Jai Sri Krishna: Finally the character grows up

Jai Sri Krishna is another version of the mythological serial, this one appearing on Colors at 8:30 in the evening on weekdays. The serial has been showing an extended series of episodes portraying Sri Krishna in a young version; now, the serial is finally changing to show the Lord in a older, teenage version.
The kid who plays the young character is extremely cute, giving an angelic portrayal as the young god, who knows his powers and uses them for the good of mankind. His demonic uncle (mother's brother) knows that this is the kid who will eventually kill him and sends all manners of demons, asuras, monsters, snakes, etc to kill him, but all of them fail in their duty (either being killed by the young god, or shown the error of their ways and going back convinced that the young one is the ultimate savior of mankind).
The serial also attempts to portray some social evils and how the God tries to improve society; so you the case of Lord Krishna convincing people that there is no such thing as upper caste or lower caste; in another sequence the Lord gets reconciliation between a mother-in-law and her daughter-in-law; he also consoles a mother when she is about to die and arranges to take care of her son.
Now, with the Lord being shown in a slightly more grown up state, one can expect that there will be the move to Mathura where Krishna will leave Gokul and his adopted parents, fight Kans and win, and then the real story will start going up to the war between the Pandavas and Kauravas.

The new character:



Last episode with kid:



More videos from Youtube (click here)

Update on Ratan Rajpoot - Laali of Zee TV’s Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo

Laali has firm belief in Buddhism and blindly follows numerology. She practices Buddhism during her breaks on the sets and wishes to soon visit the newly opened Global Pagoda at Gorai near Borivali. Unlike others who start to follow Buddhism to get rid of existing troubles, Ratan started chanting mantras because she liked the sound of it.
Says Ratan, “I had heard a friend chant during my theatre days and I loved the resonance that resounds with it. On further enquiring my friend told me that she follows Buddhism and is very satisfied and happy with herself eversince she started following the religion. She also told me about the positivity it generated within. Those days I was in Delhi and was doing very well in theatre but was very dissatisfied as I had no exact aim in life. I just couldn’t conclude on any decision and was contemplating to go back to my home town. When I heard of Buddhism, I followed my instincts and started practicing it. It’s been two years now and I could actually see the difference that it has made to me. I became extremely positive and today I am playing the leading role on one of the best shows on television. I am extremely happy with the way things are happening around. It’s the internal happiness that matters the most. The best thing about being a Buddhist is that it doesn’t ask for any alteration in your lifestyle. Also even though I am away from my family I have about 20-25 families in Mumbai through the Buddhist communities. Tisca Chopra is one of my closest friend who also follow Buddhism.” Besides, Ratan has changed the way she spells her last name as suggested by her numerologist.


Our poor Ratan Rajpoot aka Laali of Zee TV’s Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo is getting used to the poverty that the show has mercilessly bestowed on her. Not only on the sets, but even at her friends’ house parties, Ratan doesn’t think twice before sitting on the floor. It so happens on the sets that during breaks when others actors plunge themselves on couches, she finds herself sitting on the floor. Tough others do give her a second look to ensure she is fine, she enjoys her carefree attitude. This doesn’t end here; Ratan often does her own household chores and saves money by taking an auto instead of her own car/cab most of the times. She refuses to go to swanky restaurants and avoids eating heavily priced grubs.
When someone questions her over this, Ratan says this helps her to be in her character. Ratan says, “Yes sitting on the floor during breaks is out of the habit on the show and does help me stay connected with the character. But the other savings is out of the realisation that there is immense poverty in the country which I myself experienced during my stay at Wai while shooting the village sequences. There were people who offered me to sell their meals to make money. The reality was hard-hitting and I have decided I will not disrespect money by splurging it every way possible. I will save up and try and live a modest life as much as possible. Yes I still spend a lot on beauty treatments as its inevitable in my career but I have cut down on my other expenses.”

Jyoti - the story of a determined and loving girl

NDTV Imagine has been coming out with a number of new shows in order to try and make a mark for itself, and many of these shows are not the saas-bahu or immense wealth shows. Instead, many of these shows are focused on the troubles, aspirations and life of people who are not middle class, or are fairly poor.
Jyoti is one show where it was clear that the focus of the show would be on the struggles of a girl making her own way in life while shouldering the burden of her family. Even the promos of the show showed the same focus. Jyoti is essentially the story of a hard-working and determined girl who keeps on fighting life and carrying on even if life keeps on dealing her hard bows.
Jyoti belongs to a family that is fairly poor, where the father of the family is now disabled and unable to work; as a result she works to maintain her family and ensure that they have a proper education, and even with their limited means, they are able to get on with life. Her mother, whom she considers as her mother, is actually her step-mother and also her real mother's sister who got married to her father after the death of her mother when he already had 2 kids.
Jyoti is the money-getter of the house, and deserving of respect, but her world slowly starts crashing down. First, she is in love with a person, but then discovers that her sister Sushma gets married to this person, Brij. Then her brother shows that he is studying for engineering, but actually does not do so, instead using that money to woo a rich girl. And then her step-mother, whom she considers her real mother, has been making various excuses so that Jyoti's marriage is avoided since the money she gets to the house is needed for running the house.
One day, everything comes crashing down on Jyoti when she returns to the house and discovers that seemingly, she is tolerated in the house because she is the golden goose, but otherwise no one really loves her or respects her. This shocks her and she leaves the house.

Videos of the pivotal episode of Jyoti:

Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo - Sudesh Berry kicked

It is not always a pleasant work for actors on the sets of TV series and movies. It is not always glamour, there are difficult tasks that need to be performed that can be somewhat dangerous. Consider the case of this buffalo kick from Zee's serial - Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo.
Once acknowledged as the Amitabh of the small screen, actor Suddesh Berry has proved the same passion and drive towards acting as was seen before he took a break from the television industry. For a shot in Zee TV’s Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo, Suddesh was required to milk a buffalo. The entire unit was in splits as he tried to control the Buffalo to milk it. The buffalo won’t let Suddesh come closer and kept sniffing the poor actor.



After several trials, he thought it’s a do or die situation and he has to give it a final take before the body double takes over. And…..the final shot called for a hard-hitting kick from the Buffalo. Suddesh was badly injured but determined. Refused to let the buffalo get his way and tried till he succeeded. Though the scene was shot very well, only Suddhesh says it was difficult than any other action sequence as he had to take care of not hurting the buffalo.

Saat Phere - Saloni Ka Safar comes to an end

Saat Phere - Saloni Ka Safar is finally coming to an end, around 3 years after it was first launched. Saat Phere was an attempt to be slightly different from the normal concept of bad mother-in-law's, deceitful daughters and daughter-in-laws, and fights between cousins that were normally shown in different serials. This was the serial that tried to show the struggles that a dark-skinned girl normally faces in life, be it parents who care a bit more for the fairer daughter, or the fairer daughter who thinks much more highly of herself because of her looks and beauty. So the struggle of the loving and confident but dark daughter to hold her position in society was remarkable, and this happened for some time in the serial.
However, like any other serial that has to go on and on, compromises were made in order to keep the serial going, and so you had the concept of the girl becoming the loving daughter of a richer household and keeping the house safe from the various threats against it. Many times her family lost faith in her, but she struggled on, with the same villains coming again and again (Jiji fought the household multiple times, but no one else seemed to be able to do anything except for Saloni who kept on fighting her).
And then, the unthinkable - Jiji attacked Saloni's husband Nahar, and strangely, even Saloni was unable to save Nahar. However, by this time, the serial had lost the charm, and people had started moving away from the serial. So, then the producers played the ultimate weapon, a time shift, moving away to a time when Saolini had been imprisoned for Jiji's death, her family had moved away from her by blaming her for Nahar's death, and the next generation stories being played out. Saloni's daughter was known as the daughter of the maid, and hence did not have the same status in the house.



Aborted marriage of Saawri

Sugna and the moral dilemna in Balika Vadhu

Balika Vadhu is a serial that is based on the concept of child marriage, poor status of women in society and in the family, lack of education, etc. The serial shows the situation in a village in Rajasthan where the rich house is ruled over the grand-mother Kalyani, who is the supreme member in the house and everything is controlled by her. She is herself responsible for the poor condition of women in the house, since any improvement in the condition of women has to be done by her, and she is reluctant to change. She believes that women do not have too many rights. As a change, Farida Jalal, her sister, now comes to the house and slowly starts getting things changed in the house, but it is a tough battle.
The biggest battle in the house is over the condition of Sugna, the grand-daughter. She was married to Pratap, but her gauna had not happened, and she had not yet gone to the home of her inlaws. However, in a brush with dacoits, Pratap got killed. So Sugna became a widow, all set to face the social isolation and torture that a widow faces. She lives in a small isolated windowless room, has plain food, and so on. Kalyani refuses to send Sugna to her inlaws house after they blame her for the death of their son.
However, it is only the presence of Farida Jalal who starts to get more rights for Sugna, getting her out of the small room, getting her to start seeing life in color, and in the biggest battle, getting Kalyani to agree to start sending her to school again even though the people of the village are not very happy about this. However, the next drama in the serial that will present a number of moral challenges is set to happen, now that the village vaid reveals that Sugna is pregnant. Kalyani is furious, since how could Sugna be pregnant before going to her inlaws house ? This is a blot on the name of the family honour, and Sugna is again banished to the small room.

Sample video of this show:



Videos of Balika Vadhu on Youtube (click here)

Celebration At Nuachandi Mela Meerut

In the pics below we have Salmna, Jai Kumar and Vibhor Lil' Champs winner...

Plus you will have photos from the Dance India Dance show.

About the Nauchandi Mela:

Historic 'nauchandi Mela' is famous as a symbol of Hindu-Muslim Unity. Dargah of 'Hazrat Bale Mian' and the Temple of 'Navchandi Devi' are situated facing each other. During this 'mela' , sound of the temple bells and the Azan from the mosque situated at the shrine of Bale mian creates a 'spiritual echo'. Nauchandi mela is also famous for its favourite dish "Halwa Parantha".

Zee's Dhoom at Nuachandi Fair in Meerut

Nuachandi Mela in Meerut and ZEE

In the pics below we have Salmna, Jai Kumar and Vibhor Lil' Champs winner...

Plus you will have photos from the Dance India Dance show.

About the Nauchandi Mela:

Historic 'nauchandi Mela' is famous as a symbol of Hindu-Muslim Unity. Dargah of 'Hazrat Bale Mian' and the Temple of 'Navchandi Devi' are situated facing each other. During this 'mela' , sound of the temple bells and the Azan from the mosque situated at the shrine of Bale mian creates a 'spiritual echo'. Nauchandi mela is also famous for its favourite dish "Halwa Parantha".















One of the stalls was fully dedicated to Lux Dance India Dance.

Forthcoming serial on Zee TV - Pavitra Rishta

Determining the name of a serial can be pretty difficult, you need to evaluate a name that makes a difference and is yet relevant. Zee TV’s yet to be launched show, Pavitra Rishta, is one such show where the entire team had a tough time finalizing on the name of the show. Various names like Pavitra Bandhan, Ek Duje Ke Liye, Saubhagyawati, Saubhagyawati Bhava with different permutations and combinations were tried to fit in the required parameters as devised by her astrologer. Lot of research was undertaken by the legal and creative teams of the channel to find suitable names and every name was rejected by Ekta (Balaji Films Ekta Kapoor) because they didn’t really prove of prosperity to her. After a lot of back and forth and almost a month, the team zeroed on ‘Pavitra Rishta as the final name for the show.
Zee TV’s soon to be launched show Pavitra Rishta is based on a life story of a girl belonging to a middle class Maharastrian family. To get the show closer to reality, it’s been shot in extremely modern environment so that a common man relates to it. Also Ekta was very clear that the cast has to be from the Marathi background to make the content look more authentic. The presence of veteran Marathi actors like Savita Prabhune, xxxx adds to the Maharashtian flavour of the show. Unlike other Balaji shows, this one is a lack-luster and doesn’t have its characters sporting expensive clothes and heavy jewelry or staying in palatial houses. When contacted, the creative head of the show said, “Viewers are constantly looking for variety in shows and from the recent experiences they like it when the show is about them and their lifestyle then portraying a larger than life picture. Hence we thought of such a concept and very happy that it’s been executed beautifully.”

Images from the serial:

Pavitra Rishta - A story that celebrates the Mother – Daughter bonding

Few thoughts which crosses every mother’s mind who is looking for a prospective groom for her daughter. Who will make a great life partner for my daughter, the one who will stand by her, love her and take care of her selflessly or the one who stands true on all my superficial expectations which is considered right by the society? Should she believe in her own instincts while choosing her life partner or rely on our prudence?
These are some of the questions that will compel the viewers to ponder over while watching Zee TV’s latest show, ‘Pavitra Risshta’. The lead protagonist, Archana, who is trapped by her own destiny, is a relatively fresh face, Ankita Lokhande. The show debuts on June 1st 2009 Monday to Friday at 9 pm and is being produced by Balaji Telefilms.
Commenting on the launch, Mr. Nitin Vaidya, COO, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. and Business Head, Zee TV said, “We have always believed in subjects that establish a strong connect with the viewers, be it with ‘Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo’, ‘Choti Bahu’, ‘Betiyaan’, etc. all deal with pertinent issues.”
Adding further, Nitin said, “In ‘Pavitra Risshta’ we are talking about the strong emotional bond that every daughter shares with her mother. This interesting saga brings in the flavor of the mother-daughter relationship and a mother’s search for a desirable match for her daughter. The hitch lies when instead of the prince charming, destiny presents a doormat? The most desirable match turns out to be the most abhorred one. What takes precedence- the man’s selfless love for the lady in question or his social status? Should she continue to lead the rest of her life under the guise of being happy or should she walk out of the so called pious relationship.
This show has been shot in a modest environment sans any glamour and grandeur. It essays a middle class household’s routine and lifestyle. The practical nuances of the story will be felt and lived by everyone who watches the show. The various degrees of emotions that has been touched upon in this subject is something that every mother and daughter has gone through in their lives at some point or the other.” The show has some established actors like Savita Prabhune (mother), Ajay Rohila (father), etc.

About the show -
‘Pavitra Risshta’ focuses on the life of Archana who belongs to a middle class Maharashtrian family, based in Mumbai. Being the eldest daughter of her family, Archana chose to take responsibilities of her siblings rather than focusing on education. As Archana grows up to a marriageable age, her Mom realizes that her daughter was devoid of all the good things in life during her growing up years. Hence, the mother vows to get her married to a well educated and sophisticated guy. But destiny has something else planned for Archana.

New Serial on Zee TV: Aap Ki Antara

Zee TV is coming out with a new serial on May 1 at 8:30 PM, the current time slot of Maayka, which means that either Maayka will off air or move to a new time slot. Aapki Antara is produced by Drishtant Productions will be the tale of a special child who redeems lot of lives during her journey. The show has already has some controversy with the withdrawal of the earlier child artist who plays the lead, Apple Reetoria. She is now being replaced by another new find, Zaynah. Apparently, Apple's mother withdrew her from the show since she was not happy with the attitude of the production house, although the show's producers claimed that they wanted a 5 year old girl rather than a 4 year old girl.
The show is about the interactions of the kid while being part of a family that includes her parents and brother, and have various flavors of life as a part of that. It is not clear as of now whether Antara plays the role of a autistic kid, with the producers not confirming, just claiming that the girl would be special to her family. There are supposed to be more kids in the show, including a neighbor, but there would not be negative characters, and not too many characters overall in the show.
Here are some advertisements about the show:

Dance India Dance

Short post by vloverr

It is about one of the mentors on the show Dance India Dance. Geeta Kapoor says that she has built emotional ties with the show. She cries every time there are eliminations.
There was a time when all her team contestants except one got eliminated she felt very low, all around there was no hope. I guess it would have been an event which she hadn’t witnessed before.
I feel that mentors are also competing amongst them, after all that’s how things appear.

Siddhesh is pulled down to earth by Mithun Da on Dance India Dance

Much touted Maharashtra ka gaurav, Siddhesh Pai gets severely reprimanded by grandmaster Mithun da. Though he lauded him for his stupendous performance but at the same time did not forget to show him his rightful place. “I’m afraid your confidence doesn’t become over confidence. I can see that in your body language. If you want to reach the zenith of success you also have to learn to be humble and down to earth!”

Mithun Da was referring to the past couple of instances when Siddhesh’s attitude and high handedness came into the forefront. He challenged Prince openly. Tried to taunt him and put him down. Also disrespected Remo. There were also quite a few instances when Siddhesh’s attitude had made him an eye sore and one of the not so favored contestants.

It was time that someone of Mithun Da’s stature showed him his rightful place !

Jay Bhanushali loves being the butt of Mithun da’s jokes - story from Dance India Dance

Just when everybody was thinking that Mithun da has crossed all the limits and it’s about time Jay Bhanushali will storm out of Dance India Dance anytime… we come to know it’s just the other way round. Jay is actually basking in the attention that he is getting and not to mention the kisses being planted on him by Remo, Terence and Geeta again and again!

Any layman would vouch for the fact that as an anchor , Saumya Tandon always managed to steal the thunder away from Jay . The interesting lines and meaty punches always went to Saumya and Jay was kept to play the second fiddle.

Then one day Mithun da started pulling his leg just to ease off the tension on the sets. Then it happened again…. and again… till one thought that Jay will explode!

Some even said that Jay was planning to take this up with the authorities as he could not bear such insults on National Television.

But the latest grapevine from the sets claim that somebody with more grey matter than Jay advised him against it. In fact, made him realize the fact that actually people are enjoying his onscreen ‘gay- giri’ . The focus has once again shifted on him and he’s being talked about! Obviously its not everyday that one gets to dance and romance Mithun da.

Finally some light at the end of the tunnel …for Jay. This is called seeing the bottle half full rather than half empty!

Some stories from Dance India Dance on Zee TV

Dance India Dance mentor Remo D’ souza was on cloud nine on his recent visit to Ahmedabad. The ace choreographer who has always maintained a very low profile was taken aback by the kind of overwhelming response he received in Ahmedabad. Remo has very close connections with Gujarat. He was born and brought up in Jamnagar and hence is deeply influenced by Gujarati Culture and tradition.

Recently on his visit to Ahmedabad he was flabbergasted to see such a huge fan following. Along with Remo his two contestants Khushboo( from Gandhinagar) and Prince ( from Baroda) had also accompanied him to solicit viewers support.

A very touchy incident happened, on his way to the hotel from the airport, suddenly few policemen blocked his way without any reason. Just when Remo thought there was some reason to panic, a surprise sprung up! The policemen took him aside and greeted him with the ‘singh is kingh’ signature step! Not only that, also asked for his autograph.

Both Prince and Khushboo were totally speechless. They didn’t know how to write autographs and the crowd there was going berserk for their autographs!

Something similar had happened in Mumbai as well. On his way to Karjat for a movie shoot, people at the toll – naka stopped him, collected the toll and started yelling ‘Singh is King’.. Though Remo found it little embarrassing but did oblige them by shaking hands!

Thus Remo tasted the first kiss of fame!

More actors joining Zee TV's Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo

Veteran Actors Roped in to portray Zee TV’s Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo in a different light!!!

Zee TV’s ‘Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo’ has been doing great ever since the launch. The show has already created waves across the country for showcasing a prevalent social evil in society – ‘selling the girl child in the midst of utter poverty to raise money for the rest of the family’. By far the story revolved around seventeen year old Laali’s optimism about life and her courage and compassion when it comes to rescuing her family from the throes of hunger and abject poverty. Due to sudden crisis in Laali’s family, her parents are forced to sell her to the ‘Thakurs’. The show has a big turning point here where Laali will experience a different world altogether. The Thakur’s house calls for a complete new team of actors from Rupa Ganguly, to Sushmita Mukherjee, Sudesh Berry, Anjoom Farooqui, to name a few. The new change will certainly add a touch of richness and glamour to the show. Though the story would still remain about Laali’s adjustments & fight with the harsh truth of being sold off by her parents, the new characters would have a pivotal role to play in the show hereon.

The characters that are now being seen as part of the show are –

SUDESH BERRY as Loha Singh, (head of the Thakur family)
He is a arrogant, opportunistic man who’s ego sores above the sky. He only does things as he pleases. He almost rules over the village. He has no respect for the women of the house and no one has any say in his decision.



ROOPA GANGULY as Sumitra (Loha Singh’s wife)
A quiet, motherly, cultured woman and religious woman who takes care of the family and is petrified of her husband.



SURBHI TIWARI as Nandini (The eldest daughter-in-law of the family)
Takes responsibilities of the house but doesn’t get the respect she deserves.



SUSHMITA MUKHERJEE as Gangiya (Loha Singh’s mistress)
She is the head matron of the house. She is very cunning and manipulative.

Experiences of an actress at serial set - life is tough

“The only thing I do in my free time is personal care” – Ratan Rajpoot
Eversince her return from the shoot at Wai (village near Mahabaleshwar), Ratan Rajpoot, Laali of Zee TV’s Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo has been spending loads of money on different beauty treatments. Says Ratan, “Shooting at Wai was a great experience but a real harsh one on my skin. During childhood, I use to never stay at my native for more than three days due to the absence of luxuries of the city. Hence when I started shooting at the Wai village, my parents were very worried of how I would adjust and at the same time teased me on how destiny got me to do things that I always avoided.
I gradually fell in love with the nature there but that was short-lived as the constant running around bare-foot in hot sun, resulted in cracked heels and sun burns at various places. We also had to wear dirty clothes and sit around in mud which has given me rashes all over the body. At the end of each day I use to spend hours trying to pluck minute thorns off my feet and that has left my feet looking cracked and ugly. My hair has become dry and frizzy. My face use to receive some attention as I had to look presentable on screen but my routine beauty treatments had gone for a toss. I am very happy to be back in Mumbai and have already begun all kinds of remedies. The only thing I now do in my free time is personal care.”

'Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo' on Zee TV

Serials on most channels used to focus on the lives of the middle class and the rich, and it was not unknown to have serials where the people would deal in crores (sometimes hundreds of crores). However, a large percentage of India's population is not rich or well off, and it is only now that we are starting to see more serials that focus on the lives of the poor (Uttaran on Colors is one example). The serial 'Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo' on Zee TV is another example of such a serial, concentrating on the life of a young girl in a very poor backward family in Bihar who has been sold off (and does not yet recognize that).
Lali (Ratan Rajput) is the name of the young girl, who has given up the dreams that children normally have, instead she supports her father in trying to bring in some money to help the family. The family lives in a village called Koyna in Bihar. They come from a low cast background and by profession are rat killers or 'Musahars' who help the Zamindars to protect their land and homes from infestation. Lali has hopes of marrying a man who will loves her and will give her happiness, but her hopes are dashed when she is sold off.



Her parents are not eager to sell her off, but come under a lot of pressure from Balli (a broker who sells poor village girls to rich men) to sell off their daughter; they are able to resist for some time, but when her father Nanku is jailed while trying to arrange for some money, and money is needed to take care of her sick brother Munna and to arrange bail for Nanku, Lali's mother Majri finally gives in and agrees to sell Lali off. However, Lali thinks that she is getting married off to a man called Ganesiya, but is instead diverted to the man who had bought her.
Lali is now in a household run by the 50 year old strict man called Loha Singh (Sudesh Berry). The story will now work through the pain and problems faced by this young girl, and how she manages the challengers thrown up by life.
The series premiered on March 16, 2009, and will air every Monday - Friday at 9:30pm IST on Zee TV channel. This show is produced, written and directed by Kiran Bedi.

A video of the serial from Youtube:



More videos from Youtube (click here)

Uttaran on Colors

Uttaran was a different type of serial, very interesting, and yet very painful in parts. It takes us away from the usual television stories of either reality shows, or human drama, and moves to the story of what are the emotions and feelings of a poor girl and her mother (who works as a maid, and yet has a certain amount of self-respect). They work in a rich house, where the daughter of the house is the same age as that of the poor girl, and is also about the unlikely friendship that develops between the 2 girls, and the strain in this friendship that comes up. Uttaran in Hindi literally means the cast-off, and symbolizes how the poor get the cast-off items of the rich once they are done with them (and that happens in most households; if food is left over and no one is willing to eat, it goes to the maid; if a shoe or clothes are worn down, they can be handed over to the maid or some other domestic help). We just don't see too much about this on television.



The story is about the girl called Ichchha (meaning wish) (played by child artiste
Sparsh Khanchandani), whose mother, Damini (Vaishali Thakkar) works as the maid in the house of Jogi Thakur (Ayub Khan) and Divya (Pragati Mehra). The daughter of the house is called Tapasya (played by Ishita). Initially, Damini lived under a lot of conditions, but the lenient nature of Jogi Thakur and the friendship between Ichchha and Tapasya prevented Damini from being thrown out of the house (although the Mausiji living in the house, played by Pratima Kazmi, cannot stand Damini or her daughter and want her evicted).
Things reach a peak when it is revealed that Jogi Thakur was involved in the accident that killed Damini's husband, and she throws a lot of accusations at Jogi Thakur, but when she starts to leave the house, Divya falls down the stairs, and Damini stays to help her out. After this, both Jogi Thakur and Divya take a lot more care of Ichchha, something that causes a lot of jealousy in Tapasya, since she believes that her parents are not loving her anymore, and this feeling is strengthened by Mausiji, who poisons the young mind of Tapasya.

Videos of Uttaran on Youtube (link)

Ichchha going to school:

Dance India Dance reaches towards a thrilling finish

Dance India Dance started out as being yet another Dance show on TV, but there is a difference. The judges seem more natural, not artificial like the judges on the jodi dance shows. In addition, getting ordinary people (any of the contestant could be a person who lives next door) to show-case their talents (as well as seeing their emotions, their reactions, etc) makes this show (appearing on Friday and Saturday) very exciting to watch.
Now the show is down to the last 7, these 7 being

1. Terence's team is called "Terence Ki Toli"

* Jai Kumar Nair

* Alisha Singh

2. Geeta's team is called "Geeta Ki Gang"

* Siddhesh Pai

* Sunita Gogoi

3. Remo's team is called "Remo Ke Rangeele"

* Khushboo Purohit

* Salman (Mohammed Ghouse)

* Prince R. Gupta

Unfortunately, one of the contestants who had seemed very promising had to bow out due to an injury (fracture) sustained during one of the dances, and even though the contestant Mangesh wanted to contest, Mithun sorrowfully had to eliminate him. That was sad, but the health of the contestants has to be paramount.

Video of Mangesh performing on "maa" from Taare Zameen Par



Mangesh and Prince



These were very impressive, but the other dancers have also been pretty good, so need to see how they perform going ahead. One interesting thing has been that Mithun makes the gurus perform the same stunt if he feels that the stunt performed by the dancer could have been dangerous. Also, Mithun is allowed one 'veto', and he used that to prevent Khushboo from getting eliminated.