MUMBAI: The verdict is out! Pratyusha Banerjee was chosen as the ‘Nayi Anandi‘ from amongst the three young girls who were poised to take over Avika Gor‘s role as the little child bride in COLORS‘ flagship show Balika Vadhu. The face of the Nayi Anandi was revealed in the episode that was aired on Thursday 22nd July 2010. After various speculations, viewers chose Pratyusha Banerjee from Jamshedpur as the ?Nayi Anandi? in a unique SMS campaign.

As Avika Gor bid good bye to her audience in the sand dunes of Rajasthan, a coy Pratyusha managed to capture hearts with a sparkle in her eye. Balika Vadhu, the show that redefined Indian television, took a five year age leap and held a unique nationwide campaign for the viewers in to pick their ?Nayi Anandi?. COLORS? had shortlisted 3 girls; Jamshedpur?s Pratyusha Banerjee, Lucknow?s Nivedita Tiwari and Mumbai‘s Ketaki Chitale for Anandi?s role.

Speaking about Pratyusha chosen as the ?Nayi Anandi?, Head of Programming, COLORS, Ashvini Yardi said, ?Balika Vadhu is a show that enjoys viewership around the world and has loyal followers across demographics. Balika Vadhu is a simple story of Anandi a childbride?s journey into womanhood. As Avika Gor connected well with the audience we wanted our viewers be involved in deciding who they want to see as their ?grown-up? Anandi. The response that we received in the form of votes was an overwhelming testimony of the love our viewers feel for the characters of this show. I am positive that Pratyusha will take the role of Anandi to newer heights in her grown-up avatar.?

Describing the concept of the age leap, Sunjoy Waddhwa of Sphere Origins said, ?Age leaps let us experiment further with the storyline. Balika Vadhu has created a benchmark in the fiction genre and has always garnered high TRPs. The five year leap is a natural progression. We wanted to bring in a refreshing change to the show and characters? new look, new situations with new twist and turns?.

Pratyusha, a chirpy, nineteen year old pretty girl from Jamshedpur expresses her happiness at being chosen as the Nayi Anandi, ?Anandi has become a household name and is one of the most loved characters on Indian television. I consider myself privileged to have the opportunity of a lifetime to play this coveted role. I am sure the viewers will be excited to see how Anandi matures from a young chirpy girl to a poised mature woman. Avika essayed the role of Anandi beautifully, adding to a superbly written character sketch. I will try my best to live up to everyone?s expectations by getting into the skin of the character.?
 

MUMBAI: Vanita Ratnam, Amrita TV‘s signature programme for mothers has inked its name into the history books as it signed in, into its 4th successive season on July 19th at 7.30pm.

Telecast Monday through Friday at 7.30 pm, this fourth generation show that established the very concept of a reality show exclusively for women is cast in a new mould so that it very complexion is altered.

In contrast to its prequels, Vanita Ratnam-4 does not insist on motherhood as a criteria for eligibility; however participants must be married to qualify.

The earlier 3 editions which tried to seek out the Complete Woman were in the nature of a talent hunt that brought into the limelight ordinary housewives who were chained to the hearth but were blessed with loads of artistic and other abilities.

Vanita Ratnam -4 on the other hand is conceived as a thorough exploration of the contestant‘s personality which examines, analyses and assess each feature that make up their disposition.

Every person is a blend of many traits that together combine to give the individual his ‘character‘. Only a few characteristics present themselves in everyday life ; others lie dormant and unrealized until they face unexpected predicaments, crunch situations and pressing contingencies.

Vanita Ratnam-4 plunges the contestants into the depths of their own personality, uncovering their hidden potential, unknown capabilities and unsuspected strengths.

The rounds are carefully oriented to help in the unveiling of their latent caliber- less than half the rounds take place onstage on the studio floors, the rest are shot exclusively outdoors. The performance in the rounds, the contestant‘s equation with each other and interaction with the anchor and judges will all be assessed on a continuous basis.

In the ‘treasure hunt round‘, the competitors have to crack the ‘poetic‘ puzzles to arrive at the clue that leads to the treasure; the puzzles themselves may be hidden atop a tree, inside a boatman‘s pocket or in a washerwoman‘s bundle. This team round is a testing ground that may bring out the leadership qualities of some, show up the courage of others or allow their level headedness to come through.

The ‘mother within you round‘ lets the contestant--who may not be a mother- loose into a roomful of young children of assorted ages and in a situation that is a litmus test of patience and ingenuity, evaluates how she manages to cope with all the kids at the same time.

The 16 selected competitors seem capable of measuring up to the challenges of the new version of Vanita Ratnam- they include an MS engineer from the US who gave up her plum assignment to participate in Vanita Ratnam-4; a graphic designer who is an ace dancer ; a 4th standard drop out whose main hobbies are trying out new recipes and then consuming the results of her own ‘culinary‘ experiments.

Murali Menon and cine star Kalpana who will do the honours as permanent jury on the Judges Panel, will be joined in each round by an expert on the subject- in the Sherlock Homes round where the contestant has to deduce the subject‘s character from mere observation, the participants will be assessed by a leading female private detective.

Vanita Ratnam-4 is an exhaustive journey of self discovery in which the contestants encounter many personality traits that they themselves were unaware of so that, by the end of the programme they arrive at complete self-realisation.
 

MUMBAI: zoOm turns back the clock! The Seventies have taken over. The girls are dressed in bell bottoms, bright colours, bold prints & the guys are flaunting their big collars & padded shoulders. Dressed in the retro look of the stylish 70‘s, team Planet Bollywood grills the Underworld Dons - Ajay Devgn and Emraan Hashmi, who graciously answer all the questions making the Planet Bollywood Retro Special, indeed more special.

In fact, Emraan even went on to say that if he were around during the seventies he would have kissed exactly the same way he did now. Quite a candid revelation! While Ajay and Emraan tried being sweet & diplomatic at times, team Planet Bollywood ensured that the two dons in them took over & did all the talking.

Ajay & Emraan touched upon several topics common to the 70?s & Bollywood Crime ? they spoke about the lust, glamour, power & excitement that were an integral part of that era.

Catch the Planet Bollywood Retro Special this Saturday ? 24th July at 7 & 9 P.M. only on Zoom.
 

MUMBAI: Zee Caf? has come up with a well crafted viral campaign in sync with audience sensibilities to strike the right note to cascade publicity for the upcoming show Gossip Girl ? Season 3 on 22nd July 2010.

In Gossip girl ? Season 3, our beloved Upper East Siders, leaving behind glossy teen farce, are entering the college world.

Gossil girl is all set to blog about love scandals and secrets?.

The teaser campaign will continue till the show premiere?s on 22nd July, Thursday at 10 pm on Zee Caf?.

The viral initiative will witness naughty sms like ?So you have plans tonight! Everyone?s talking about it??

?And Who Am I? That‘s one secret I‘ll never tell. You know you love me. ?

The sms will go out at regular intervals throughout the day.

The Viral initiative will encourage individuals to pass on the message to others, creating the potential for exponential growth in the show?s exposure.

So build up an appetite to explore all the temptations and tune in on July 22nd, into Zee Caf?, Monday to Friday, 10PM.

MUMBAI: Getting a lucky start this week, Aaliyah successfully completes a fishing task winning for herself and her four-legged pal a free night?s stay at a hotel in Kumarakom, her next destination.

After being thrown off a public ferry for being accompanied by a dog, Aaliyah convinces a local to take them to Vypin on a private jetty where she manages to get a bus to Kumarakom. Challenging Aaliyah?s potential at each juncture, this time she is assigned an arduous task related to manufacturing rubber! However, she has to forfeit it owing to her failure to follow the rules, ending into a punishment to bathe her furry companion.

Accentuating the complexity level with the next task, Aaliyah must steer a boat and collect 20 balloons scattered around in the water which when obtained must be burst by the dog. To add to her misery, the rain pours down hard on her making her almost lose her footing!

Will her restless dog cause the boat to topple over or will the rain cause her to lose her footing yet again winning herself another punishment?

Tune in to Beg Borrow Steal Woof as Aaliyah tries to steer clear of all calamities that may befall in her quest

MUMBAI: Exciting school time goodies with Tiger, Cakes & Milk Bikis packs

Britannia Industries Ltd., one of India?s most trusted food brand, has introduced the Britannia ?Back to School Goodies ? which can be obtained on buying certain packs of Tiger,Milk Bikis and Cakes. For kids it will mean more fun, exciting and cooler to be back at school.

The Britannia ?Back to School Goodies Pack?.

With select packs of Tiger or Cakes or Milk Bikis Britannia, is not just taking care of kids? tummies but also assuring them fun with the ?Back to School Goodies? stationery items. They will love to have them at school.

The Kids favorite ?Britannia Tiger Glucose Biscuit? Rs 4& 5 pack will brighten up a child?s mood with colorful bag tags, rulers, book labels and stickers.

Brighten up the break time with Soft-n-juicy ?Britannia Cakes?. These cakes have ?Fundoo Bendoo? colorful bendable rulers, pencils, erasers which are interesting and fun to play with free with every pack.

The nutrition and tasty Britannia Milk Bikis family pack along with a little lunch box will make lunchtime a delight fun experience

So grab your Back to School Goodie Packs and make the ?school mein cool? experience memorable.

iences we shall be partnering with the best of Action films through the year during their theatrical release."