Smriti Irani, back as Tulsi in Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu has taken centrespace in almost all discussions. To find out more about what makes the TV superstar tick, Indian Express organised an Ideas Exchange programme with the actress last week.
At the outset Smriti dismissed the notion that TV has any superstars. “On TV one has to project a skill of melodrama which is what we do and the medium gives one a certain respectability,” she said humbly.
The most important question everyone had was why did she quit Kyunki.. and what prompted her to make a comeback in the most popular soap on TV?
“Ten months ago, Ekta Kapoor told me that Tulsi had to die. The audience and my fans wanted me to question her decision. I never did and today it is her prerogative to have me back. More than anything I am back for my audience who have been with me all through. The serial had left me, but the audience didn’t,” she explained dismissing allegations that she was revisiting her popular role to help her and the BJP in the forthcoming elections.
To a query on whether her serial Virrudh was abruptly taken off the air due to low TRPs, Smriti clarified that Sony is known for its reality shows. “Serials on Sony don’t get high TRPs but I am proud that Virrudh gained TRPs and was also critically-acclaimed. Later, Sony wanted me to make it soapy which is why I decided to discontinue it,” she said.
Asked about her political aspirations, read, the desire to contest elections, Smriti diplomatically brushes it aside saying, “The party will decide.”
For now, the actress is all set to regain her glory as the nation’s favourite bahu.

More of the same
Enough has been written about the monotony and deja vu asociated with reality shows but the channels clearly haven’t had enough of them. The latest is musical show Rock The Dhunn on Zee where Sa Re Ga Ma Pa contestants will be belting out Bollywood numbers. To be anchored by Mansi Parekh, the show that kickstarted on April 12 will be aired every Saturday and Sunday at 7.30 pm. So you have Raja Hasan, Mauli Dave, Vineet, Sumedha and Sanchita among others crooning popular songs. As is the wont, the show will have celebrity singers and musicians coming in to lend glamour and variety. Tune in if you aren’t tired of Mauli, Raja or Vineet..

Dekh Bhai Dekh, it will be a film
Anand Mahendroo, producer-director of the hit sitcom Dekh Bhai Dekhis all set to make a feature film based on the comedy. Over the past few years Mahendroo has been associated with the film fraternity providing Film Completion Services and the security of Film Bonding through his company Infinity Film Completion Services. As a producer, his forthcoming venture is Rang Rasiya - Colours Of Passion, which he is producing with Ketan Mehta. Based on the life of Raja Ravi Verma, one of the greatest painters in the history of India, the film stars Randeep Hooda as Raja Ravi Verma and Nandana Sen as his muse.

This bahu is a qualified engineer
Bharti Patil, who plays Pushpa Joshi in NDTV Imagine’s Jasuben Jayantilal Joshi Ki Joint Family, is multi-talented in real life! Not many are aware that this actress is a qualified Mechanical Engineer! This talented actress, who has won several accolades and awards in Marathi serials and films, has also done her B.A. in Psychology! And that’s not all. She also has her own garment business in Mumbai and Pune. A dutiful wife and mother in real life, Bharti started acting when one of her close friends suggested that she should try her hand in TV serials! She went for an audition and there was no looking back! After gaining recognition in Marathi films, she did four Kannada films and even won awards for them. Bharti is also a trained dancer and has learnt Bharatanatyam for 20 years. Talking about her character in Jasuben Jayantilaal Joshi Ki Joint Family, Bharti laughs, “There is a lot of similarity between Bharti and Pushpa. Pushpa loves everyone and same is the case with me. Pushpa is untidy and to small extent I’m also the same. Pushpa never feels bad when her elders taunt her like badi sasu maa (elder mother-in-law) in the show and it’s the same with me.”

MAX’S campaign to promote DLF IPL
Max, which is airing the IPL matches that starts on April 18, has conceptualized its DLF IPL broadcast campaign with the view to prime its viewers for this mega entertainment feast. Titled Manoranjan Ka Baap, the 75-second promo is a tribute to the high-on-entertainment movies of the '80s and pitches DLF IPL as the ultimate destination for entertainment on TV. The film narrates the travails of a family of three - a mother and her twin sons named Mano and Ranjan - who go about their lives without the presence of the children’s father. The family is constantly victimised and subjected to barbs by the entire village. Kab aayega tumhara baap? is a never-ending taunt. The twins keep retaliating that their father will definitely return one day. The narration builds to a climax with the woe-ridden woman contemplating ending her life and that is when the miracle occurs. Her children stop her just in time by screaming that their father has arrived. Cut to the children dancing deliriously and kissing the TV set and the voice-over announcing “Aa gaya Manoranjan Ka Baap. DLF Indian Premier League. Sirf MAX par." Says T. Gangadhar, Vice-President and Head of Marketing, MAX, “From a broadcast strategy perspective, the challenge was to find a unifier that binds the entire country - a lowest common denominator that is compelling enough to take on existing TV-viewing habits. And that glue can only be our insatiable passion for wholesome entertainment. This is precisely why the DLF IPL broadcast has been positioned as the definitive and ultimate entertainment destination for those 44 days when the League is in progress.”