Mahesh Thakur (Jiya’s Dad)

Mahesh Thakur

It's your turn

Don't like a certain serial? Want to say hi to your favourite TV star? Get ready. It's response time at Star Plus. The channel has started an imaginative new show Viewpoint a kind of a television version of the letters to the editor column in a newspaper.

Hosted by Mahesh Thakur (Hudd Kar Di and Tu Tu Main Main), the interactive show is all about queries, complaints, opinions, suggestions, brickbats and bouquets.

Presented in a light-hearted manner, Viewpoint entertains viewers with amusing tales and anecdotes from the channel's happy and unhappy viewers. So, tune in and share your Viewpoint every Sunday at 5.00 p.m. The channel is listening.

OFF-SCREEN Theatrics: Mahesh Thakur and Jaya Bhattacharya

Telly folk Mahesh Thakur, Jaya Bhattacharya and Shalini Kapoor along with Marathi theatre actor Girish Salvi will be seen in a Hindi play called Dil Chahta Hai.

This relationships saga opens in the city this weekend.

Written by veteran Marathi playwright C P Deshpande (it's the Hindi version of his Marathi play Buddhibal Ani Zabbu), the play attempts to showcase middle-class morality.

"It tries to focus on the hypocrisy in a man-woman relationship in our society," explains director Salim Arif, whose earlier plays include Ghalibnama, Kharashein, Taj Mahal Ka Tender and Aapki Soniya with Sonali Bendre making her stage debut.

Dil Chahta Hai revolves around college friends Naina (Shalini Kapoor) and Ajay (Mahesh Thakur) who bump into each other after decades. As they rekindle old memories they also find themselves getting attracted to each other.

Naina's husband Ramesh (Girish Salvi) gets suspicious while Ajay and his wife Sandhya (Jaya Bhattacharya) have their set of problems to deal with.

"The play is of situations. It talks about societal pressures and actual pleasure-seeking situations," adds Arif.

The telly trio of Thakur (Astitva, Malini Iyer, Shararat), Bhattacharya (best remembered as Payal of Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi) and Kapoor (Shri Sifarashilal) are keen on theatre. Bhattacharya had featured in Muni Jha's play Sabse Bada Rupaiya along with several others from the Kyunki team a while ago.

The play has been produced by Vasant Anjarlekar and Sanjay Chhabria of Vasan Arts.