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| Sunday, 26 March 2006 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Upclose and personal: PRAVEENA PRAVEENA Real name : Shweta Tiwari by Umangi de Mel
Rajesh, Prerna's father together with Moloy dearly wish to get Anurag and Prerna married to each other. The two of them fall in love but circumstances force Anurag to marry Komolika. Though scorned, Prerna moves on and so does the soap for months and years... 'Kasauti Zindagi Ki', better known as 'Praveena' in Sri Lanka has obviously dragged even the ones who initially let fly a torrent of unmentionable words when the rest at home monopolised the television at 9.00 p.m. Talking through first-hand experience, the Indian soap operas have however made a twist, making the majority of viewers in S.L. go bonkers. Some may not admit their 'preference' assuming for Indian is less sophisticated, but the plain truth is our folks do watch these for reasons better known to themselves! My tiny niece-to-be who's barely three and goes to a leading private school in the city could actually say 'Praveena' faster than she could say school. The enormous response for 'Praveena' in the pearl of the Indian Ocean was actually powerful enough to invite the dearly beloved Prerna Sharma or rather Shweta Tiwari who's apparently popular than women's day, among the young and the young at heart, here in S.L. For the sake of pacifying my editor for a change and show off a little to the die-hard 'P' fans in the process, I pressed a few digits to get hold of a top man in the organizing committee. Finally, acquiring a press pass with a few more phone calls, being NOT the media sponsor, the reporter in me managed to arrive at the destination to have dinner with Praveena on March 18, half an hour early, thanks to the company transport that functions better during the weekend. The luxurious air at hotel Taj Samudra smelled a tad too common as the lobby was fully occupied by 'Praveena' fans who were probably seeing the hotel for the first time in their lives. In the meantime, having arrived a few hours ago, Shweta was warmly welcomed by Sirasa TV, the organisers of the event, as well as her fans at the airport. She probably smiled till her face ached, from the time she stepped on the Island, and probably had to go through many a sessions of small talk, endless hugs and immaculate behaviour apt for a star, as she required an extra hour to relax a little after arriving late at the hotel around 8 p.m. The dinner was organised to give her ardent fans a chance to dine with their favourite star. Having had to shift rather uncomfortably in their chairs for two hours, the kids, grandmothers, families, reporters, photographers, elites and various other people who filled the crystal ballroom finally were lucky to see her upclose and personal. Shweta Tiwari was accompanied by her husband, Raja Choudhary and her six year old daughter 'Palak.' Overwhelmed by the response, Shweta claimed her Sri Lankan tour was the most exciting thing ever. Irrespective of the language barrier, she explained how much she felt at home immediately after stepping out of the plane. Thanking her fans profusely for appreciating her work, Shweta spared a second to answer the question that I had chosen out of my list of ten questions. "I'm very serious but mischievous and tend to lie a lot. Nevertheless I'm a truthful person!!" Quite a paradox... but that's how the star described herself. Feeling 'lucky' nevertheless for being able to get a word edgewise, I returned to my chair thinking of way I can forget about the severe neck pain I got trying to come up with more learned questions to ask the star in a more exclusive interview. The next 90 minutes gave 'Praveena' a chance to witness many cultural dance acts that made her jaw drop. And finally at half past eleven, she returned to her room in one piece exhausted to the bonethanks to the 'body guards'. |
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Two lovers, Anurag Basu and Prerna Sharma are destined to go through
life's most unpleasant and bitter experience as they try their best to win
their love. Anurag, a pleasant, soft spoken son of a wealthy father, Moloy
Basu who's good natured and compassionate has a wife, Mohini Basu who on the
contrary is arrogant and manipulative. Prerna is a blend of modern
aspirations and traditional values. 
