India gets its first Asli Champions! - Supa Parveen and Niraj Rao emerge victorious as they take home the trophy

After facing 10 weeks of relentless challenges, &TV’s unique fitness based reality show ‘India’s Asli Champion…Hai Dum’ ended on a high note as Kolkata’s super girl Supa Parveen and the daredevil Niraj Rao from Pune outshined everyone and won the coveted title of the country’s first Asli Champions. The show which set out on the hunt of the Fittest Indian saw contestants undergo several intense physical tasks which tested their will power and mental strength week on week through rigorous training sessions and nerve-wracking tasks. Hosted by the amazingly fit star, Suniel Shetty, the show throughout its journey motivated millions of viewers to take up fitness as a way of life. 

The Grand finale witnessed the 6 finalists - Supa Parveen, Swati Chauhan, Swati Goswami, Niraj Rao, Sanjay Negi and Abhishek Athalaye battle it out in a Triathlon – a combination of swimming, cycling and running. Making the competition extra difficult, many layers were added which tested the contestants further on their valour.  While they relentlessly tried to reach the finish line, host Suniel Shetty and trainers Shivoham and Vrinda Mehta constantly motivated them to put their best foot forward, one last time. With their sheer dedication and unwavering persistence, Supa and Niraj walked away with the winners’ trophies. They also won a cash prize of Rs 12.5 lakhs and Mahindra TUV 300. Denver also awarded the winners with a cash prize of Rs. 50,000. The six finalists also received mobile phones by Gionee. 

An athlete by profession, 22 year-old Supa Parveen is a proud daughter of a famer. Having won silver and bronze in relay and long jump at national level, Supa dreams of making India proud at international championships. An overjoyed Supa said, “I really can’t express what I am feeling right now. Coming from a small background, this show was my ultimate chance to prove my passion towards sports. And today winning this trophy makes me feel like I am closer to my dream of representing India at an international level. I would like to thank my trainers and Suniel Sir for their constant support and &TV for giving me this platform.” 

22 year-old Niraj Rao is a professional Footballer playing for Deccan Rovers Football Club who took up fitness rigorously to vent out his aggression. Talking about his win, Niraj said, “India’s Asli Champion has given me a chance to showcase my passion for sports and fitness in front of the entire nation. Being a footballer I was always conscious about my physical health but the show gave me a wider perspective and made me mentally stronger. I am grateful to my trainers for their guidance and Suniel Sir for his words of wisdom as it kept me motivated throughout this journey. I cannot thank &TV enough for creating this platform for fitness freaks like me.” 

Conceptualized by Zee Format Factory and produced by Colosceum Media Pvt. Ltd, India’s Asli Champion has surely been a rewarding journey for the contestants and viewers alike. 

About &TV:

&TV is the flagship Hindi GEC amongst the ‘&’ bouquet of channels from Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL), a global media and entertainment company. Staying true to the personification of the Ampersand, &TV signifies a conjunction of aspirations and rootedness which is synonymous with the spirit of New Age India. Through its content offering, the channel brings together people and ideologies thus fostering cohesive viewing within Indian households. &TV showcases a diverse and dynamic mix of relatable fiction, high voltage non-fiction, marquee events and blockbuster movies. The channel is available in SD and HD across all Cable and DTH platforms and enjoys a leading presence in international markets including Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East and Americas. The channel, viewed by premium audience is fast gaining popularity across territories. 

More information about &TV is available on www.ozee.com. You can keep abreast of all &TV shows on social media platforms like Twitter - @AndTVOfficial; Facebook – AndTVOfficial and Instagram – andtvofficial.

I had no idea about the Hindi film industry- Panini Pandit

Panini Pandit, who is the son of late actor Raajkumar, is an avid filmmaker. He is set to start work on his first commercial release soon. Talking about it, he says, "My first commercial short film project produced by my banner Pa Pa pictures, is going on the floors this August. I will release the film online in a big way.The film is short in Rajasthan and Mumbai and is titled Ishq Ka Rock. The plot is a love story set in the world of India's biggest rockstar. It is all about the trials and celebrations that love brings and how it affects people." The film stars Gautam Sharma and Natasha Singh. 

Besides this, Panini, who has done a film course from New York Film Academy, has made 19 short films, the most recent one being Naked and Silent (produced by Neyork Film Academy, written and directed by him). The film is a tale  of friendship and ambition. The thriller stars Gautam Sharma, who is known for his film Bhindi Baazaar Inc. and Gautam Kapur, nephew of the late superstar Vinod Khanna. He event kept screening at a suburban theatre at Andheri (West) on Sunday.

The main motive of his films is to make the youth feel empowered enough to be able to bring a change in society, says Panini. "I wish to empower them with this thought by the time I am done with my work here. If I can convince my audience to believe that even they can be Dhirubhai Ambani, Amitabh Bachman or Sachin Tendulkar, then I have succeeded and would be satisfied at the end of my life and film making journey," he says. 

Panini goes on to add that he never had a particular inspiration in life and all that he does is self learnt. "I was without a mentor. After my father passed away, I had no idea about the Hindi film industry and how the business works. I started managing my family estate, which we have in the north, the south and outside of Mumbai. I sold some land and bought some. However, it was only later that I realised that I was meant to make films. All I knew is that I loved to watch films. The films I loved are Titanic, Terminator 2 and braveheart. Now I have no other distractions in my life and I concentrate on making films. This is blissful," he says, adding, "In fact, I celebrated clearing decades old litigations on my land with multiple parties with my family. Of course, along with satisfaction, this also lead to put on some weight." 

The filmmaker adds that this is the perfect way to carry on his father's legacy. "In this state of joy, I wish to celebrate what my father did all his life and what the others from the industry have been doing gloriously. After all it is true that success is not the key to happiness but it is happiness that is the key to success," he says, adding, "Had my Papa been around he would have been  proud. He would laugh joyously and open a bottle of champagne from his collection to celebrate my winning championships and breaking records in sports and studies and encourage me to ascend greater heights, which he always believed I was born to do. I expect to repeat that"

VIRAD TYAGI IS INDIA’S FIRST SABSE BADA KALAKAR!

India waited with bated breath when the 3 finalists of Sony Entertainment Television’s Sabse Bada Kalakar – Vrinda Gujral, Dhruv Acharya and Virad Tyagi took center stage to entertain the nation for one last time. Having showcased his acting prowess and impressing the judges week after week, Virad Tyagi of Sarangpur, Uttar Pradesh and his mentor Kamana Pathak were bestowed with the title of India’s first Sabse Bada Kalakar. 

Needless to say, Virad Tyagi was beyond excited with the win and said, “I am really happy and cannot ask for anything better than this. Winning the title of Sabse Bada Kalakar is the best thing that happened to me.  I am thankful to the judges and my family, especially my mother for guiding me throughout the season so that I could perform better each time. I would want to thank Sony Entertainment Television for giving me the platform where the nation could see and hear my talent”. 

The finale of Sabse Bada Kalakar had something for one and all. It was not only an acting extravaganza but stage that saw the judges – Boman Irani, Raveena Tandon and Arshad Warsi sing and dance which raised the entertainment quotient of the show. Raveena Tandon set the stage on fire by dancing on her famous numbers like ‘Tip Tip Barsa Paani and Tu Cheeze Badi Hein Mast Mast’ while Boman Irani strummed the guitar and sang the rendition of the song ‘Aashayein’ which was a dedication to the contestants and Arshad Warsi who loves dancing choreographed a Tango number and grooved on stage. The cast of Mubarakan – Athiya Shetty, Ileana D'Cruz, Arjun Kapoor and Anil Kapoor were witness on the finale day and presented the winner with the coveted title.

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