Navratri time on Star!(Nikkhil Arya)

'Hours of shoots and then Dandiya to top it all. No wonder Star Plus' stars needed doses of buttermilk, coconut water and cutting chai to weather through an additional stint of dandiya that the channel intends to air as part of its Navratri celebrations.

Decked up in their special attire designed by Nim 'Maasi' Sood, they sparkled and shone as they wielded their dandiya sticks and prepared to go that extra round. The incentive on Friday at the Sankraman studios of course was papa Jeetendra, to add that extra bit of glitz to the proceedings. "I really enjoyed doing this. I am here because of Ekta. But I must say that these actors are extremely talented. It was an amazing experience" said Jituji about his experiences.

The veteran star also put a lot of the young guns of Balaji in their places, when the choreographers' efforts to restore order in the ranks proved futile. Jituji finally had to grab the mike himself and make the 'children' keep quiet. There was pin drop silence after the old man got annoyed.

Sakshi aka Parvati of Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii shimmered in a white saree in keeping with her current situation as a widow in the series. "I am not at all into Dandiya as I am a north Indian. But the experience was amazing,"

Geeta Kapoor, the woman behind the extra ordinary dance steps, had this to say, "I have choreographed for movies too and the difference is that the television stars are not in touch with their dancing, yet they have done an excellent job of performing so well even after shooting for hours together for their serials." When asked to pick the best dancers in her book, she said, "Well, it would be Ejaz and Ashwini Kalsekar and it was really tough training Chetan."

Nikhil Arya, a Sindhi, averred, "I don't really know how to play Dandiya and I don't play in general but this is like a team sprit and enjoyment, I enjoyed it thoroughly," said Nihkil, between sips of coconut water and tea.

Shweta Tiwari, extremely excited about playing her bit with Jitu ji trilled, " I feel extremely honoured playing Dandiya with such an experienced and famous actor!" Prerna was unblemished in her green and blue traditional attire. " I think this is one of the best dresses of all designed by Maasi as I was really tense as to what my dress would be like."

There were others who were not as excited. We caught Rakshanda, Karishma and Nandini in an extremely finicky mood about their make up as the warm atmosphere in the studio made them irritable and restless.

Yet, the camaraderie was obvious. Aamir and Chetan couldn't stop laughing and chit-chatting. Hiten and Ritu were trying out different steps with Dandiya as did Apara Mehta and Komolika Guha. After the Holi bash with Rang Barse, Star Plus seems to have its steps right. What will Diwali bring?

Pics by Vicky Ahuja