'Nach is a journey for us' - Shaleen-Daljeet

Nach Baliye 4 has been in the news for its jodis and judges. Here is a tete-a-tete with the #11 Jodi, Shaleen Bhanot ...

by Meenakshi Shankar

Oct 16, 2008, Mumbai  

She showed what she meant when she did a sizzling item number for the opening episode of 'Nach Baliye -4'. She has said that this is not comeback to the arc lights. She proved effortlessly that she has lost none of her magical touch as a dancer.

Lolo is on 'Nach Baliye- 4' as a jury member and she shares the platform with ace director and choreographer Farah Khan and actor Arjun Rampal. The viewers are in for a treat because the sexy momma is back with her jhatkas and matkas.

And if you thought her moves could be rusty with half-a-decade long sabbatical, then you couldn't be more wrong. In a dance number choreographed by Farah Khan, the diva in a golden ensemble, was at her sizzling best. And she set a precedent for what she's expecting from the jodis. A tough act to match, for sure!

http://www.tellywatch.com/telly_news/lolo_karishma_kapoor/october-16-2008/lolo_karishma_kapoor_karishma_nach_baliye_4.html

by Tellywatch News Desk

Oct 16, 2008, Mumbai  

"Production house is my second home," "It is a home away from home." How many times have we heard this refrain from our small screen actors! Of course, we do not refute their claims as we know our actors spend hours and hours under the arc lights day after day. As Karishma Kapoor jocularly put it when questioned her about the small screen vis-a-vis the big screen, "You never really get to sit. The arc lights follow you till you realize it is your master and you are its gilded slave…"

So, the question is, where lies the truth? There are some who, without a blink of the eye, push the actors to the edge and there are some who treat them with kid-gloves. Though, when we asked our actors about the kid-gloves bit, we got looks, which said, "Are you serious…because if you know of any such production house, we would work for free for them!"

The production houses have their own justifications. Nowadays, TV productions do not come cheap at all. It's big money and they feel justified about extracting the maximum from the artists. And, what we heard from our very miffed source about the latest that had taken place at the sets of 'Nach Baliye -4' reminded us of slave labour!

The first episode of 'Nach Baliye-4' was shot at Vrindavan Studio in Mumbai. But, the shoot, which was scheduled to kick-start at 2.00 p.m, found the cameras rolling only at 8.00 p.m. And that's not all, says our well-placed source, on condition of anonymity. "Our favourite jodis were left twiddling their thumbs while Lolo perfected an item number choreographed by Farhah Khan. The shoot went on till the wee hours of the morning and there was no food provided," added a visibly upset jodi, who chose to remain unnamed.

And when we contacted the earlier jodis of Season 1 and 2, they were all praise for SOL production, the makers of 'Nach Baliye' 1 and 2. In unison, they said, "SOL knew how to treat people. Yes, there had been times when we had to shoot into the wee hours, but the production house ensured that the comfort of its participants was taken care of."

Unlike a daily show, reality show is a lot of hard work. At the end of the day, it is a competition and you have to perform! Yes, it's great money, but if you are weighed down by forced idleness and hunger and by the time you perform, the first rays of the sun are peeping out, then tell me, how different is it from bonded labour!"

Naturally, the first episode started off on a rocky note. Someone needs to educate the production house that dictatorship is pass, our source remarked wryly.

NACH BALIYE 4, October 17, 2008 @ 8 pm on Star Plus.

http://www.tellywatch.com/telly_news/nach_baliye_4_bonded_labour/october-16-2008/nach_baliye_4_bonded_labour_dictatorship_.html

Why judge a reality show?

Arjun: In films, everybody judges you and your performance. I wanted to be on the other side this time and decided to judge a reality show. I want to be more approachable and believe that it is a great medium to interact with a huge audience.

Farah: (laughs) I have judged four reality shows till date and now you can safely call me the queen of reality shows! I love watching reality shows because I am at home with my three children. My social life has gone for a toss. These shows are very entertaining! The best part about these shows is that they don't take much of your time!

Arjun, a lot of your friends from the industry are making an appearance on the small screen, what made you join the bandwagon?

Arjun: Television as a medium has become huge. It is no longer small. Revenues are being generated like never before. I decided to do Nach Baliye- 4 because I knew it wouldn't take up much of my time.. Besides, TV pays me well and I don't need to compromise on my other commitments.

Have you seen Nach Baliye?

Arjun: Yes. Having seen a few episodes, I like the format of the show. It entertained me. That was one of the reasons why I took it up!

But Arjun do you think this is the right time for you to be on television?

Arjun: I don't calculate and make moves in terms of my career. Though I would like to believe, I don't know if this is the right time for me to be on television. Over the years I have realised one thing that whatever you do, you must do it for yourself and not for someone else.

Are you familiar with the contestants?

Farah: Frankly speaking, I do not know most of the contestants. I watch reality shows avidly but none of them have been on a reality show so I don't know them. A few of them seem to be good but I guess it may help that I do not know most of them. That way I can judge them only on the basis of their dance.

Arjun: I knew Abhijeet Sawant and Jaspal Bhatti but besides that I do not know any body!

So what will be your criteria for judging the contestants?

Arjun: Well, Farah is there to judge their dancing skills and I am going to be helping her with my inputs. I will be mainly concentrating on their energy, attitude, the chemistry between the couples and overall performance. I will see the human side of a performance. I am not going to ape anyone. I shall be myself on the show!

Farah: Being a choreographer by profession, this is the best job for me! I get to be myself on the show. I will check for the technicalities, the expressions and of course the overall performance. Everything about being a judge is good, except for the make- up that I detest.

Apparently, Farah Khan convinced you to be on the show

Arjun: Yeah! Farah did talk to me about being on the show but once I met the Star production team, was totally convinced that these guys were doing a good job.

Were you offered any other reality shows before this?

Arjun: I was offered but I was not too sure about taking anything up! Luckily for me, the dates did not clash with my shooting schedules. Also Nach Baliye has been consistent and I am glad to be a part of this show.

Farah: I was offered Big Boss 1.

Don't you think there is an overdose of reality shows?

Arjun: Yes, there are a lot of reality shows! But if you talk to any channel guys, they will tell you that reality shows have the highest TRPs. If the show is good, it will have a loyal fan following. They will watch all seasons of the show consistently. If the show is interesting, it will do well.

Farah: Reality shows are coming out of our eyes, ears and mouth! But the fact remains that they are very popular with the audience and generate the highest revenue for the channel. The audiences get habituated to watching these shows.

What do you have to say about reality shows being scripted?

Farah: There have been things like this doing the rounds from quite sometime. But fortunately, I have not been asked to do anything on any of my shows. Everything is real and there is no drama. I agree that some of them are instigated but I do not know if they are scripted!

Arjun, what about your production company? Are you planning to enter television?

Arjun: Yes, we are in talks. But nothing concrete has been decided as yet!

Given a choice would you like to be a contestant on a reality show?

Arjun: Never! I have watched a few episodes of Bigg Boss and trust me; it is not my cup of tea. I could never stay isolated from the world!

Farah: I don't know! I have never thought about it.

So are we going to see both of you on the dance floor?

Farah: We might do an act in the finale or something. But before that I have to knock off all the extra weight that I have gained.

Arjun: Yeah! As soon as Farah loses weight we shall perform together!

http://www.screenindia.com/news/judging-em-right/370959/

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