Pooja’s road to recovery
Zee TV's popular fiction show, Kumkum Bhagya has been an audience favourite with its intriguing plot and the authentic portrayal of relatable characters like Abhi (Shabbir Ahluwalia), Pragya (Sriti Jha), Rhea (Pooja Banerjee), Ranbir (Krishna Kaul) and Prachi (Mugdha Chapekar). While the COVID-19 pandemic continues, all the actors have been trying to remain fit and spread positive messages through their social media accounts. In fact, Pooja Banerjee who has been regularly motivating her fans and amplifying messages of people in need, recently took to Instagram to share a rather inspirational story of her resuming yoga after recovering from a major traumatic incident of her life.
While not many might be aware, a few years ago, Pooja Banerjee met with a severe accident that required her to undergo a surgery for facing multiple fractures in her arm. While she had nearly lost hope of getting back to normal, it was her constant effort and determination that allowed her to regain movement in hands.
Recalling the experience and the moment Pooja said: “I had met with an accident on the sets of a reality show and suffered from multiple fractures in my arms due to the incident. In fact, I had to undergo a surgery for the same and they put two rods and 8 screws into my hand. I was in so much pain that I thought I'll never be able to get back to normalcy and use my hands properly. Even when I began shooting for Kumkum Bhagya last year, I had restricted movement in my hands. While I was on the path of recovery and had developed strength by then, it was still extremely difficult for me to pick up and hold things during the shoot for a longer duration. But through constant hard work, determination, and recuperation, I have regained almost 85 per cent of movement in my right hand and 100 per cent in my left hand. I have to thank my family members, friends, and my doctors, who helped me through this journey and made me recover from such a major incident. I can say that I have nearly recovered now, but there's still a few more steps to take.”
While Pooja is definitely on the path of recovery, she is more than overjoyed to be able to keep a check on her fitness, especially by practicing yoga.
Sharing her joy Pooja revealed: “After nearly one and a half years, I have started working out and it feels so good to be able to do yoga once again; it gives me so much peace and energy. Initially I was just focussing on basic physiotherapy hand exercises through weights and Thera bands that I would carry with me on the sets of Kumkum Bhagya. Now I am able to do dolphin planks, little weight training, yoga asanas, Surya Namaskars and a little bit of push ups as well. Most importantly I have developed confidence in my own body which I had lost a little after the accident. It's surely been an overwhelming journey.”
Fast forward
In a short period since its launch, Sony Entertainment Television’s Ishk Par Zor Nahi has struck a chord with the audience with its interesting storyline, nuanced performances by the cast and the crackling chalk-and-cheese equation between its lead characters, Ahaan and Ishqi played by Param Singh and Akshita Mudgal. With Ahaan starting to vouch for Ishqi and Ishqi confessing her love for Ahaan it seemed like the start to a beautiful love story. But given the tumultuous circumstances, both Ahaan and Ishqi grew apart leaving the audience in huge anticipation about the fate of their love story.
Interestingly, this leads to a leap in the show with Ahaan nursing huge angst against Ishqi for not just destroying his best friend's life but also putting his family reputation at stake. But what will happen when the two come face to face yet again? Will Ahaan be able to put aside his differences and see Ishqi in a new light? Will Ishqi be able to justify herself?
Actor Param Singh, who plays Ahaan, says: “I’m excited about the leap and it will be interesting for the audience to witness these dramatic changes in the lives of Ahaan and Ishqi as the story unfolds. People say that time heals everything, but Ahaan as a character doesn’t forgive & forget very easily. So it’s an exciting journey hereon when the two characters Ahaan and Ishqi come face to face yet again. I am humbled with the love and support that the audience has extended towards this show and I hope it continues further as well.”
Akshita, who essays the role of Ishqi, shares: “Ishqi has gone through so much in the show but she has held her ground and fought every obstacle that came her way. That’s the strength of this character. Even now, she is holding back and facing Ahaan’s wrath for the sake of his sister’s wellbeing. With the leap, Ahaan and Ishqi will come face to face again with a lot of time gone by between them. It’s interesting to portray such emotions where you seem to know the person but with time and the resentments one holds, it feels like you never knew the person at all. I am looking forward to this new journey.”
Tribute to zeenat aman
The upcoming episode of Sony Entertainment Television’s singing reality show, Indian Idol Season 12 will be a tribute to legendary actress Zeenat Aman. Celebrating 50 years of Zeenat Aman, the contestants will honor the evergreen beauty by singing some for her most famous and chart buster songs. While all the contestants put forward a brilliant performance, contestant Danish Mohd who sang Hai Agar Dushman won praises for his performance but, he had a request that only Zeenat ji could fulfill. Danish mentions that apart from singing, he also enjoys enacting dialogues and would really be honored if Zeenat ji could recreate the famous boat scene in Venice from the song Do Lafzon Ki Hai with him.
Immediately agreeing to fulfill his wish, Zeenat Aman says: “You have performed exceptionally well and you have the power to transform any stage into a live performance. You sang with so much perfection, I am impressed and would love to recreate the scene from the song Do Lafzon Ki Hai with you.”
Adding on to this Danish Mohd shared: “When Zeenat ji agreed to recreate the moment with me, I was on cloud 9! While I enacted the scene with dialogues, Zeenat ji sang the song. I felt as if I was in a dream of sorts. I felt really honored and lucky to have received this opportunity and create this moment with such an iconic Bollywood star.”
In the show, viewers will see a beautiful moment where Zeenat Aman and Danish Modh will be seen sitting in a boat supported by a backdrop that depicts Venice where, Danish will be seen enacting the famous dialogue from the song and Zeenat Aman blends in by singing the lyrics.
