On
27 September showmanship scaled amazing heights
when film-maker Vashu Bhagnani released the music
of his last venture Out Of Control (Ritesh
Deshmukh, Hrishita Bhatt, Brande Roderick) in an
aircraft, en route to Delhi. The producer hired
an entire aircraft of Air Sahara to launch the music
of the film mid-air. From the boarding cards to
the head rests in the aircraft - everything had
the logo of the film embossed. Besides, cloth banners
of the film were put up at the entrance of the domestic
airport (Santacruz in Mumbai).
Then,
came producer Manmohan Shetty with his new film's
launch, Waqt- A Race Against Time on 24 November,
at Mumbai's Juhu Beach! Starring Amitabh Bachchan,
Akshay Kumar, Priyanka Chopra, Paresh Rawal and
Rajpal Yadav, the film is being produced by Blockbuster
Movie Entertainers and presented by Manmohan Shetty,
Kishore Lulla and Sunil Lulla.
| If
the film industry can get innovative, why should
the television industry lag behind? So thought
Ekta Kapoor and Sony Entertainment Television.
On 21 December, Balaji |
 |
Telefilms'
new serial Kkoi Dil Mein Hai was launched
amidst 'promised' fanfare at a surprising venue-
Mikanos, a happening discotheque in Mumbai.
The
evening was flagged off by a few games which the
DJ played with the youngsters around. After a while,
a huge cake was cut - it was Karishma Tanna's birthday
(Psst... thought of asking her which one, but let
it pass!). After a few snacks and drinks, we were
served the screening of the first episode.
 |
Every
10 minutes, the DJ (not that we can recall his
name!!) gave us a break and asked questions
on the serial. 'Watch it with attention, you
dare not drown yourself with more pegs' - was
the message. Anyways... |
| Mikanos
DJ with Poorva Gokhle at the Kkoi Dil Mein
Hai party |
Every
10 minutes, the DJ (not that we can recall his name!!)
gave us a break and asked questions on the serial.
'Watch it with attention, you dare not drown yourself
with more pegs' - was the message. Anyways...
We
cannot go by the guys and gals who were asked 'Kaisa
Lag Raha Hai?' by the DJ. They 'had to' gush, we
believe. So we kept our ears open. The hushed whispers
behind our backs revealed that the serial had been
accepted, but people found it a bit too similar
to Saaya and Jassi. Saaya;
because this too has two friends as different as
chalk and cheese and Jassi; because the episode
starkly preached that beauty lies within, simplicity
is the essence of life, blah, blah, blah...
The
crème de la crème of the Balaji camp
were conspicuous by their absence. So the party
was sans Ekta Kapoor, Jeetendra, Shobha Kapoor and
Nim Sood. Neither did any of the leading cast of
Ekta's other serials grace the occasion, though
earlier we had been told that they would.
|
We
saw only Karishma Tanna (in a tight black
top and the same black skirt which she wore
throughout the inaugural episode!) who made
a hurried exit as soon as the screening was
over.
She said she wanted to celebrate her birthday
in 'Bombay Blues'.
|
 |
| SET
India executive VP Sunil Lulla, actors Poorva
Gokhle & Karishma Tanna at Mikanos |
Also present at the party were Poorva Gokhle (in
a white top with a pink tight pant), glamorous Ashlesha
Sawant (Kahiin To Hoga and ex-Kyunki Saas
Bhi Bahu Thi) looking like a million dollars,
model-turned-actress Suchitra Pillai (wonder what
was she doing there? Her film coffers are not full.
Is she going to lean on television? Are we going
to see her in the serial as fashionable Karishma
Tanna's friend, just like we saw Mandira Bedi adding
glamour in Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin for a while?),
Aditya Dongra (Addi of Kyun Hota Hai Pyarrr)
and Sandeep B (who plays the guy sandwiched between
the two friends in this show).
The
music was good, but hardly anybody took to the dance
floor to shake a leg.
The
mercury had dipped when we drove back home, nearing
midnight. The 'thanda' attendance had compounded
the chill.
