Recently, Shikha Swaroop and Talat Aziz were shooting at a Juhu bungalow for Cinevista's Saahil. Poor Shikha got the shock of her life when she came out during a break: her brand new Maruti Esteem was missing. This led to a state of utter chaos on the sets and obviously the shoot was abandoned. Shikha was about to call the cops when she realised that her cellphone too was in the car. So she dialled her cell number and her newly-appointed driver answered the call. Only to receive a barrage of abuses. Finally, when the firing stopped he informed her that she had sent him out to buy medicines as she had a headache. After this unpleasant incident, the driver left her for good, and the actress has vowed never to hire one again.

Comic relief

Sitcoms really aren't funny anymore. As if to compensate for the lack of humour, the laughtrack in the background seems to dominate these shows unlike in Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi, the blockbuster comedy of the '80s. Manjul Sinha, one of the directors of that rib-tickler, is back with not one but three comedies -- TV Freestyle, Thoda Khatta Thoda Meetha and Jee Saab. Sinha promises that this time too there will be no laughtrack in the serials. While Jee Saab has already been approved by Zee and will begin telecast from January, the other two are awaiting a nod from DD.

Walking out

Producer Surinder Malhotra's Raaz starring Shekhar Suman, Niki Aneja and Anup Soni is news even before its begun. Its heroine Niki has walked out already. According to Malhotra, two days into the shoot and the actress walked out because she fell ill on the sets. She, then, told him that she didn't want to do the serial but was prepared to compensate for the losses he had incurred on her account -- in the region of Rs two lakh. But later, claims Malhotra, she refused to pay up either. "Her behaviour was unprofessional," he says. Niki, who is famous for being a very cooperative star had another story. According to her, she called off the shoot because of health problems caused by over-exertion. Her doctor advised her to cut down on her assignments. So she requested the producer to replace her even as she returned the advance money he had paid her. "I felt bad about it. I hadn't foreseen this health problem. So I, amicably, asked them to take someone else," she said. Who should we believe?

Switching roles

At one time he was hot property in tinsel town. But after his dream debut in Mahesh Bhatt's Sir, Atul Agnihotri didn't manage to make a mark in Hindi films. Even brother-in-law Salman Khan couldn't lift the actor's sagging career graph. So now that he doesn't have a single film in hand, he has decided to join the Bollywood rejects club and has switched to the small screen. This time he has signed up for Navid Antulay's serial Mausam which is being directed by the Delhi-based Siddharth Sengupta. Atul plays a photographer and for company he has Sudesh Berry and Krutika Desai.

Into teaching

Ajay Sinha's Hasratein will soon complete three years on Zee and is still going strong. This serial which has a woman-oriented theme will now have a new dimension. Sinha has decided to show the importance of sex education which he describes as "a burning issue, especially for teenagers." So the director is now going to show how a girl first reacts to the changes she undergoes with puberty and how mothers should tackle this issue. And all this through his character, Savvy, played by Shefali Chhaya. "It is unfortunate that sex education is not a part of our system. These issues are a part of our society and one can't escape them," he says.

New entrant

Making his debut into the world of television is Sunhil Sippy. The nephew of Ramesh Sippy, who previously worked on Kya Baat Hai and The Kiran Joneja Show. With the backing of industrialist Sameer Modi, he has shot 14 AIDS awareness promos which are running on Channel [V]. Among those appearing in these short 30 second clips are Shobha De, Javed Akhtar, Raghu Rai, Shaimek Davar, Pooja Bhatt, Aamir Khan, Riyad Wadia and Sanjna Kapoor. He hopes to run these promos with other channels in the near future and is currently talking to two other stations.

Even as the three year tie-up between BBC Worldwide and Home TV has been terminated within a year, BBC, Sony and Vinod Dua have tied the knot. They'll be producing news and current affairs programmes for Sony. ``We're working out the details but things should be in place early next year,'' says Dua confirming the new love triangle. ``Each of of us has a separate agreement with each other,'' he added. Asked if the introduction of news on Sony might be pre-poned in view of the forthcoming general elections, Dua says he's not interested in that -- he's taking a long-term view.

The BBC Hindi News bulletin on Home TV, is off air with effect December 1, as per a ``mutual agreement.'' Home TV is going in for a major revamp: with the emphasis on complete entertainment, there is no air time for current affairs programme on the channel. ``Our target audience is now the under-30 and audience research shows that they prefer entertainment programmes to current affairs. Accordingly, the channel is repositioning itself as a total family entertainment channel,'' explains Pankaj Gupta, Director, Finance, Home TV. BBC insists that it has no problem. ``While we regret our relationship with Home TV coming to an end, we understand that news will now play a less prominent role in the channel's overall programming,'' says Mark Young, Managing Director, India, in a statement issued after the decision had been finalised. The deal with Sony and Dua will no doubt, only soften the blow even more.

Freedom quiz dd 2, Tuesday, 7.30 p.m.* Siddharth Basu is back doing what he likes doing most, hosting a quiz show. Basu and the participants try and rediscover the moments that made the freedom struggle. A national inter-college quiz, there are 64 teams, 16 from each zone, participating in the contest. The format of the quiz retraces the entire chronology of the movement. Century, Decade and Millennium -- the three rounds -- cover all aspects of India in the last 50 years.Rambo iii star Movies, Saturday, 9.30 p.m.

* Watch Slyvester Stallone flex his muscles against the backdrop of Israel, Thailand and the California desert near Arizona. Sequel to Rambo II, this film reunites John Rambo with his mentor Colonel Samuel Trautman, played by Richard Crenna.

Toofan Mail Sony, Sunday, 7.30 p.m.

* Five celebrities from Bollywood, modelling world, sports, music and other fields are featured in this street show. Anchored by Radhika Shanker, the different sections of the show give the public a chance to send messages, letters, flowers and gifts to their favourite stars. The six fun-filled sections are shot in different locations, including pubs, football fields, classrooms and college campuses.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.