Nimrat Kaur undergoes obstacle training for The Test Case

Believing in the adage - ‘Content is King’, ALTBalaji not only makes sure that its premium content is backed with brilliant execution, but also encourages the necessary prep required to make the story appear as authentic as possible.

The platform’s highly anticipated web series, The Test Case is a great example of it. Nimrat Kaur who essays the role of Captain Shikha Sharma, trained for months, in order to accomplish a flawless portrayal of her character in the series.

The talented actress has been on a rigorous training spree for roughly a year, which included running, weight-training, consistent drills and a lot of combat training. Also, she had to give up salt and sugar completely. But given the tremendous response to the first episode of the military drama series and the gratifying experience of working for another medium altogether, Nimrat has no regrets.

Says Nimrat, “There was never any room for faltering because I knew physically if I can’t get into a mould that needs me to do justice to what Captain Shikha Sharma can attempt, then mentally I won’t be able to associate with her character. It takes a different kind of discipline and that is something I will cherish forever. It was very important to stay true to the physicality of what the girl needs to be like. It has been a journey of blood, sweat and tears.”

The Test Case is a story of the first woman combat officer, who struggles to carve out her own identity in a male-dominated world.

Directed by Vinay Waikul, featuring Nimrat Kaur, Atul Kulkarni, Rahul Dev, Manit Joura, Suhail Nayyar, Akshay Oberoi, Samir Soni, Annup Soni and Juhi Chawla in prominent roles, remaining 9 episodes of The Test Case will be streaming on 26th January 2018 on the ALTBalaji app and website

Shibani Kashyap’s new single Wannabe Free aims to free us from the wrath of social media addiction

Shibani Kashyap and her enchanting voice are famous for binding people under a sweet musical spell. In her upcoming single titled ‘Wannabe Free’, the singer takes to music with a cause by encouraging everyone to free themselves from the shackles of social media. Composed by Shibani Kashyap with Rashmi Virag’s lyrics, this song is set to be released under the Zee Music label by the end of January. The queen of Indian pop music is known for voicing her bold opinions. We live in a world dominated by the internet where human emotions are valued basis their social media status. Interactive conversations over a cup of coffee are replaced by video calls and relationships are based on text conversations. This song hopes to put a rest to our technological eye in order to realize the importance of human affection and emotions. Speaking about her latest release, Shibani commented, “With this song, I wish to reach out to the youth who are dangerously addicted to social media. Hope this influences people to change their ways and become more responsive towards their friends and family.”

I can relate to me character of Shiva: Sourabh Raaj Jain

Actor Sourabh Raaj Jain, who plays the role of Mahadev in Siddharth Kumar Tewary’s Mahakaali - Anth Hi Aarambh Hai, says that he can relate a lot to his character. The actor adds that he loved being part of the show. “Mahadev of Mahakaali is relatable in many ways. The most important characteristic is equality of gender which is the underlying theme of our show as well. It speaks about women empowerment, their strength, their goals. At home, I am blessed to have to strong headed women, my mother and my wife. So I can relate to this character verywell,” he says.

Ask him which qualities of Lord Shiva does he love, and he says, “Innumerable! but to name a few; egoless, passionate, compassionate. I read shiv sutras by Sukhbodhananda often.”

The actor has bonded well with the rest of the team as well. “I have a good equation with all of them, Pooja and Kanan are my friends from very long time and most of my scenes are also with them, so we get to spend good time together,” he says.

He actor does take some time to get ready everyday for the shoot. “I get ready in Mahadev's get-up within 50minutes by the clock. But if it’s some other get-up, I need to be in which involves body paint then anywhere between one and a half to two hours,” he says.

This is far more than the time Sourabh would take to get ready for a regular show. “I used to get ready within 30 minutes when I was part of a daily soap. So it takes longer time but it’s fun,” he says.

Being part of a period drama can be taxing. While he would take time to get out of his character initially, even after leaving the set, he has got accustomed to it now. “It used to happen to me earlier but now I have learned to temporarily forget my work once I leave my set,” he says.

It seems that Sourabh’s fans as well as others are loving him in the show and often give him compliments. “The best compliment I got was from Siddharth sir, who said that I did justice to the role. He is the one who gave me the opportunity to play Krishna in Mahabharat and now he is complimenting me for playing Shiva is a big deal,” he says.

Kishwer Merchant to play Suyyash’s on-screen sister

Things are about to heat up on the show ‘Rishta Likhenge Hum Naya’ with the entry of Kishwer Merchant. A lot of twists and turns, with a whole lot of drama, is in store. For starters, Kisher Merchant, wife of Suyyash (Abhay Kunwar Singh) in real life, has joined the cast and will portray the role of Abhay’s elder sister, Arpita in the show.

Arpita (Kishwer)’s role will have different shades and will play a crucial role in Diya (Tejasswi Prakash) and Abhay’s wedding. Like a typical sister-in-law, that she is, Arpita will not be too fond of Diya and will go to any length to show her down. Her sole purpose will be to create confusion and hurdles for the couple. Diya is known to not give up that easily and will take things head-on, a whole lot of drama will unfold between the two. In the upcoming track, Diya and Abhay’s wedding preparations will be in full swing. As per the letter left by his father, Ratan will take it upon himself to plan the entire wedding.

On being asked about what made her take up this role, Kishwer said, “When the producers first approached me with this role, I was quite nervous but when I realized that the offer was for real, I eventually came around as I found this role be exciting and challenging. Initially, Suyyash was apprehensive but I managed to convince him, after all, it is just a character that I am portraying. But the best part is that both of us will get to work and spend time together. The role surely is different from whatever characters I have played in the past. For the first time, I will play my husband’s on-screen sister, which in a way will be a refreshing change, and I have been teasing him a lot by calling him a bro! With my entry in the show, the audience can be assured of several twists and turns on the anvil.”

Sony Max Highlights and Listings-19th-31st January, 2018

FRI	19-Jan-18	08:00:00PM	TUM BIN 2
SAT	20-Jan-18	08:00:00PM	HINDI MEDIUM
SUN	21-Jan-18	08:00:00PM	BHOOMI
MON	22-Jan-18	09:00:00PM	SON OF SATYAMURTHY 2
TUE	23-Jan-18	09:00:00PM	YEVADU
WED	24-Jan-18	09:00:00PM	MAIN HOON LUCKY THE RACER
THU	25-Jan-18	09:00:00PM	RAJ MAHAL 3
FRI	26-Jan-18	08:00:00PM	HYPER
SAT	27-Jan-18	08:00:00PM	PK
SUN	28-Jan-18	08:00:00PM	DILWALE
MON	29-Jan-18	09:00:00PM	KANCHANA RETURNS
TUE	30-Jan-18	09:00:00PM	SON OF SATYAMURTHY
WED	31-Jan-18	09:00:00PM	JANTA GARAGE