air to accommodate Bigg Boss 7 Launch date: January 14, 2013 Promotional gimmick:The Season 2 of Na Bole... raised a toast to the concept of seasons of fiction shows on Indian television. Fans of Season 1 waited in anticipation as the promotional teasers hit the telly screen. Great expectations: The Season 2 promised the evolution of characters and leaps leading to new and young characters, which made the audience expect more layered performance and a well scripted story. Telly takes: A seemingly lackluster punch owing to a weak script didn't garner as much viewership points as one expected. Chhanchhan: To go off air Launch date: March 25, 2013 Promotional gimmick: Countless teasers and outdoor campaigns announcing the perky protagonist Chhanchhan's arrival gave the impression that the show was going to be a game changer. Great expectations: Sanaya Irani's popularity wave post the success of Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon? and her oomph factor were supposed to give the show its required USP coupled with the script. Telly takes: No formula seems to have upped the viewership number with neither the onscreen chemistry of the lead couple, nor replacement strategy of the male lead brought any improvement in viewership ratings. Saraswatichandra: Under the scanner Launch date: February, 25 2013 Promotional gimmick: Sanjay Leela Bhansali's telly offering adapted from the eponymous novel Saraswatichandra and depicted in quite a contemporary way. Teasers and promotional activities that launched the show as the romantic epilogue offering more telly spice to the audience. Great expectations: The subtleties and the layers in different characters were certainly what the launch promised. Not to mention the screen chemistry between the lead couple played by Gautam Rode and Jennifer Winget. Telly takes: The script is finding it difficult to garner the much required TVTs. The much hyped keep-a-distance romance between Saras and Kumud seemed to have done little to the show. Bani..Ishq Da Kalma: Under the scanner Launch date: March 18, 2013 Promotional gimmick: Below the line promotional activities that included reaching to millions of young girls has what hit the headlines before the launch. The show also caught many telly lovers' attention because of the controversy surrounding the title of the show which was changed from Gurbani to Bani.. Ishq Da Kalma. Great expectations: The show was touted as the next big thing to be hitting the small screen which could give other shows in the same time band a run for their money and ad revenues. Telly takes: Not so impressive TVT put enormous pressure on the crew to come up with something new in each and every episode, leading to an unpredictable chain to twists in the show, with no fringe benefits. Sanskaar...Dharohar Apnon Ki To go off air to accommodate Bigg Boss 7 Launch date: January 14, 2013 Promotional gimmick: Besan ki laddoo prepared with love by the protagonist's mother during various promotional tours and outdoor campaigns spreading the message of love hidden in mother's laddoos did grab attention. Great expectations: Jay Soni's come back venture after Sasural Gendaphool and Aruna Irani's emphatic presence as the strong willed Ba sounded promising reasons to watch the show. Telly takes: After an impressive start, the show had to weather all the possible conditions of showbiz - lead replacements, TVT trouble etc. etc. Savitri: Under the scanner Launch date: February 18, 2013 Great expectations: A show that has oodles of tech edge through the visual and sound effects, Savitri was launched as a show to watch out for. Telly takes: Neither the special effects nor the new lead couple (Ashish Kapoor and Riddhi Dogra) seem to have helped the show sustain the viewership rigours. It's weathered the worst prime time blues that included time band shift and a possible exit. Junoon Aisi Nafrat Toh Kaisa Ishq Fate : Uncertain Launch date: November 5, 2012 Promotional gimmick: The popular formula of rural meets the urban packaged refreshingly and a lot of promotional activities created nterest about the show. Great expectations: Mouni Roy and Aditya Redij as the lead couple had much froth to offer. The latter's track record as a promising hero in Na Ana Is Des Lado also took the expectation level to another level. Telly takes: Even Sara Khan's entry and the doppelganger act of Aditya Redij didn't capture audience's hearts. The show is struggling to prove its mettle on the time band. Anamika: To go off air Launch date: November 26, 2012 Promotional gimmick: With teasers and promotional campaigns unveiling the uncanny chudail in the lead couple's life, the show promos did all they can to grab eyeballs. Great expectations: A thriller that also talks about love and life's tribulations, it was the premise of more action and suspense that one expected from the show. Telly takes: After a span of decent ratings, the show's popularity dwindled owing to reason not well pronounced. Replacement of the female lead only lead to more audience disconnect.

Taarak Mehta Ka Oolta Chashma having fun at Sabarmati riverfront

The cast and crew of one of the popular comedy show Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah were in Ahmedabad recently to shoot an episode. The shoot, which was carried out at the Sabarmati riverfront, saw the lead actors Dilip Joshi aka Jethalal and Disha Vakani aka Daya enjoying a motorboat ride apart from having some more fun moments. Actors Mayur Vakani (Sundarlal) and Daya Shankar Pandey (Inspector Chalo Pandey) were also present at the shoot. As word spread, many gathered to catch their favourite stars live in action. And in between shots, Disha spoke to TOI while adding final touches to her make-up. She said, "This is the first time we are shooting outdoors and I am thoroughly enjoying it." At this, Dilip added with a smile, "Who will not enjoy so many free boat rides!" Talking about the popularity of the show, Disha said, "We have entered the sixth year of the show and the audiences' love for us is only increasing by the day. Hum toh jaise unke ghar ke sadasya ban gaye hai." Dilip added, "I am proud to be a part of this show. This is the first comedy show that has beaten the popularity of daily soaps. As an actor, it is an achievement for us because an actor thrives for such love from the audience and the popularity of their shows." About shooting at the riverfront, producer Asit Modi said, "I always dreamt of shooting here. For Raksha bandhan, we thought of giving something special to the viewers so we decided to give a unique treatment to the episode. Although we have shot a number of times in Ahmedabad, giving variety to audiences is important for us. That way, we also give respect to the region. Humara bhi mann hota hai yahan baar baar shoot karne ka kyunki logo ka cooperation milta hai." The fun and masti continued long after the shoot got over.

Gautam Gulati gone crazy for London

Handsome hunk Gautam Gulati who is seen as Vikram in Shashi Sumeet Mittal's popular show Diya Aur Baati Hum on Star Plus is happy about the love and appreciation he has received from the Indians residing in London while he went there for an event. Gautam recently had a fun time attending the Ame Gujrati Event which held in the Wembley Stadium, London. He was supposed to attend the event along with his co-stars Neelu Vaghela and Deepika Singh but both of them couldn't make it putting the entire responsibilty to make the audience happy. Gautam went ahead for the event and attracted a huge gathering of 5000 people there. Sharing his experience about the event, he told us, "It was an event which was organized by the Gujrati and Punjabi community which resides in London. It was a very good experience for me and I felt so good for attending the event. Earlier the public was not happy as among three of us, two couldn't join but later everything went well, as I started talking with them and asking questions. I was very real with all of them and they too asked me a lot of questions about me and my character, to which I replied in a witty way. I danced with them; I played Garba and even tapped my feet on songs like Munni Badnaam and Sheila Ki Jawani, as per their wish. I was very friendly with the public and so were they. The entire gathering wished to click pictures with me and I clicked lots of pictures with them." Getting a good response from the public, the organizers made Gautam to sign a special event contract with them and Gautam will soon be visiting London again for such an event. Gautam is crazy about London and says, "I am crazy about that country after seeing so much of love and respect from the people. It feels great when people say that they wish to see more of me in the show. I am back to shoot for the people and I have found the people of London very sweet. Overall it was a very good event." Great going Gautam!

Yukta Mookhey, Amisha Patel deny Bigg Boss entry!

Actresses Yukta Mookhey and Amisha Patel have denied reports about being part of the Bigg Boss reality show. Yukta said, "I have declined the 9th time.'' Yukta is presently in a legal wrangle with her husband and has been living in Mumbai with her child. Even Amisha Patel too said the same about clarifying it about not be participating in the show. Though there are no confirmation some of the names that have come up are Pratyusha Banerji, Kamya Punjabi, Kushal Tandon and a cricketer. Salman Khan has been hosting Bigg Boss for the four years now. Bigg Boss 7 will start from mid-September.

Disha Parmar became a part of a noble cause for Anti Rape

The pretty actress Disha Parmar who is seen playing the role of Pankhudi in Rajshri Productions daily soap Pyaar Ka Dard Hai...Meetha Meetha Pyaara Pyaara... on Star Plus, joins the human chain on the streets of Mumbai who were protesting for a noble cause for Anti rape. As we all say that we should be a part of a good cause and try to bring in a change as much as we can was no different for Disha Parmar who spent few hours on Sunday protesting for anti rape cause which was held by a few youngsters from college. When we got in touch with Disha Parmar on the same, she said "I had an off and I was coming home after lunch in a restaurant in town. While passing by, I saw around some 50 college students with big posters in their hands which had a message against rape and comments that are made nowadays on girls wearing short dress and skirts." Further she said, "I found it a good initiative to be a part of and I thought to stop my car and join them. I supported them and was with them for a while and became a part of such a noble initiative." "I was very happy being a part of the noble cause which was initiated by the college students" she concluded. If every person comes down and join hands for such noble causes then it will surely do wonders!

Jee le Zara’ trends No. 1 on Twitter

Entertainment Television has captured the digital space with the premiere of Kehta hain dil...Jee le zara on August 15, 2013. The show starring Sangeeta Ghosh as the female lead, created a lot of buzz among the twitterati becoming the No. 1 trending topic nationwide. Jee le zara was the No. 1 trending topic in India with over 7700 tweets and nearly 5.37 million people joining the conversation. The success of the show can be made out from this point that it was amongst the No. 1 trending topic twice on August 15. The #Jee le zara moment contest also helped propel its viewership. This is not all! The social space also buzzed with tweets from bollywood celebrities. Abhishek Bachchan, Priyanka Chopra, Riteish Deshmukh, Mini Mathur, Nikhil Advani were amongst the many who congratulated and wished the show all the best. The digital medium is the new platform for show premieres,and SET has successfully used this medium with the launch of this show. So look out for more in this space.

Theater: Border (1997)

In the year 1971 the Indian army has been sent to a deserted place in Longewala region of Punjab to war with the Pakistani Army. Under the command of Major Kuldeep Singh (Sunny Deol), 120 Indian soldiers patrol the desert to keep a check on the Pakistani army. But the Pakistani battalion is over 2000 soldiers strong, consisting of war tanks and all the ammunition needed to crush the Indian army. Now, 120 soldiers have to hold an entire night against 2000 Pakistani soldiers till help arrives in the morning. The Higher command orders Major Kuldeep Singh to retreat as it was impossible to fight. Major Kuldeep Singh and his battalion refuse to fall back and stand their ground to fight hordes of enemies till death. With every soldier having a tale to tell, a family to love, they must protect their country at any cost and fight to supremacy and win the Indo-Pak war.