First Look:' Viraasat

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Posted: 18 years ago

First Look: Star Plus' Viraasat

The phenomenon of big-screen movie moguls hitting the small screen started way back in the late 1980s when Ramanand Sagar (director of the hit film, Aankhen) started Ramayan. B R Chopra (Naya Daur, Gumrah) followed it with Mahabharat.

Recently, the Barjatyas started their small screen opus called Pyaar Ke Do Naam ? Ek Raadha Ek Shyaam.

Now B R Chopra turns to the small screen again with his big-budget, multi-starrer soap, Viraasat.

Viraasat seems to follow old wine-in-new-bottle technique -- it deals with the clichd theme of the clash between two families. Starring Rohit Roy, Sangita Ghosh, Amar Upadhyay, Aman Verma, Kiran Kumar and Deepak Kajir, Viraasat is the story of Rohit Lamba (Roy) who studied abroad.

After returning to India he has joined the family business. He falls in love with a rival family's daughter Priyanka Kharbanda (Ghosh) without worrying about the consequences.

The Kharbanda family, headed by Kailash (Deepak Kajir), has two children, Kunal (Amarr Upadhyay) and Priyanka. The Lamba family, on the other hand, is headed by Raman Lamba (Kiran Kumar), who has two sons Rishabh (Aman Verma) and Rahul (Rohit Roy).

"My role is a perfect blend of Akshaye Khanna in Taal and Aamir Khan in Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak," says Roy.

Ghosh was initially skepetical about her pairing with Roy. She says, "I have worked mostly with Varun Vadola in serials and our onscreen chemistry really clicks. But despite my initial reservations about Rohit Roy, we had a great time working together and all those who have seen the rushes praise our onscreen chemistry."

Though Amarr Upadhyay has been seen fleetingly on TV in CID and Kasauti Zindagi Kay, this will be his first major role in a long time. "I play an IAS officer, who has a pivotal role in the quarrel between two families," he says. "I heard that many actors were short-listed for the role, but ultimately, I bagged it! I have been working with Raviji (Chopra) for a long time now. In fact, a number of my ad films were directed by Raviji. I feel Viraasat will be the mother of all soaps!"

Aman Verma, who is on a break after Indian Idol 2 winded up, says, "Raviji is like a father figure to me. If I am in any trouble, he is the person I will go to. My character, Rishabh Lamba, can do anything for his family -- now whether he is the hero or villain is something for the audience to judge!"

Viraasat will be aired on Star Plus from June 12 at 9 pm, Monday through Thursday.

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Posted: 18 years ago

Sangeeta Ghosh initially refused Viraasat
By: Chaitanya Padukone
November 22, 2005

Sangeeta Ghosh

Nach Baliye host and actress Sangeeta Ghosh, who plays Veera in Rabba Ishq Na Hove (Zee), has been signed by Ravi Chopra for his newly launched telly serial, Viraasat. Sangeeta plays the central character of Priyanka, and is paired opposite Ronit Roy, who is cast as her husband.

Role mix-up

According to insiders, the actress intitally turned down the acting assignment from the Chopra camp.

"That's true," says Ghosh. "The role which was initially narrated to me was of some other character, which I did not wish to take up. Secondly, I was not too keen to do a daily serial, which would lead to hectic schedules, so I refused. That's when Ravi Chopra called me to his office and explained that it was a wrong role which his assistants had briefed me with.

When he explained the graph and scope of Priyanka's traditional, yet savvy character, I realised that this was a meaty, mind-blowing character that I just had to take up. The serial is being shot like a Bollywood movie," says the actress, who has just commenced shooting for it.

"It is a gripping family drama, which highlights that only love can conquer enmity," says Sangeeta. Amarr Upadhyay plays my brother, while Aman Verma is cast as my brother-in-law. And there are seasoned actors like Deepak Quazir and Kiran Kumar, as well as other artistes.

Aroona's camp

Is it true that since she shares such a close bond with her mentor-director Aroona Irani (she has acted in four of Irani's projects), Sangeeta has been declining other acting assignments?

"Yes, I do have a fabulous rapport with Aroonaji, who has been my mentor. But I am open to outside productions, provided they are exciting enough. In fact, I had also done a serial, Sambhav Asambhav, with director Amar Butala," she clarifies.

Hostess with the mostest

Didn't she want to participate in Nach Baliye, instead of hosting it? "Had I been married to a guy that dances well, maybe we would have qualified. I guess it's a mixed blessing, because the 'single' hostess doesn't get eliminated as the show progresses!

Besides, there is constant pressure of interacting with celebs; my colleague-couples start hating me when I announce their ouster," she complains. Any plans to enter Bollywood? "Let's hope my Nach Baliye performances catapult me on to the big screen," smiles the actress, crossing her fingers.

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Posted: 18 years ago

Virasat: Games people play
A sensuous Sangeeta Ghosh is gliding ahead with the good-looking Rohit Roy hot on her heels. A embrace later, the duo is shocked to see something that puts a brake on their passion. A huge chess board appears with two pawns in the centre. Coming soon, says the promo on STAR Plus. They are talking about Virasat, a new serial to be aired on the channel at 9 pm from June.

Produced and directed by Ravi Chopra, the serial is a high-powered drama boasting of a stellar cast including Kiran Kumar, Deepak Quazir, Amarr Upadhyay and Aman Varma. "Unlike the usual serials where we introduce new faces and establish the characters, here we have taken well-known actors. It is like a multi-starrer on the small screen," informs Shailaja Kejriwal, creative director, STAR Plus.

Virasat revolves around two families, the Kharbandas and the Lambas who, for some reason, are at cross purposes. The Kharbanda family is headed by Kailash (Deepak). He has two children Kunal (Amarr) and Priyanka (Sangeeta). Raman Lamba (Kiran) is another patriarch with two sons Rishabh (Aman) and Rahul (Rohit). Predictably, Rahul and Priyanka fall in love with each other. But if you think it is the ghisa pita story of parental opposition to their union, that's not it at all. It is about what happens if they do? Nafrat ke khel mein do dilon ki chahat is the tagline, you see. "We are pitching it as a game between two f

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Posted: 18 years ago

"My instincts dictate my dressing sense"

Sangeeta Ghosh is certainly one of the style icons of the small screen.One will always find her impeccably in designer wears, along with exquisite accessories and bindis. And couple this with her sensous curves and engimatic screen presence, the actress sure knows how to captivate audiences. Here, she shares a few of her style fundas with Sameera Kapoor.

I carry my personal hair care accessories in shoots.

Are you just fashion conscious or see yourself as a statement maker?
I cannot categorise myself as falling into either, as I do not dress up with any intention as such. Actually, my instincts dictate my dressing sense.

What do you prefer traditional wear or western outfit?
Its got to be traditonal attire, especially sarees. Western outfits can never really match up to traditional Indian outfits.

Your wardrobe is dominated primarily with...
Sarees and loads of sarees.

How much time would you require to dress up?
It depends on the situation and my mood. I could very well dress up in 5 minutes or if the occassion is special, then maybe 30 minutes is sufficient.

Where do you get your exquisite jewllery and clothes from?
They are exclusively made by my jewellery designers and dress designers. At times even my shoes are made to order.

"I love to wear traditional outfit:sarees"

What do you wear on days when you are not shooting?
When I am home, its mostly pyjamas, ganjees alongwith T-shirts and while I am going out it's mostly jeans, churidars and also skirts. Nowadays, I 've got this new fancy for skirts.

Are you brand conscious?
No, I am not particulary brand conscious with regard to clothes and jewllery. But yes, I do possess jeans and other accessories such as sun shades which are branded.

How much do you end up spending on your clothes and jewellery items?
I have no such fixed amount to quote. If I like something, then I don't care about the price and make sure I buy them. But, I usually do not spend huge sum on clothes as we cannot be wearing same dresses again and again. But yes, if there is some jewellery which is out of the ordinary and allures me then surely I am all willing to spend any amount.Then money is not a factor.For I am shopaholic.

lOf all the clothes you possess which is the one you cherish the most?
I actually cherish all my clothes,because I have personnally got them. So, I find it extremely difficult to to let go of my clothes, especially my sarees. In fact, I get them redesigned into some other dress .So, this way I get to wear them more often.

Which is the most expensive dress you possess?
It has to be this saree which I recently bought while I was in Lucknow. The saree cost me around Rs.28,000/-. It consists lucknowi works on chiffon and is embedded with lot of precious stones. The saree has three shades of blue.

"I am shopaholic"

Who according to you is the best dressed artists in your circle?
It has to be Mandira Bedi, Simone Singh, and of course Myself. And in the league of actors I feel Ejaz Khan, Iqbal Khan and Nikhil Arya fits the bill of being well dressed.

You have beautiful and healthy hair, why did you opt to cut them short.How do you maintain your tressess?
I simply wanted to see how I would look in short hair. Well, I do make it a point to have oil massage once in 15 days. Otherwise, also I regularly wash my hair and make it a point to condition them with good and reliable products. I make it a point to carry my personal hair care accessories during my shoots.

Finally, What is your take on those engaging in skin shows in the name of fashion?
That is one's personal choice. Comfort level is essential, If one looks good then surely there should be no problem in doing it. But It must not be looking vulgur and cheap.

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Posted: 18 years ago

Rohit behind Sanjit's broken daant
By: Tushar Joshi
January 17, 2006

Rohit Roy

Sanjit Bedi

Ravi Chopra's Virasat has made news even before it goes on air.

At a recent shooting at Madh Island, Sanjit Bedi, who plays one of the leads had to let go of his two teeth.

There are conflicting reports about the exact nature of the mishap that lead to Sanjit's injury.

Over-enthu Roy

An eyewitness from the set recounts that it was Rohit Roy who accidentally injured Bedi. "The scene required some cops to come and arrest Rohit and Sanjit.

And a fight sequence follows. During one of these fight scenes, Roy didn't realise that he had gotten too close to Sanjit and ended up injuring him. I think Rohit got over-enthusiastic, as he loves doing stunt sequences. It didn't look like he did it on purpose."

Rohit: I'm not guilty

When contacted, Rohit denied his involvement in breaking Sanjit's teeth. "I didn't have anything to do with his injury. We were shooting for a fight sequence with lots of extras and fight coordinators.

The script required us to have a physical fight with the cops and the havaldars. During one such take, accidentally one of the extras who was a havaldar rammed his baton on Sanjit's face, breaking his teeth in the process."

He adds, "Since it was a rain scene and it was shot in the night, things weren't really conducive for us. There was lot of muck and the ground had become slippery. I, too, had an injury on my shoulder, but there is nothing to complain about." As an actor, he is always careful during performing stunts. "I cannot go to bed at night, peacefully, if I injure anyone. I think its bad what happened with Sanjit, but I am sure it was not on purpose."

Achy-breaky teeth

Sanjit Bedi who is also shooting for Balaji's Kya Hoga Nimmo Kya wasn't forthcoming in giving details about the accident. "Yes I did break my teeth during a fight sequence in Virasat, but I don't want to get in the details about it."

When asked if Rohit was the person responsible behind his injury, he said, "It happened due to one of the guys who was playing the cops. He got too inspired by his role and went a bit too far in the act of arresting me."

On a liquid diet, Bedi has been making constant trips to the dentist. "When the injury happened, half a chip from one of the teeth near the molars had come off. But soon, I realised the tooth next to it was also damaged. In fact, I also ended up cutting my tongue in the process as the wall on my chipped off tooth was quite sharp."

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