~!*! ~AKA Articles Archive ~!*!~ - Page 2

Posted: 14 years ago
Posted: Tuesday, July 14th, 2009 at 10:45 am

Television content seems to be evolving (surprisingly…). From drab saas-bahu tear jerkers, which at one point of time were pegged to solve the water shortage in our country, to content today which is much more superior and relevant. ZEE TV's new show 'Aapki Antara' is a perfect fit to this description.The show revolves around the life of a 5 year old autistic girl - Antara. The challenges of an autistic child are showcased through a very strong and gripping storyline, where in the first episode itself Antara loses her mother. Added to this is another twist in which it is shown that she is an illegitimate child. Antara's father, Aditya who was until then unaware of his illegitimate child, ends up taking custody of Antara.

Helplessness of a father is shown through some delicate moments where he finds it difficult to comprehend and deliver to her needs. A unique aspect of the show is that it explains the condition and behaviour of autistic people and the way they should be dealt with, in a highly sensitive and authentic manner.

Lead actor Zynah, who plays Antara does a convincing job as an autistic child. Her innocent face and twinkling eyes have touched the audience's hearts. The story has many tender moments. There was one emotional sequence where she points out gazing into the sky, alternatively to the star and herself and repeats, "Antara… Maa, Antara … Maa" as she believes her mother is now a star in the sky. Although brilliant in Maths, she doesn't shine like other students in school due to her withdrawn nature. You feel hurt to see her shunned by the teacher, to see other kids harass her as she innocently walks away from them. You feel a parent's pain when eventually Aditya contemplates leaving her in an orphanage.

On this differentiated effort, Nitin Vaidya, COO ZEEL and Business head for ZEE TV says, "We aim to increase awareness about the condition of autism through our show. We've done detailed research on this topic and met several NGOs to ensure we present the right perspective to our viewers. The show has received encouraging response. People are extending help by sharing their experiences and supporting us in our endeavour."

In times when the war of TRP's is hotting up between channels, it's a bold decision taken by ZEE to go off the beaten path from a standardised success formula. The topic of autism is a sensitive one and the show a brave experiment. We hope this show will break barriers and bring the topic out of the closet. Do tune-in Mon-Fri at 8:30pm and check this one out!

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://i30.tinypic.com/2r5dgya.jpg&imgrefurl=http://buzz.tellynagari.com/index.php/zee-tv/aapki-antara-redefining-prime-time-content-on-indian-television/2009/07/&usg=__XDpbFnXdBUdFQb0PIOgp4G1Ah2k=&h=150&w=150&sz=6&hl=en&start=68&um=1&tbnid=QtwGy91pFACMfM:&tbnh=96&tbnw=96&prev=/images%3Fq%3DAap%2BKi%2BAntara%26ndsp%3D20%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1R2RNTN_enUS331%26sa%3DN%26start%3D60%26um%3D1
Posted: 14 years ago

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.filmyfriday.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/hrithik_roshan_and_sussanne_roshan.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.filmyfriday.com/television/tv-news/aapki-antara-wishes-to-be-a-piano-teacher&usg=__3xFVbDRLbRzb1zqokfSXpezbG7U=&h=543&w=400&sz=34&hl=en&start=63&um=1&tbnid=r5XJ2gsUgf3tpM:&tbnh=132&tbnw=97&prev=/images%3Fq%3DAap%2BKi%2BAntara%26ndsp%3D20%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1R2RNTN_enUS331%26sa%3DN%26start%3D60%26um%3D1

 

Aapki Antara wishes to be a piano teacher

By rachana trivedi on Friday, July 17th, 2009
 

Zaynah Vastani aka Antara is just five years old but she has big dreams for her future. The little wonder in a hearty chat reveals what she aims to be when she grows-up. The bubbly actress wants become a piano teacher.

 

Zaynah Vastani aka Antara is just five years old but she has big dreams for her future. The little wonder in a hearty chat reveals what she aims to be when she grows-up. The bubbly actress wants become a piano teacher.

Posted: 14 years ago

Raj plays, Zaynah works!

July 16th, 2009 - 7:03 pm ICT by sampurn -

It's both fun and work on the sets of Zee's Aap Ki Antra for the kiddies. The tiny tots Zaynah (Antara) and Abhishek (Raj) have grown to be great peeps. Though, you may find Antara very quite on the show; but its total role reversal, when it comes to take care of her little on-screen brother.

As per the sources, "Zaynah has got so attached to Raj; she makes sure Raj eats with her, and is well taken care of by everyone."

"Not only does she act like his elder sister; but sometimes she also lets him play his favourite game "gully cricket' with the crew members, while she finishes his homework! Even Raj, who otherwise is a brat and doesn't listen to anyone, has started listening to Zaynah," adds the source.

The two gel well with each other. "They also share a great rapport with their on-screen mom and dad. Antara likes to play with her director uncle on the sets. The two kids have a blast on the sets," concludes the source.

Raj is a lucky boy as he now has an elder sis to help him for everything, especially homework!
-Sampurn Media

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.thaindian.com/images/sampurn/18703_th.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/tag/antra&usg=__cAPafak4NFlmFaMsGOH2-tqrOzk=&h=120&w=180&sz=7&hl=en&start=127&um=1&tbnid=cckIyn9_klyVIM:&tbnh=67&tbnw=101&prev=/images%3Fq%3DAap%2BKi%2BAntara%26ndsp%3D20%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1R2RNTN_enUS331%26sa%3DN%26start%3D120%26um%3D1
Posted: 14 years ago
 
Cast of Aapki Antara

Antara - Zynah Vastani
Aaditya Verma - Darshan Pandya
Vidhya - Prabhleen Sandhu
Sameer - Himanshu Malhotra
Aarti - Monika Sambyal
Abhishek- Raj Sumariya
Billu - Aarav Velhal
Mr. Gupta - Nikhil Ratanparkhi
Mrs. Gupta - Alka Mogha
Vidhya's Mother (Kiran) -Sujata Kumar
Vidhya's father - Vijay Aidasani


Antara (Zynah) plays an autistic child in Aapki Antara, produced by Drishtant Productions and directed by Sanjay Surkar for Zee TV.

Aapki Antara is about a special child, Antara who lives with her family. Antara's family consists of her father (Darshan), mother (Prabhleen Sandhu), brother and grandmother (Sujata Kumar).

Due to her autism, Antara is unable to bond with her family and does not have any friends. Though shunned by the world, Antara observes it closely and has definitive views on everything. Wil...

Antara (Zynah) plays an autistic child in Aapki Antara, produced by Drishtant Productions and directed by Sanjay Surkar for Zee TV.

Aapki Antara is about a special child, Antara who lives with her family. Antara's family consists of her father (Darshan), mother (Prabhleen Sandhu), brother and grandmother (Sujata Kumar).

Due to her autism, Antara is unable to bond with her family and does not have any friends. Though shunned by the world, Antara observes it closely and has definitive views on everything. Will Antara's innocence and outlook change others

Monday-Friday, 8:30 PM

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BHLzcXmaZI4/SbSs9f_7msI/AAAAAAAAAAY/dsxQaf8Qa-w/S220/8.JPG&imgrefurl=http://zeetelevision.blogspot.com/2009/06/aapki-antara-zee-tv.html&usg=__xjB55npwlQLAsOU2Hzd9yx28u1A=&h=220&w=165&sz=10&hl=en&start=178&um=1&tbnid=YbnI9Gtu0QYSJM:&tbnh=107&tbnw=80&prev=/images%3Fq%3DAap%2BKi%2BAntara%26ndsp%3D20%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1R2RNTN_enUS331%26sa%3DN%26start%3D160%26um%3D1

 

Posted: 14 years ago

Zaynah Vastani and Ziyah Vastani, cute little celebrities of India

Sunday, July 05, 2009

 

Zaynah Vastani and Ziyah Vastani are the new two little cute kids in Indian movie world. The little celebrities are Identical twins, aged and has handful of offers from big and small screens.

Zaynah aged five, plays the role of the autistic child Antara Verma in Zee TV's Aap Ki Antara.

Aapki Antra deals with the life of the girl and how she affects the lives of those she encounters during her journey of life. Aapki Antra, the Zee TV soap opera which premiered on June 1, 2009 has become top in the viewership charts with the help of Zaynah.



Zaynah, has an identical twin Ziyah, who also is in the movie world. Ziyah plays Darsheel Safary's sister in the upcoming bollywood movie Bum Bum Bole. Zaynah has appeared in several ads like Britania, Godrej, Santoor, Sunsilk and Peposdent along with her twin.

Posted: 14 years ago
Aap Ki Antara is a hit!

Get all your TV gossip right here
Aap Ki Antara is a hit!

If you thought Tare Zameen Par was the best take on dyslexic children that there could be, you just had to wait for Aap Ki Antara to happen. The serial has not only created waves in India but it is also garnering critical acclaim overseas from the US and the UK. Autistic kids' parents are calling up the production house to congratulate them on their effort and thank them for highlighting the problems of the conditions.


http://www.indya.com/news/newsDetails.aspx?xfile=2009/July/News_20090704_21
Posted: 14 years ago

When we met 'Aapki Antara' offscreen

The saas-bahu serials ruled the roost till recently, then came a phase where mother-daughter relationship was the focus.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
But now that's changing with Aapki Antara that focuses on the father-daughter bond. DT caught up with father-daughter duo Aditya (Darshan Pandya) and Antara (Zynah Vastani) on the sets of their show.

Darshan, how would you describe your on-screen daughter?
Darshan: Antara is a special child. She doesn't speak much and cannot show emotions. But she's extremely good at maths.

Zynah, do you find it difficult to essay this role?
Zynah: No. But I don't have dialogues like other kids in the show.

So have you'll actually met some special kids?
Darshan: Yes. And we were amazed to know how talented some of them are. Hopefully, our show will break barriers in bringing this out of the closet.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/ENTERTAINMENT/TV-/When-we-met-Aapki-Antara-offscreen/articleshow/4769282.cms
Edited by Maarocks - 14 years ago
Posted: 14 years ago
Darshan Pandya opens up

Darshan Pandya, who plays Aditya Verma in Aap Ki Antara, was busy with theatre before bagging the role that he had initially rejected.




How did you get this show?
"A friend told me about the auditions and I went for it. They wanted a cute person for this role. They told me it was a father's role so I said no at first, but when they explained the character and situation, I said yes, though I was a little sceptical. The producer and director convinced me to give it a second thought and I did that."

What have you done before this?
"I was doing theatre. I was working with Prithvi, and have also acted in Gujarati plays. I have my own group, Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan, and we conduct one-act play competitions. I also dubbed for cartoons, commercials and movies."

Do you miss theatre?
I have not left theatre, but since I am so busy now I cannot do any plays. I do miss that group and the stage, but I'm getting a different experience here. My friends, who never really appreciated my work, are happy with my role and compliment me now."

What is your relationship with Zyanah Vastani?
She is a very cute kid. She's always running about everywhere and I enjoy her company. The most important thing is that she is very obedient. When we are doing a shot, she will listen to everything, finish her work and then do masti."

How did you prepare for the role?
"They took us to a school where we met autistic kids. I was completely clueless about autism. I purposely avoided meeting too many children as my character, Aditya, is shown to know very little on the subject, and I wanted to maintain that."

What response are you getting?
"It is unbelievable. We are tackling a very different subject and the experience has been very good till now. TRPs don't matter much, but the show is picking up slowly and steadily. Once, I was travelling on my bike wearing a helmet, and yet a couple recognised me. They told me they had a two-year-old daughter, who was a big fan of Antara's, and they asked me how she was and where she was. I felt good."

Tell us about your family?
"I have done a course in electronic and telecommunication. I live with my parents, sister and wife; they all are happy for me .My wife Shilpa is also an actress. She visits me on the sets sometimes, and has bonded well with Zyanah, even more than me. Whenever she comes, she spends hours with Zyanah; they play together and have loads of fun."
 
http://www.indya.com/news/newsDetails.aspx?xfile=2009/July/News_20090729_146

Posted: 14 years ago
Darshan Pandya was just another middle-class boy until his obsession to follow his dream and his guts to go about it, turned him into a known face in television. We would recognize him as Aditya Verma, Antara's father in Zee TV's Aap Ki Antara.

The staunch introvert that he is, he slowly opens up about his origins, friends, his better - half and more...

Tell us about your background.

Well, basically I'm an Amdavadi, that is from Ahmedabad. I grew up there with my parents and my younger sister. I came to Mumbai to do my Engineering.

So you're an engineer too?! Specialized in -
My specialization is in Electronics and Telecommunication which I did from S. S. Jondhale Polytechnic near Dombivali.

How did the transition from engineering to acting happen?
Well I always knew that I wanted to be an actor. But didn't know how to go about it, so continued with the known path. I took up a job after my engineering when one of my friends introduced me to theater. When I got a role in one of the plays, I got so excited I quit my well-paying job to concentrate on that!

Any training that you underwent for acting?
Yes, at Bharatiya Vidya Bhawan there is a training center where I did my preparation.

What have been your theater activities so far?
Well there are many but my favorites are Mareez and Raman Bhuman.

How did Aap Ki Antara happen to you?
My friend Bhuvanesh, who works in the television field, told me about Aap Ki Antara. That's how it all started.

How different is television from theater?
In theater it's live-performance whereas in television its not so. Also in television you have to worry about continuity. Sometimes, you have to make sure your face shows the same emotion after a gap of few days!

What do you think is the plus and minus of being seen on television, or working on television?
Minus, I haven't come across as I'm a new comer in this field. But one advantage that I've always known about television is the fact that it reaches a wider spectrum of audience compared to theater.

Why did you choose such a sensitive subject for your debut on TV?
Simple. Because it dealt with something that a television serial had never tackled before.
But I'll be honest, I was terribly nervous about the project. I had no idea if I'd be able to pull it through.  But I also knew that the only way to success was by taking risks. For me, No risk equals no gain.

Tell us about your real life interaction with autistic children.
I interacted with them when the whole crew was taken to an autistic school.  I found that all autistic children are brilliant. Their mind is such that they focus only on one thing. This makes them so specialized in that field that they turn out to be geniuses. For example, there was this girl who was fond of languages and she knew seven of them! Then there was this boy who was fond of singing, so he knew hundreds of songs by heart, not leaving out a single word!
Their minds are pure. They have the absolute form of innocence.

Your producers too debut in television with this show. How is it working with them?
Well my producer is damn creative! We famously get along with each other. He has also helped me learn a lot of things about this field.

How similar or different is Darshan Pandya from Aditya Verma?
Well, the similarity is that my moral values match those of Aditya's as we both are from middle class families. But Aditya gets serious very soon. I'm a lot calmer that him. I don't worry about future as much as Aditya. I take each day as it comes.

Your first role is of a father. Did you feel apprehensive?
To be very frank, when Bhuvanesh told me about it, I blatantly refused. He told me at least go through the script, think over it. I took his advice and when I realized that this serial is a totally new concept, my attitude changed. I don't have anything against playing a father, but for the typical father in drawn out tele serials.

Are you a father in real life too?
No, but I am married like Aditya. (Laughs)

Really?! Tell us more about her.
Her name is Shilpa. We met during my theater days. Even she is into theater.

Tell us about your on-screen wife Prabhleen.
Prabhleen and I share a great working relationship. Since she is more experienced than me I get to learn a lot from her. Even she is generous about giving tips to me. I am an introvert while Prabhleen is a total extrovert. At first I didn't even know how to behave around her. I was that nervous during my first day! But later on, the ice broke and now we share a great rapport.

How do you get along with kids on the show?
Well, Zayna is not at all a difficult child. She is very obedient, so makes things easier for me but Abhishek is very naughty. He does a lot of mischief and when we try to scold him, he cracks a joke on the spot and makes us laugh. No one can really get miffed with him.

Personally, your opinion on extra marital affairs.
It is wrong.  I think if all couples behave like the best of friends, maintain absolute transparency and give each other complete space, then there is no chance left for extra marital affairs.
 
Edited by wonderman - 14 years ago
Posted: 14 years ago

Aap Ki Antara to take a leap

It has been nearly two months since Aap Ki Antara started, and the buzz is that the show will take a leap in a couple of months.

Producer Monish Sekhri of Drishant Media confirms this: "The leap will take place in a couple of months. We have not started casting for new faces yet, and most of the old cast will continue even after the leap." However, it is likely that Zyanah Vastani, who plays Antara, will be replaced, as her character will grow up. The child artist was signed on for only three months.

Darshan Pandya, who plays Antara's father Aditya, says, "I have heard that the show will take a leap, but it is not going to be a big leap. I am ready to play an older character, on the condition that I will have something substantial to do, because it is always challenging to play what you are not in reality. I don't know when this leap will take place."

The leap was part of the story from beginning. A few new characters will reportedly enter the show, and the hunt for a new girl to play Antara will soon start.
http://www.indya.com/news/newsDetails.aspx?xfile=2009/July/News_20090730_151

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