Bollywood celebs you’ll see on TV

Television, for a long time, has been considered an inferior medium to the glitz and scale of motion pictures. Recent trends however, saw the television industry growing phenominally, like never before. It became quite often to see these Bollywood stars making appearances on the small screen to promote their ventures. And with the inception of absolutely new concepts and reality shows gripping the audiences across the country and abroad, it’s no surprise to see more and more film stars making the switch to TV.

Here are a few B’wood actors you will see roped in for the small screen during the year 2015…

Rajnikant will be on television soon

The buzz in tellyland is that Rajnikant is coming soon on TV. So will this be the superstar’s small screen debut or is something else brewing? Well, even we are waiting for details. So, watch this space for more.

Bollywood actress Sheeba returns to TV 90s popular actress Sheeba Akashdeep Sabir known for starring opposite Salman Khan in 'Suryavanshi' will soon be appearing in &TV's 'Bhagyalakshmi'. Sheeba, debuted on TV with Sony TV's 'Bhoot Aaya'. She will be playing Apurva Agnihotri's sister in the show. Her character will bring twists in the plot.

Aarti makes fiction debut with horror show

Bollywood actress Aarti Chhabria, who has been a part of reality shows, is set to make her fiction debut with horror series 'Darr...Sabko Lagta Hai'. Recently, the BCCC (Broadcasting Content Complaints Council) sent an advisory to channels recently to be cautious with shows depicting occult, superstitions, black magic, exorcism and witchcraft, especially in the portrayal of women in a negative manner on air. Ask Aarti about that and she says, “I think horror as a genre is extremely entertaining. Everyone is glued to watching horror shows and films. People are curious about the paranormal world and I don’t think this should come under the scanner. Even small children love hearing ghost stories.”

Sikander Kher will make his TV debut in Season 2 of 24: We have exclusively learnt that Sikander Kher will make his TV debut in Season 2 of Anil Kapoor’s cult international TV series 24. We have further learnt that Sikander plays a druglord called Haroon Sherchan and his character will hold Mumbai to ransom. Obviously, it will thus be up to ace officer Jai Singh Rathod (played by Anil Kapoor) to avert the threat of Haroon in the series. Sikander also finds love in Maya (played by the super hot Surveen Chawla). We will need to wait and see whether she is able to change his dangerous intentions or will fan his dangerous intentions further. 24 is currently being shot and will be aired in January 2016.

Ranveer Singh to host 'Crime Patrol'

Sony TV's 'Crime Patrol' is making a huge impact on the viewers through its hard-hitting stories. And to make the episodes more special now, Bollywood's hottie Ranveer Singh will be seen hosting a few episodes. Ranveer is all set to feature in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's next 'Bajirao Mastani' as the fearless warrior. He will be seen hosting two episodes of the show to promote his movie. It will be a heroic super week, wherein stories of heroes will be aired. The actor shot for the sequence on November 30.

Divya Dutta to host 'Savdhaan India'

Bollywood actress, Divya Dutta will soon host the new season of the crime show 'Savdhaan India'. The award winning actress who has some memorable roles to her credit is polishing her hosting skills for this popular crime show on Life Ok.

Sajid, Sonali, Vivek to judge Zee TV's 'India's Best Dramebaaz':

Zee TV recently announced the second season of 'India’s Best Dramebaaz'. The upcoming season will be hosted by television hunks Ravi Dubey and Rithvik Dhanjani. There is already news about Bollywood diva Sonali Bendre and actor Vivek Oberoi returning as the judges. The two actors will be accompanied by the famous filmmaker Sajid Khan as the third judge. Sajid confirmed being part of the project on Twitter, stating "Judging India's Best Dramebaaz on Zee..looking fwd to a fun shoot starting today..will post pics 4 u.." The series has already started with the audition rounds, and will be on-air soon.

Parineeti, Alia and Sonu in Colors' 'Mission Sapne': As the season two of 'Mission Sapne' is all set to kick-start, celebs including Sonu Nigam, Alia Bhatt and Parineeti Chopra, will be seen accomplishing the dreams of many. As per our sources, “Sonu Nigam will come to aid a young kid and will turn a phoolwala (florist) outside a mandir. While, Parineeti will take the avatar of a bookseller, Alia we hear will be in the series to help a young lad”. Like the previous season, this one, will also be hosted by Bollywood diva Sonali Bendre.

Shahid's sister Sanah to debut on TV: Actress Sanah Kapur is all set to be seen on the Indian television for the very first time. The actress will be seen as a guest appearance for special Diwali Episode 'Comedy Ka Rocket'. The episode is set to go on air on 30th October, Friday at 9pm and is going to be filled with lots of fun, masti and emotional moments. Sanah along with the trio of hosts of the show - Karan Tacker, Vishal Singh and Gaurav Khanna would take you to a rib-tickling journey. An insider informs that this talented actress had shot for this particular episode way before her debut movie ‘Shandaar’ was released. Her popularity which scored high after the song of ‘Gulabo’ made the makers demand for Sanah to be a part of this special episode. Sharing her experience on being on the television for the first time, Sanah Kapur said, “It was a very fun-filled shoot with lots of moments to laugh out loud. Initially I was a bit nervous as it was my first appearance on the small screen but then once I got on the set and met the makers the nervousness took a back seat and excitement took over! Interestingly after coming on the set I realized that Karan Tacker is hosting the show, who is also an old friend, so it was more like a reunion sort! We have shot a very happy and lively episode; I hope that audiences like it too!"

Alia-Shahid on Chutki Shopkeepaa Aur Woh: Chutki and Shopkeepaa have won hearts of many, including the Bollywood brigade! So you can imagine what may have happened when Alia Bhatt and Shahid Kapoor visited Shopkeepaa to talk about their upcoming release Shaandaar on BIG Magic and 92.7 BIG FM’s celebrity chat show Chutki Shopkeepaa Aur Woh. The episode will see Shopkeepaa aka Gaurav Gera engage in a candid conversation with the two stars, playing Truth or Dare, talking about their childhood, indulging in the famous blindfold game that all celebrities enjoy on the show, learning the steps of the song Raita Phail Gaya and lots more! Shopkeepaa was successful in showcasing the quirky side of the actors through a hilarious conversation. Says Bimal Unnikrishnan, Creative Director, BIG Magic, “In our constant endeavour to make each and every episode a rib-tickling experience for viewers, we like to experiment with our content. Since its launch, Chutki Shopkeepaa Aur Woh has received a great response and I do hope that the audience will enjoy their favourite actors revealing their wit this time around too.” Tune into Chutki Shopkeepaa Aur Woh tonight on BIG Magic at 9 pm and Sat-Sun at 7 pm on 92.7 BIG FM.

Shah on sets of 'Agent Raghav': The team of 'Agent Raghav' got surprised when they saw veteran bollywood actor, Naseerudin Shah, on their sets. The actor was shooting for his movie to adjacent to Agent Raghav's set. Naseerudin is a guru to Aahana Kumar, who plays Agent Trisha. The two decided to catch up for sometime on the Agent Raghav sets. The team also then decided to go and meet him personally. When approached Aahana, she shared that," We had chai together and a lot of fun. He is like a family for me and I met him after two months. So it was great meeting him again.”

Big B turns musician for his new TV show: Amitabh Bachchan, who will be seen in a new TV show Aaj Ki Raat Hai Zindagi, was so excited about the project that he has turned musician for it. For the theme song Huu-Haa...which one sees in the promos of the TV show, the actor heard all the tracks composed by music composers Rohan-Vinayak and then personally went down to their studio to compose. Rohan Utpat said, “He came into the studio, heard us out and then started humming as to what he had in mind. He is well versed with all music terms, so he himself would say things like ‘Layer this track’. We jammed together for this.” Vinayak Salvi added, “Even after long working hours, he would have the same enthusiasm to compose this track. The Huu-Haa was his addition to the track.”

<strong>Bipasha to bring horror on TV: </strong>In the next few days, Bipasha Basu will start shooting for her small screen debut, &#39;Darr Sabko Lagta Hai&#39;. The show is a TV mini series in the horror genre, and is being anchored by the actress who after a number of scare fests, including &#39;Raaz 3&#39;, &#39;Aatma&#39;, &#39;Creature 3D&#39;, &#39;Alone&#39;, has come to be known as the `Scream Queen&#39; of India.A number of horror stories will play out, week after week. Speaking to Mirror, Priti Sinha, one of the many producers of the show which airs on &amp;TV, says that after learning the names of all those associated with the series, the actress was happy to come on board. &ldquo;She is a part of the story but not inside it. She plays herself and looks at what unveils from the outside. She will be there in every episode,&ldquo; asserts Priti, the daughter of Andaz Apna Apna producer Vinay Sinha, who is also a part of the project. The episodic show targets the weekend entertainment on the channel and will air on Saturday and Sunday. &ldquo;There will be a creative director to oversee the show as a whole. But different directors will helm different episode. We have around 20 of them for the 26-episode series, including Soumik Sen, Suparn Verma and Sangeeth Sivan to name a few. While for most it&#39;s a first on television, they have a background in films which would add to the larger cinematic experience for the viewer. Even the spooks are not the kind you have seen on TV before,&ldquo; she promises.

<strong>Arjun Kapoor to host &#39;Khatron Ke Khiladi&#39;: </strong> Following our report on filmmaker Rohit Shetty not returning to host the seventh season of &#39;Fear Factor &mdash; Khatron Ke Khiladi&#39;, we now hear that Bollywood actor Arjun Kapoor has stepped into his shoes to present the adventure reality show. This will mark his debut on TV. Arjun didn&rsquo;t respond to our text message.

<strong>Neha Dhupia to judge Roadies:</strong> The feisty actress Neha Dhupia has been roped in to judge the upcoming 13th season of the task-based reality show &#39;Roadies&#39;. Esha Deol had judged the last season. Neha, who debuted on the small screen as a judge on &#39;Nautanki &mdash; The Comedy Theatre&#39; two years ago, says, &ldquo;To influence youth and to be influenced by them is what excited me to take up the show. And coming from an army background, I think I&rsquo;ve got a thing or two to add to its action aspect. I want to propagate the idea of being yourself, having faith and never giving up on your dreams.&rdquo; Ask her about her wardrobe for the show and she replies, &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want to look like a regular biker chick. I would rather be adding a fashionable twist to it.&rdquo;

Farhan Akhtar will host the Indian version of 'I Can Do That': Bollywood actor Farhan Akhtar, who judged Nach Baliye’s first season in 2005 and hosted 'Oye! It’s Friday!' in 2009, is back on the small screen. He will host the Indian version of 'I Can Do That', the show that was developed in Israel and has established itself in many countries including Russia, China, Spain, Brazil and Mexico. It will feature 12 celebrities from different fields who step out of their comfort zone and perform never-seen-before acts. They will be challenged to outdo each other in a range of acts varying from different dance forms, magic and illusion to daredevil stunts. Farhan says, “It is an aspirational show that challenges its participants to dream big, be fearless and think out of the box. These are qualities that I find admirable in people and I look forward to the stint.”

Hrithik Roshan to debut on small screen: The heartthrob of Bollywood, Hrithik Roshan is all set to make his debut on small screen by hosting a show which inspired by real life heroes, entitled 'Real Heroes'. The show will be focussing on how people won against all difficulties and emerged as heroes. Hrithik being one of the hero, who overcame his speech deficiency, is perfect to play the host of this show on Discovery. Sangram Singh's inspirational story, who moved out from his wheelchair to become a reknown wrestler will be aired in the first week. Sangram Singh in an exclusive interview with Times TV confirmed, "I will be the first guest on Hrithik's new show".

Om Puri:

Veteran Bollywood actor Om Puri, who has hosted various crime series on television including Crime Patrol and Savdhan India, will soon be making a comeback to the small screen. He will be seen hosting Sony TV’s horror series Aahat. The new format of the show is all set to go on air by the end of July. (Photo: Shashank Sane)

Sonu Sood:

Sonu Sood, an actor with a chiseled body and loads of talent is getting ready for his small screen debut. Earlier Sonu has appeared in many television shows to promote his movies. This is the first time, the handsome hunk will be sitting on a judge's hot seat. As per the sources, Sonu is making his debut with a comedy reality show as a judge.

When asked, Sonu says, "Television connects people from different aspect of life on a common platform. This attracted me towards this medium. I have never performed on television before and this is a completely new chapter for me. Through hosting or judging a show, viewers can see different side of my personality which they don't otherwise get to see in movies."

Talking about his experience on judging a show, he says, "It's a tough job to make people laugh. While judging such show, we have to be extra cautious of not hurting the comedian's self-esteem. I am excited being a judge on small screen." (Photo: Samik Sen)

Sonakshi Sinha:

Dabangg girl Sonakshi Sinha showed her bubbly and childish avatar as she made her television debut in a music reality show. Sonakshi, who has joined musicians Salim Merchant and Vishal Dadlani on the judging panel of the second season of ‘Indian Idol Junior,’ took to Twitter to express her excitement.

"Thanks 4 the amazing response on the #IndianIdolJrTrailer guys! so kicked that u'll r SO excited about it! Now i'm even MORE charged up."

In a statement, Sonakshi admitted that while she is not keen on Bollywood playback singing as her contemporaries, she would love to do a musical concert someday!

Indian Idol Junior-2 went on-air on May 30 on Sony Entertainment Television. (Photo: Facebook)

Shahid Kapoor:

As part of a reshuffle of the judges panel, Bollywood’s one of the best dancers, Shahid Kapoor will replace actress Madhuri Dixit and join choreographer Ganesh Hegde on the panel of the ‘Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 8.’

Shahid, who is preparing for his marriage next month with Delhi girl Mira Rajput, believes that it is time for him to return to the true love of his life – dance!

“When I first took up dancing, I had the privilege to work closely with some great mentors to not only honed my dance skills, but also helped me to shape my personality. As I join the ‘Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa’ family as its judge, I am looking forward to share my learnings and experience with the contestants. Being a dancer brought discipline to my life and changed it completely; I’m now hoping to transfer some of the knowledge towards shaping the young and talented choreographers in our country,” said Shahid in a statement.

The show will go on-air on Colors on July 11, 2015. (Photo: Facebook)

Rajkummar Rao:

The Bollywood actor, who has already impressed the critics and the audiences alike with his outstanding performances on the silver screen, is all set to make his television debut. As per the reports, Rajkummar Rao has been roped in by Ekta Kapoor for her next show on small screen. The untitled show will be about astronauts and outer space and if things work out as planned, will be a first-of-its-kind show on TV. (Photo: Facebook)

Lisa Haydon:

Model and actress Lisa Haydon will be seen judging the contestants of reality TV show 'India's Next Top Model.' Based on the famous US reality show 'America's Next Top Model', the MTV show will feature multiple contestants from across the country who will vie for 'India's Next Top Model' title based on certain tasks.

"I don't intend on being easy or being harsh... I intend on being realistic. I think it really depends on whether the girls perform properly," said the ‘Queen’ actress on her role as a judge. Lisa has been a part of the modelling industry for quite a long time. (Photo: Prathamesh Bandekar)

Lauren Gottlieb:

Bollywood actress and dancer Lauren Gottlieb will be returning to her homeground 'Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa,' but this time, as a judge. She will be adding the glam quotient to the all-male judging panel, comprising Shahid Kapoor, Karan Johar and Ganesh Hegde, in Season 8 of Colors’ show.

As a contestant, Lauren was the highest scorer and the runner-up of ‘Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 6’ with choreographer and partner Punit Pathak. In 2014, she participated in ‘Jhalak Dikhla Jaa 7’ with Salman Yusuff Khan as a ‘Challenge Setter’.

Darsheel Safary:

The child actor who rose to fame with his debut film ‘Taare Zameen Par' (2007) now might be roped in by the television for a mythological show on Sony TV. As per some online reports, Darsheel is in talks with the production house of ‘Suryaputra Karn’ for the role of Arjun. Darsheel made his television debut with the dance reality show ‘Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 5’ in 2012, which garnered him a lot of appreciation. Back then, he had expressed interest in working in TV serials.

Aarya Babbar:

Bollywood actor Aarya Babbar made his debut on the small screen with popular reality show ‘Bigg Boss Season 8’ in 2014. Currently, Aarya stars in Sony TV's 'Sankatmochan Mahabali Hanuman' as Raavan. The show went on-air in May 2015. In a complete wicked avatar that is topped with a brawny physique, rowdy moustaches and a perfect screen presence, Aarya is indeed the television's hottest 'Raavan' yet!

About his role as Raavan, Aarya says, “I have been offered several projects on TV, but I wanted to debut with a powerful and exclusive role. Raavan was a doting son, a loving brother and a great king. He was extremely intelligent. He fought for his sister's pride. He is a strong character and a misunderstood hero."

Shreyas Talpade:

Bollywood actor Shreyas Talpade, who is known for his perfect comic timing and superb acting skills, will be seen making his way back to the small screen after 13 years. He will host the upcoming series of 'Savdhaan India, Maharashtra Fight Back'.

"As an actor, I feel I should not limit myself. I take up whatever excites me, be it from any medium," says Shreyas about his return to TV.

This series will replace 'Punjab Fight Back'. Earlier, Shreyas has featured in TV shows like 'Woh' and 'Amanat'. (Photo: Facebook)