Binaifer S. Kohli and Hiba Nawab grace Be Happy Street festival

This Sunday was a rather eventful day for the residents of Lokhandwala, Andheri. The locals as well as celebrities attended the Be Happy Street Festival, organized by 'Be Happy Foundation' founded by Mrs Shalini Jitendra Thackeray.

The festival was star studded with celebrities such as actress Hiba Nawab, who plays  the character of Elaichi in the television series 'Jijaji Chhat par hai' and 

Binaifer Sanjay Kohli (Edit II), the producer of the award winning series Bhabhiji Ghar Par hai', and ‘Jijaji Chhat par Hai’. Actor Rohtash Goud, who plays the character of Manmohan Tiwari in the television series 'Bhabhiji ghar par hai’ also graced the event.

In fact, the festival had a little something for everyone. Since 7 am in the morning, hundreds of young boys and girls were cycling and skating on the road. On one side of the street, a group of friends was playing carom and chess while at another spot, a few were playing badminton and football. The elderly were learning Yoga while some enthusiastic youth were found exercising and spreading the message of be healthy. Some were dancing, some were singing and some more were spreading some good laughter and humour.

Shalini Thackeray, Trustee of 'Be Happy Foundation' expressed happiness over the tremendous response of the citizens of Mumbai. "On other days, there is no place to walk due to hawkers and vehicles on the road. We organized this festival so that children, young people and senior citizens could also enjoy the pleasure of walking, playing to their heart's content, drawing, and cycling. This festival succeeded due to the immense response by thousands of citizens." said Shalini Thackeray.

Children from many organisations exhibited their art before the attendees with the help of the platform created by this festival. One of the most interesting presentations was made by little gymnasts, trained under Pooja Surve, an internationally renowned gymnast. The attendees cheered for this group of young gymnasts. On this occasion, the attendees received the opportunity to gain information on the importance of Yoga and Zumba  by retired Colonel Sumisha Shankar and renowned Zumba artist Almas Merchant, respectively.

Tejasswwi finds a shoulder to sit on

The shoot for the upcoming wedding track in Rishta Likhenge Hum Naya has been in full swing. The actors are having a blast and equally sweating it out to match their steps for the dance sequence. In fact, during one such shoot, Diya (Tejaswwi Prakash) and Ratan (Rohit Suchanti) were caught in a hilarious moment.

The duo after an elaborate dance practice session decided to take a break. Since there were no chairs in the vicinity, the spot boy ran to arrange chairs. At that moment, Tejasswi who was restless found solace in Rohit’s shoulders who was already sitting on the floor. She at once climbed up on his shoulders and found a comfortable seat for herself! Seeing her the entire crew burst out laughing and captured the moment in a camera. As for Rohit, he was totally amused by the entire situation and let the lady have her moment of rest after a tiring day like a true gentleman.

Says Rohit, “We had been practising the dance session since morning and towards the end of the day, we both were drained and tired. Since I could not find a chair around, I retired on the floor to get some rest. Tejasswi in the meantime was looking for a chair too. But suddenly she just turned to me and decided to sit on my shoulders! Initially, I was totally taken aback but when I saw the crew clicking pictures, I played along. It was indeed quite funny! We kept teasing Tejasswi for the rest of the evening, with everyone offering their shoulders to her to sit.”

In the upcoming track, Ratan has taken the moral responsibility of getting Diya and Abhay married. To ensure that everything happens as planned, Ratan will also keep a fast. Will this wedding happen without any hindrances? Or will fate play a different move?

like every girl, I want to be treated like a princess- Smirit Kalra

After ageing backwards — she played a wife in 12/24 Karol Bagh, an 18-year-old in Suvreen Guggal and a child-woman in Itti Si Khushi — actress Smriti Kalra is finally playing her age on television. The actress plays the glamorous Ahana in Dil Sambhal Jaa Zara, which marks both Sanjay Kapoor and Niki Walia’s comeback on the small screen. “I have either played bubbly or positive characters on screen, but Ahana is grey. She owns up her sexuality and is true to her emotions and thoughts,” she says.

Ask her if she felt any discomfort romancing a senior actor like Sanjay Kapoor on the show and she replies, “Not at all. We are both actors and it’s my job to play a character convincingly. He is sweet and has no airs about the fact that he belongs to one of the most prominent families in the industry.”

Smriti has been rather selective about her work, a fact that is evident from the fact that she has been a part of just four shows in a career spanning eight years. She explains, “I don’t want to play similar characters. Honestly, I wasn’t keen on acting. It was my father who convinced me to take up Karol Bagh. I thought that the stint would be over in two months, but it didn’t. After that, I started getting similar offers, but I didn’t want to be stereotyped. So, I decided to return with a makeover of sorts and bagged Suvreen Guggal. I live every character that I play. For example, for my character Simi in Karol Bagh, I had to put on weight and stop smiling. So, when I had to actually smile for a sequence, I couldn’t immediately do so, as I had forgotten how to smile. For Ahana, I decided to give a lopsided smile and tilt my head to lend that much-needed mystery. I may not be very famous or rich, but that has never been my agenda either — I want to be known for my talent.”

While she is single and wants to be in a relationship, Smriti is clear that she doesn’t want to date an actor. “That’s something I have lived by and maintained so far. Most actors are self-absorbed and I can’t stand a man checking himself out all the time. I would like to date a nice guy, with whom I can grow old together.  I should be able to have deep conversations with him; and, like every girl, I want to be treated like a princess,” she signs off.

Ssharad Mahotraa’s Paas Baitho Naa crosses one million views on YouTube

Actor Ssharad Malhotraa’s music video Paas Baitho Na has been steadily winning his fans’ hearts. The video has now crossed one million views on YouTube. The video features Ssharad alongside actress Zoya Chaterjee. The actor is ecstatic with the response, and says, “It feels wonderful when your work is loved by your fans. My fans have never disappointed me and I am so grateful to them for loving this video. Crossing one million views is a big deal and  am so happy today,” he says. For the video, Ssharad collaborated with director Aslam Khan, who also directed Dil Deke Dekho. While Ssharad is working with Zoya for the first time, their chemistry in the romantic number rules the screen. “Zoya is an amazing actor and is very professional. It was fun shooting with her. In fact, I love the whole concept of a music video. It is like a real short film, with a proper story,” he says.

Blackjack takes Nishant Anand to USA next

Actor Nishant Anand, who was seen in Rajan Shahi’s web series Love, Sex and Viagra, is also the first Indian professional and sponsored blackjack player. He will be playing tournaments in America starting this year. These tournaments are taking place in Las Vegas.

Anand is known for his multi dimensional personality. He is a law graduate and is also an entrepreneur running a software technical firm in USA and Europe since many years.

Nishant is excited to venture in USA in blackjack as well. “I have been playing blackjack at all the major tournaments across the globe ..but now, this is my first time in USA. I have always wanted to explore new possibilities be it law ,acting business  and now as a blackjack player professionally,” says Anand, who has been seen in Splitsvilla and is also being groomed for another show. Actor Nishant Anand was also seen in Splitsvilla and MTV Webbed. Well Nishant you are quite a lucky guy doing so many things simultaneously and we wish you all  lthe very best.