| Star One has suddenly become a happening channel. Nach Baliye continues to do the dance of the damn cool. The TV stars have never looked or danced better. The Great Indian Laughter Challenge and now Nach Baliye have turned around the fortunes of Star's newest channel. The ratings on Star One are attractive, and now the channel in collaboration with the irrepressible Ekta Kapoor, is hell-bent on swarming the fledgling channel with goodies. The first one to benefit from this season of harvest on Star One is Amarr Upadhyay. He's been finalised to play the lead — the role of a singer — in Balaji Telefilms' Krimson Sky. "It's a very young very hip very now serial, and I'm very excited about it," says Amarr who's also been finalised to be in Ravi Chopra's Virasat, which goes on air on Star Plus after Kaun Banega Crorepati ends its current innings. Says Amarr, "It's been a long haul for me. I started on TV, got my fame on Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, then tried my hand at films. Now I'm back. I realise television is where I belong. I made wrong decisions about my career because of lack of guidance. Now I want to build on my career on television." Amarr started his second innings on television with a brief appearances on Ekta Kapoor's Kasauti Zindagi Kay and Kkusum. Krimson Sky will be his real comeback vehicle on television. **** | Star One has several new serials coming up. Says Star India COO Samir Nair, "Ekta is doing a number of new serials for Star One. Kya Hoga Nimmo Ka is a Cinderella–like daily. Then there's Karbon Kopy, which will be on the lines of X Files." But right now it's Star One's two new shows that have me all keyed. India Calling treads the same territory as Star Plus' Shanno Ki Shaadi. Full-blooded lassi-and-paratha tale with a blithe-spirited Punjabi ambience that seeps into the very core of the characters. The first episode had the whole cast flying kites with the boisterous matriarch (Himani Shivpuri) leading the 'brag' pack. This joyous event was followed by a sagaai where the characters danced so hard you wondered when tragedy would fall on the proceedings. Sure enough the bride of the wedding decided to play truant. "I'm not coming," she announces to her horrified sister who tried hard to look… er, horrified. And succeeded only partially. The problem with these serials is they try to cast a smell…. and I don't mean spell. The aroma of the sarso kA khet just spreads across the horizon. Take it or leave it. ****
| The new horror series Darna Manaa Hai is a chill-up-the-spine special with enough spine to make the chill fill real. The first story directed by Sourabh Narang (who made the film Vaastu Shastra ) was a shiver-giver all right. Rajeshwari was in splendid form as the housewife coping with the idea of an evil presence in their home. The atmosphere was superbly constructed with all the actors and technicians hitting the right notes. **** If Sony's Jassi... re-introduced our TV addicts to the ordinary plain Jain with extraordinary dreams, then Zee's Kareena Kareena got even more cosy doing the desi wannabe's aspirations. And now two daily soaps are all set to carry the middle-class dream even further. Sahara's Kituu Sabb Jaantii Hai, which went on air on 14 November and Sony's Ek Ladki Anjaani Si, which kicks off a week later on 21 November are both about the hopes dreams and travails of the average middle-class girl. While the lead in the Sony serial is played by Kanchi Kaul, the chosen girl on Sahara's serial is Ami Trivedi. "We auditioned at least fifty girls before we zeroed in on Ami Trivedi. She has all the requirements for the role. We needed someone fresh-faced and able to connect with the audience… It's the story of one middle-class girl's journey in life. What sets Kituu apart is the fact that it's set in the media world. No other soap has done that," says producer Manish Goswami who's currently enjoying the success of his political soap Sarrkkar on Zee. "We're trying to do something different all the time. The glamorous business families are like desserts. Finally the audience wants their favourite daal-chawal. I want to make serials with real characters. That's where my earlier Kittie Party, then Sarrkkar and now Kituu Sabb Jaantii Hai score," asserts Manish. Does he foresee any competition from Sony's Ek Ladki Anjaani Si? "I'm not even aware of this serial. All I can say is, let's welcome soaps about real middle-class characters," laughs Manish. Tarun Katial of Sony has a different story to tell. "Yes, Ek Ladki Anjaani Si is about a middle-class girl. But her journey is so jolting and so unexpected, and her experiences so far removed from what home viewers have seen so far that we feel Ek Ladki Anjaani Si will crack a new genre among the working-class serials." And finally Kaun Banega Crorepati with Sania Mirza and Lara Dutta was a Children's Day special that went beyond the usual. While Sania Mirza had brought along her parents Lara Dutta seemed to have invited the whole army battalion to support her. The introspective breaks were interesting, especially the portion where Sania spoke about Mr Bachchan playing tennis at a Kolkata club. | 
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