Factual
‘Plain Jane’ Mona to play Jassi?
MUMBAI: Mona who? That could well be the question on everyone’s lips when Sony Entertainment Television India unveils on Monday the face it hopes will spell TRP magic for its big ticket item for 2003 Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin.
And even as SET is keeping the girl well under wraps (with just a peek of her hair and eyebrows in a front page cover photo in today’s Bombay Times), indiantelevision.com learns that the lead in the series is a fresh face named Mona (Singh?), an unknown who is having her first exposure to television. Going by the way the sneak peek was offered today, expect a picture of the girl in Monday’s edition of Bombay Times, the day the show launches in the 9:30 prime time slot.
But a caveat here. indiantelevision.com had earlier missed the mark on who plays the lead Jasmeet ‘Jassi’ Walia in the show so we may again be proved wrong. However, the name has been given to us from multiple sources so the odds are that we’re right this time round.
The rumour mills have been fed with a number of possible names from the showbiz world but in the end SET and show producer Tony Singh opted for a genuine “plane Jane” to play Jassi, according to industry sources. Of the names that were thrown at indiantelevision.com, it was model and MTV veejay Nafisa Joseph that had the strongest buzz around it. But in the end it proved a red herring. Among the other names that came up were Rakshanda Khan (who plays Mallika in the series) and even recent UK import and Bollywood aspirant Katrina Kaif.
So what is Mona aka Jassi like? Informed sources say the most striking feature of the character is that she is not at all striking. She is no bombshell who is going to have a pair of spectacles and braces to “uglify” her but your regular girl next door who is tomboyish to boot.
The message driven home as the series develops will be that beauty lies within. A line that is reinforced in the banners across the city advertising the show: “Beautiful women are easy to find, but there is only one Jassi.”
The choice of lead appears to reaffirm just that.
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Will Jassi turn the prime time tide for Sony?
MUMBAI: India’s most famous hot seat is about to welcome an unlikely first-timer. For the first time on Hindi general entertainment television, industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla will appear on Kaun Banega Crorepati, the iconic quiz show hosted by Amitabh Bachchan.
The special episode marks a rare meeting point of boardroom heft and prime-time television, bringing one of India’s most influential business leaders face to face with the country’s most enduring screen legend. It is a crossover that blends intellect, leadership and popular culture, all under KBC’s familiar spotlight.
Birla’s appearance dovetails neatly with the show’s current theme, Jahaan Akal Hai, Wahan Akad Hai, which celebrates the confidence that comes from clarity of thought and knowledge. His presence lends weight to the idea that sharp thinking and conviction are as vital in life as they are in the quiz chair.
In a thoughtful conversation with Bachchan, Birla shared an upbeat view of India’s economic journey, pointing to the nation’s rapid growth and the scale of opportunity opening up across industries and communities. He spoke of momentum, ambition and a future shaped by enterprise and ideas.
The episode is not all serious talk. In lighter moments, Birla confessed his long-standing admiration for Bachchan, calling him his favourite actor and admitting to a touch of nervousness at answering questions in front of the Shahenshah himself. The candour adds a human touch to a man more often seen in headlines than on television sets.
The special episode airs on Monday, 29 December at 9.00 pm on Sony Entertainment Television and Sony LIV.
