Tanvi Trivedi (BOMBAY TIMES; April 25, 2015)

Popular TV actor Gurmeet Choudhary talks about his debut film Khamoshiyan and more
Chaya Unnikrishnan (DNA; December 20, 2014)

With his very first serial Ramayan, Gurmeet Choudhary became a popular name. His next Geet Hui Sabse Parayi had the girls swooning over his stubbled look and ripped body. Punar Vivah established him as the silent romantic hero. Three serials, threee hits. Not to mention reality shows like Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa in which he emerged the winner and Khatron ke Khiladi 5 that saw him at his adventurous best. Clearly, Gurmeet who came to Mumbai as a 19-year-old boy with dreams of becoming a film actor, had moulded himself into the perfect Bolly hero. And, now having signed a three-film deal with Vishesh Films, Gurmeet is ready with his debut film Khamoshiyan. Here the actor talks about his journey and his dream coming true. 

Did you always want to be a film actor?
Of course. I hail from an army background and I came to Mumbai with the dream of becoming an film actor. But since I had nobody from films in my family, I was a bit lost. One day I managed to meet Yash Chopra. It was he who guided me to do TV. I was 18-19 years old then and Yashji gave me the example of Shah Rukh Khan. He said, 'SRK se bada example kya hai. He has come from TV. Why don't you also do TV and make a name for yourself there first'. That's how I started doing serials. 

You have done three serials and all have been hits..
Yes. I was determined to approach every role that I did with earnestness and put 200 per cent efforts into it. I worked on my look, body, body language, character, etc. My motto was no matter how many shows I do, I should look different in every one of them. People should be able to identify which serial just by my look. Accordingly when I played Ram, I worked on my physique to make it a little bulky because he was a king. I grew my hair long, and as Ram is antaryami, one who know what will happen in the future he is always calm and composed. I worked on getting a serene smile, that was a part of Ram. For my role as Maan in Geet Huyi Sabse Parayi, I grew a stubble, and got a lean look. Maan was an arrogant business tycoon and my body language projected that. As Yash in Punarvivah I changed my looks again. Every serial I dealt with as though I am doing a film. That a producer or director may be watching the show was always at the back of my mind. 

Is that how you finally got the film offer?
Yes, and I am grateful to Mukeshji's (Bhatt) wife for that. She had watched me in serials and for two years had been telling Mukeshji that I deserve to be in films and that he should give me a break. I met them once at an award function and said hello. That's when Mukeshji actually saw me. At another event in South Africa, I won the Best Actor award in TV, while Ranbir Kapoor was chosen the Best Actor in films. Mohit Suri gave me my trophy and Mukeshji congratulated me. Within a week, I got an offer from them. I was on cloud nine! 

Every actor wants to make a film debut with love story. Didn't you have apprehensions in starting with a supernatural thriller Khamoshiyan?
Even when I was doing TV everybody would tell me that I should make my debut with Vishesh Films because they are known for their songs as well as story. They would say, 'Gaana hit hona chahiye then the actor lipsyncing to it also becomes a hit!' That apart, Khamoshiyan has romance, drama and performance. My character Jaidev Dharajgir is charming and as powerful as the name. And I think after Aashiqui 2 the music of Khamoshiyan will be a hit. Already people are raving about the title track. For years I was lipsyncing to others' songs and I would wonder mujhe mera gaana kab milega? When I had to lip sync for my first song in the film, it gave me a different kind of high and happiness. 

You have proved yourself as a dancer with Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa. Were you always good at it?
I used to get prizes in school and at events. I was inspired by Shah Rukh Khan's energy and Govinda's style of dancing. But it was only after I did Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa that I learned different forms, Zumba, Rumba, Hiphop, etc. This is going to help me in my film career. 

Will we see a different Gurmeet in Khamoshiyan?
Yes, I have worked on my physique because this required a slightly bulky body. In fact, I did a photoshoot experimenting with my hair and look! I am inspired by Amitabh Bachchan. He has done so many films, played so many characters but still looks fresh because he experimented. Same with Aamir Khan. 

We heard that your wife Debina Bonnerjee has a cameo in Khamoshiyan. Is it true?
You will have to see the film for that. But yes I have promised her that she will be a part of all the films that I do. 

Is she also looking at doing films?
Yes, and I support her completely. Right now she has taken a break, but something is in the offing. 

Will you stop doing TV now that you have made the transition to films?
No. TV is home, I am not closed to it. Even today I attend TV events and perform on shows. I won't be able to do daily soaps because of time constraints, but if there is a finite series and I have an interesting role why not. TV is a huge medium. Even Amitji despite being so busy did a TV serial. 

Several TV actors have made the transition to films but a very few have succeeded...
I believe one has to move smartly. I had also got several offers when I was doing serials, but I always wanted to debut with a big banner. That is very important. I have got a positive feedback for the trailer and soon will start the promotions. I am excited.

Sophie Choudry is pretty and talented and can dance up a storm as she proved recently on a dance reality show. She shares her fitness and fashion fundas with us
Indu Mirani (BOMBAY TIMES; November 21, 2014)

Neha Maheshwri Bhagat (BOMBAY TIMES; September 4, 2014)

Eepsita Guha (BOMBAY TIMES; August 31, 2014)

Chaya Unnikrishnan (DNA; August 21, 2014)

Priyanka Chopra recently visited the sets of Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 7 to promote her upcoming film Mary Kom. She invited the judges — Madhuri Dixit-Nene, Karan Johar and Remo D’Souza — to throw a few punches. Karan Tacker who declared that he would do anything for Priyanka, was used as the punching bag! The judges then took turns in boxing Tacker. KJo was the first to go. After he punched Tacker, PC told KJo that every boxer thinks of something before throwing a punch, and that he must have thought of the Mary Kom producer before he boxed him! For the uninitiated, the producer is none other than Sanjay Leela Bhansali.

Once good friends, Karan and Sanjay are currently not on talking terms. Says a source from the sets, “As soon as Priyanka said this to Karan, there was pin drop silence on the sets. When Madhuri threw a punch, PC played safe and said the diva must have thought of her husband Sriram Nene for being unromantic that day. And Remo, she said, must have been thinking of Manish Paul because the two have a war going on!”

Ankur Pathak (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 21, 2014)

In an interview to Mirror (July 27, 2013) Shahid Kapoor had revealed that "it's very tricky to be friends with your ex." A year later, the statement was visually demonstrated when he arrived at a suburban studio to shoot for the dance reality show, Jhalak Dikhla Jaa, only to discover that an episode featuring his ex-girlfriend Priyanka Chopra was underway.

Sensing a 'casting' coup, one of the channel's programming executives came up with a brainwave: shoot a joint promo with the two stars. PeeCee laughed off the idea making it clear that she wasn't comfortable with such an arrangement.

Sasha too, was not in the mood to reunite with his former girlfriend, even in reel life."He didn't even step out to meet her but locked himself in the van till she had left," revealed our source from the unit.

Bharati Dubey (MID-DAY; August 21, 2014)

On Tuesday evening, Priyanka Chopra injured herself while performing a Dahi Handi act on the sets of dance reality show, Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa. The actress had come on the show to promote her film, Mary Kom.
Says an onlooker, “Priyanka’s entry on the show was staged in such a way that she was supposed to come in along with group of girls performing martial arts and doing dance moves. Piggy Chops was instructed to break the handi with her knuckles, but things went slightly wrong and she ended up hurting her hand.”

The actress then did the act for the second time and this time, she broke the handi right away. Our source adds, “Her hand had swollen but since there is a doctor on the sets, she was treated immediately.”

Tanvi Trivedi (BOMBAY TIMES; August 3, 2014)

In today's world, where all actresses are trained dancers, it came as a big surprise that the pretty Kritika Kamra could not impress the crowds or the judges with her dancing on Jhalak Dikkhla Jaa 7. She said, “Yes, I am the least experienced dancer in a world where you need to be fully equipped to dance like a professional. I have never trained to dance nor had any inclination because acting happened by chance. Also, in the week before my elimination, I got less marks but was declared safe because of public voting. So also, in the elimination week, I was told that I had got many votes, so even if the judges were not impressed, I would continue to stay. But suddenly the votes dropped and I was eliminated! I don't understand this number game and what counts here. But it's a show after all, so I have no regrets."

Meanwhile, Kritika who is anchoring the show Webbed 2, is happy that it has got further extension. She says, “It has been extended for eight more weeks."

Ankur Pathak (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 31, 2014)

Sonali Joshi Pitale (MID-DAY; July 31, 2014)

Rohit Shetty and Kareena Kapoor were slated to appear on an episode of Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 7 to promote their film, Singham Returns. However, the actress walked in alone for the shoot.

A source says, “It was a hectic day since we had to shoot two sets of celebrities in two different episodes. In the morning, we shot with Akshay Kumar and in the evening, we were waiting for Kareena and Rohit. But after waiting for some time, we were told that Rohit will not be able to make it on the show, as he was busy with the film’s editing.”

It may be pointed out that Ajay Devgn doesn’t prefer making appearances on dance reality shows; he promotes his films on comedy shows instead. A crewmember says, “We knew that Ajay is not going to be part of the show and we were fine with it. But Rohit had recently hosted a season of Khatron Ke Khiladi for the same channel, so his last-minute cancellation was a surprise for the production team. We had even planned a prank that he was going to play on the contestants.”

Rohit Shetty and the channel remained unavailable for comment.

Meena Iyer (BOMBAY TIMES; July 30, 2014)

Sonali Joshi Pitale (MID-DAY; July 19, 2014)

On Thursday, Salman Khan was supposed to shoot for a special episode for Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa, but he apparently turned up late and also asked the show’s makers to call his Kick co-star Jacqueline Fernandez and have her shoot for the same.

A crewmember says, “Salman was supposed to come for the shoot in the morning. Our call time was 10am and we kept waiting all morning. Finally, at 12 noon, we started shooting the first performance. When Salman arrived at 2pm, we had finished shooting two acts.”

The actor then asked the production house if his co-star, Jacqueline, was joining them for the shoot. “Jacqueline was not supposed to be a part of the shoot; this is also why the unit had shot the promo only with Salman. However, they couldn’t say no to Salman and when he insisted that she should be a part of the episode, they had no option but to call her at the last moment. They requested him to start shooting anyway as it was getting late. Jacqueline came in at 4pm and joined Salman for the remaining episode,” says the source.

It turns out that both the actress and the production house were not prepared for her inclusion in the show. “The crew made the necessary arrangements for Jacqueline but since it was done at the last minute, the actress initially had some issues with her hair and make up. But the production house sorted it out eventually,” says the source.

Jacqueline and the channel’s spokesperson were unavailable for comment.

Roshni K Olivera (BOMBAY TIMES; July 13, 2014)

You were rude to the judges and even walked out in a huff from the set after you were eliminated from Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa...
It was just a bad day. I had got hit on my head some time before that and was in deep pain. I was not all there and really didn't mean to behave that way or upset anybody. I respect all the three judges very much. It's because of the pain that I wanted to get out of the set. In fact, once I got into the vanity and got some medication, I immediately sent a text to Remo Sir. I told him I didn't mean to behave that way and asked him to convey my message to Karan sir and Madhuri ma'am too.

On field, you have been known for your aggressive behaviour. Was this too another anger bout?
Not at all. This wasn't an anger bout, but an outburst of disappointment. And I have changed a lot since 2009. Even on the field, I have been composed.

One of the reasons for your elimination, the channel says, is lack of votes from the public. What do you have to say about that?
Ah... what do I say to that? I really have nothing to say. When you started on the show, you said you were looking at this as a platform to connect with people for the first time after the cricket spot-fixing controversy.

Post this incident, do you feel you've almost lost that opportunity?
No, because what happened was just a passionate outburst. I'm sure people will understand my passion. I really wanted to win this show or at least be in the top three. Despite injuries, I performed and I never spoke about my injuries because I believe I wasn't there to complain. I'm thankful I got the opportunity to show my acting and dancing skills. Even now, I hope I get a chance through wild-card entry.

You are gearing up for a Bollywood film now?
(Smiles) That's for later

Sonali Joshi Pitale (MID-DAY; July 11, 2014)

Tainted cricketer Sreesanth, who is said to be starting afresh with a new career in the entertainment world, is already making news for the wrong reasons. He apparently walked out of a shoot for Jhalak Dikhlaa Jaa when he couldn’t get positive feedback from the judges.

A source says, “Sreesanth was supposed to perform a little later but the crew decided to shoot his act first as they wanted to complete the elimination procedure and he was in the face-off round along with Puja Banerjee. But it turns out that he was not prepared for this change of plan and he was annoyed that he had to shoot earlier on. He finished shooting his portion but it was clear that he was not keen to complete his act. ”

When the judges failed to be impressed by his act, he is said to have become angrier. A crewmember says, “Remo D’souza said that it wasn’t his best performance but Sreesanth shot back that he had given it his best. Madhuri too said that this was not a great act. He again showed his displeasure over this, and Karan Johar too lost his cool. But KJo didn’t say anything as he didn’t want things to get ugly. After this, Sreesanth just walked out of the sets. The production team tried to convince him to return to the show, as he was supposed to sit through the rest of the performances. But he left the venue in a huff.”

The channel’s spokesperson confirmed the news.

Neha Maheshwri Bhagat (BOMBAY TIMES; July 6, 2014)

Upala KBR (DNA; June 30, 2014)

With more and more actors juggling films and TV shows, most actors get approached either to host, judge or act in television, Vidya Balan too was approached to judge a dance reality show, but she turned it down because of health reasons.

With more and more actors juggling films and TV shows, most actors get approached either to host, judge or act in television, Vidya Balan too was approached to judge a dance reality show, but she turned it down because of health reasons.

A source from the TV industry says, “She was approached for the current season of Jhalak Dikhlaa Jaa. Madhuri Dixit Nene has judged one season, and this time the channel was looking for a change.” Vidya is known for her spunk and would make for a spirited and brutally honest judge.

When asked if she has been approached to host or judge shows. Vidya says, “It’s interesting that you asked because I came close to doing that very recently, just at the time that I wasn’t feeling well, which is why I had to decide against that, but there was a very interesting show idea that had come my way to host-cum-judge a reality show.”

When asked what kind of stuff would interest her on TV — a soap? Vidya laughs, “No! The only thing that would interest me would be something to do with films or acting. It could maybe be a show, which discovers new talent but the format would have to be something that I am comfortable with.”

Neha Maheshwri Bhagat (BOMBAY TIMES; June 25, 2014)

Manish Paul is happy that he has been called back, by popular demand, to host the ongoing season of dance reality show, Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 7.

He says, “It's good to be back. I have a great relationship with the channel and hope to recreate the magic. I struggled a lot after moving to Mumbai, but now, my hard work has paid off. Having said that, I don't let success affect me as that will be my undoing."

With expectations being so high, there is immense pressure on him to deliver. But the actor-host says he believes in being natural on the stage. “I become a different person when I am on the stage. God starts playing his role then. I literally go into a trance when I hold the mic," he says.

Even last season's pallu act with Madhuri Dixit-Nene, Manish explains, wasn't planned. “It was impromptu. I just did it once and was asked to repeat it as it became a hit," he says.

On the Bollywood front, his second movie Tere Bin Laden 2 is being looked forward to. “The movie has shaped up well. Its USP is a well-written script. It has amazing twists and turns,“ he says. All that Manish is willing to reveal about his third film, which he will start shooting after Jhalak, is that it's a rom-com. Ask him if he chooses a film that fits his unconventional looks and he replies, “Firstly, the producer and director should like me for the role. Then, I should be convinced that I fit the bill perfectly. I like unconventional roles."

Neha Maheshwri Bhagat (BOMBAY TIMES; June 21, 2014)

Actress Drashti Dhami is out of dance show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 7, after hosting six episodes. She has been replaced by Manish Paul, who had hosted the last season as well. Says a source, “Drashti couldn't connect with the viewers and would always stick to the teleprompter. One has to be spontaneous as a host, but that was missing in her." The actress says, “It was communicated to me Thursday night by the channel. While it's unfortunate that my stint had to end so abruptly, I had a great time and would like to wish the team all the very best."

While Drashti has been replaced, Ranvir Shorey too has been drawing a lot of flak for his poor hosting skills. We wonder if another replacement is in the offing.
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Sonali Joshi Pitale (MID-DAY; June 21, 2014)

Drashti Dhami, who was co- hosting Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa's current season, was asked to leave the show on Thursday night after the channel and the production house did not receive positive feedback on her performance as an emcee. A crewmember says, “Drashti was roped in because she won the last season and we wanted to add some glamour to the show. However, since the first episode went on air, we have been receiving negative reactions about her. Somehow her pairing with Ranvir Shorey did not work. Therefore, we decided to consult the channel and replace her.”

The actress has hosted only six episodes so far, but it is said that she didn't show any improvement over time. A source says, “The creative team would suggest changes to her, but in all her episodes audiences found her to be not spontaneous. She’d just read lines from the teleprompter. Her chemistry with co-host Ranvir was zilch; plus, she’d take her own time to get ready. As a result, the shoot would get delayed and Ranvir would complain about the same. For now, we have decided to replace Drashti with previous season’s host, Manish Paul.”

Drashti says that the channel’s decision was communicated to her on Thursday night. “While it’s unfortunate that my stint had to end so quick and abruptly, I must say that I had a great time hosting the show. It was good to be back on the sets, where I truly belong. Nonetheless, it’s over for me now and I would like to wish the contestants and the channel all the very best.”

The channel’s spokesperson and Manish remained unavailable for comment.

Gaurav Dubey (MID-DAY; June 17, 2014)

Maksim Chmerkovskiy, the Ukrainian Latin Ballroom dance champion, choreographer, and instructor who has just joined as a judge on dance reality show, Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 7, is apparently finding it difficult to cope with the show’s format.

Says a source, “Maksim has joined Remo D’Souza, Madhuri Dixit and Karan Johar as a judge but he has come on the show a little late because he had visa issues and thus couldn’t get to India in time. But now that he’s here, the star dancer is finding it very difficult to understand Hindi and this is creating a big problem for him.” The source explains that Maksim, who is now in the news for apparently being Jennifer Lopez’s latest love interest, was told that the judges would give feedback and announce their verdict in English. “But since a lot of Hindi is spoken on the show, he is not able to follow all that’s happening. He is also upset about being mocked; he realises that jokes are being made at his expense,” says the source.

There is word that the international dance celebrity won’t be on the show for long. “He will be on the show only for two weeks,” says another source.

The channel’s spokesperson was not available for comment.