Upala KBR (MID-DAY; February 13, 2019)

Almost like the flavour of the season, Indian politicians are ready to invade both big and small screens in abundance this election year. And as if three films to mark his laurels weren't enough, digitisation fan Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to get his own digital offering. mid-day has learnt that the politician's life will get a small screen adaptation by filmmaker Umesh Shukla, and writer and Censor Board member Mihir Bhuta.

Shukla tells mid-day that the 10-episode Eros Now series will not feature any celebrated faces. "The PM's story is the biggest star. If we cast a known face, the viewer will not connect with the story, and will search for the actor. So, we have cast good actors, instead," he says of the project that was "silently" under works for a year-and-a-half. "Music director Salim-Sulaiman are working on the series."

Touting his venture to be a window to tracing Modi's rise to power, Bhuta reveals that filming has already kicked off in the "real locations where Modi ji lived". "I am not interested in showcasing his work or political [agendas]. I'm interested in his personality. He has an amazing sense of humour, which few know about. He also has a deep interest in spirituality, not religion. The show follows his childhood and youth, the factors that influenced him, the way he was before, and how he emerged to be the person he is today. It concludes with him taking oath as the prime minister of India. We have started shooting in rural Gujarat, and are currently filming portions involving his youth, spent in Siddhpur and Vadnagar."

At Shukla's behest, the team employed three actors to play the PM across different stages of his life. Mahesh Thakur is set to play the politician from his journey to becoming the PM of India after his appointment as Gujarat CM. As a young adult, Modi will be depicted in the show by Ashish Sharma, Bhuta says.

He asserts that the show's release during elections is merely coincidental, and his film is unlikely to alter political opinions. Producer Sanjay Trivedi hopes to complete production work by March 15. "Everybody associated with this project believes it must reach all kinds of viewers."

Sonali Joshi Pitale (MID-DAY; April 25, 2014)

The seventh season of dance reality show, Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa, will kick off in June and its makers have already finalised a bunch of celebrities from various fields. A source says, “As of now, its judges will remain the same as the last season (Madhuri Dixit, Karan Johar and Remo D’Souza). But some of the celebrities who have agreed to be a part of the show are TV personalities VJ Andy, Purab Kohli, Pooja Bose, Kritika Kamra, Kiku Sharda and Mouni Roy. Tainted cricketer Sreesanth has also been confirmed. This apart, the production team is in talks with Evelyn Sharma and Sophie Choudry, but they are yet to give them a nod.” 

Meanwhile, Ashish Sharma, who is part of the TV show, Rangrasiya, will now be shaking a leg in this reality show instead of his co-star, Sanaya Irani. “The team was keen to have Sanaya on board but she had to turn it down, and Ashish has agreed to do the show. The production team wants to sign on a Punjabi singer as well. Besides Sanaya, Kunal Karan Kapoor and Rajneesh Duggal have also refused to be a part of the show,” says the source.

Evelyn and Sophie remained unavailable for comment, but a channel spokesperson confirmed the rest of the names.