Rakhi Sawant’s heartbreaking separation from Ritesh to Rannvijay and Neha Dhupia's shocking exit from Roadies; TV newsmakers of the week

The industry hadn’t recovered from the loss of the legendary Lata Mangeshkar, Disco King Bappi Lahiri left us too. It has been tough dealing with these shocks for the entertainment world. Apart from this, Rakhi Sawant’s separation from Ritesh, Naagin 6 premiere, gang leaders quitting Roadies, Kapil Sharma’s return to movies and a few more have been in buzz. Let’s take a look at the top TV news of the week:

Rakhi Sawant, who was on cloud nine when she introduced her husband Ritesh Singh to the world, is dismayed. It was early this week that the actress announced her separation from Ritesh through a social media post. Later, in an exclusive interview with ETimes TV, Rakhi shared that she pleaded with him to not leave her, in vain. After her official separation with Ritesh, Rakhi made her first media appearance during her gym visit. Unable to hold her emotions, she broke down on camera and shared her despair. In a candid conversation with the media, Rakhi revealed that Ritesh accused her of using him and called their marriage off due to the legal trouble his first wife has caused. However, Rakhi is not willing to take any legal action against Ritesh. Speaking with ETimes TV, Rakhi said, “Well, I still love Ritesh. I have loved him truly. I shall wait for him about a year if he wants to come back.”

Legendary singer and music composer Bappi Lahiri passed away on February 15 night. The news about the Disco King’s demise left everyone in a state of shock. The entire entertainment fraternity including the telly stars mourned his demise. Many celebrities took to their social media to pay their condolences soon after the news broke out. Rupali Ganguly and Sakshi Tanwar also reached the singer’s residence to pay their respects before his last journey. Expressing her disbelief and dismay on his death with BT, Rupali Ganguly shared, “It is a personal loss. He was like my father's younger brother. His association with my father started with the film Agreement, and then they went on to do several films together, Saheb being one of the notable ones. I can't even tell you how this feels, it is just like another part of me has gone. Seriously, with Bappi Da, an era has ended. We all have to go one day but I never thought that we will lose Bappi Da so soon. Even though we human beings are prepared for this day, frankly speaking, we are never prepared.”

Roadies is getting revamped. The makers are all set to change the format of the show owing to which the show is going to get an overall makeover. As a part of this, Rannvijay Singha, who had been a part of the show for 16 years, has been replaced by Sonu Sood. Meanwhile, gang leaders Neha Dhupia and Nikhil Chinapa also won’t be a part of the upcoming season. Rannvijay joined ETimes TV to talk about this and said, “I am more connected to Roadies than any fan or employee because nobody has been part of the journey for 18 years. So Mujhse zyaada Roadies se pyaar Aur Kaun kar sakta hai… but even I had to leave my house and go to boarding school. There are times when you have to do things but it’s not necessary. There is always a big reason behind it.”

Tejasswi Prakash starrer Naagin 6 went on air last Saturday (Feb 12). While fans of the actress were thrilled to see her on-screen, the storyline and concept of the show seems to have not impressed the viewers. The show received a mixed response owing to the cast being loved by many and the concept that didn’t get much appreciation. However, further episodes are awaited by the audience too.

Kapil Sharma is all set to make a comeback on the silver screen. The comedian-actor has teamed up with Nandita Das for a film that will mark his return to films. He will be seen in a common man’s role in the movie. Apparently, Kapil will be playing a food delivery rider. Talking about his new venture, Kapil shared, “I am very excited about this project, not because I am doing a film, but because I am doing Nandita Das’ film, whom I have seen both as an actor and a director. She has a very distinct and deep way of looking at things and a keen eye for detailing. So my job as an actor is to just do what she tells me. Her work is very different from mine, and I am happy that the audience will get to see a new side of me. An artist is always thirsty to do something different! The people behind the project, Nandita Das and Sameer Nair, are both extremely passionate and good at what they make, so I am really excited to be doing this film.”

A fire broke out on the sets of Bigg Boss, located in Goregaon, Mumbai on February 13. Four fire brigades were rushed to the location. It was soon after the incident took place that news agency ANI tweeted, “A fire broke out at the set of the reality show Bigg Boss in Goregaon, Mumbai around 1 pm today. Four fire engines were rushed to the spot to put off the fire. No injuries were reported: BMC.”

Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai fame Mohena Kumari is expecting her first baby soon with husband Suyesh Rawat. The dancer-actress announced her pregnancy with a bunch of adorable pictures with her pup, hubby and family.

Mukesh Khanna starrer Shaktimaan is all set to get a movie adaptation. The film is being helmed under the actor’s production house. Speaking about it in an interview with BT, Mukesh Khanna said, “I had promised my fans that something like this would come. More than being happy, I am relieved that I could share the news with them. We were working on it, but I was waiting for the right time to make an announcement. I had earlier mentioned that a movie will be made on this. I feel relieved that I could keep my promise to my fans and we are now making the film on Shaktiman.”

Ekta Kapoor is busy promoting her upcoming show Lock Upp which will be hosted by Kangana Ranaut. While the major details about the show are kept under wraps, it is known that it will have 16 contestants locked in jail. It’s a task-based show which will be live 24*7 on MX Player. Based on its trailer and poster, the show is being compared to Salman Khan hosted Bigg Boss. When ETimes TV questioned Ekta Kapoor about the same, she said, “All captive realities all over the world get compared with each other and this is a captive reality. It's like saying did you ever get scared because one soap opera got compared with the other. There'll be 10 shows, and we will see them as the same stories. But they have all worked on their own differences.”

Jigyasa Singh has been forced to quit her show Thapki Pyaar Ki 2 owing to health problems. In an exclusive interview with BT, the actress opened up about facing health issues since the past four-five months. She revealed that the hectic shoot schedules have taken a toll on her health. Expressing her feelings about quitting the show that’s close to her heart, Jigyasa said, “It was extremely difficult. I was quite disturbed on the last day of the shoot. But I have accepted the fact that I have to move on. Everything happens for a reason. For now, I just want to take some rest and focus on my health. I want to be absolutely fine so that I can work for a long time without any break. It was a very tough call for me, but I feel that everyone should put their health on priority.”

Bigg Boss 15 winner Tejasswi Prakash bagged the lead role in Ekta Kapoor’s Naagin 6 along with her win. Many who were not convinced with her win said that she was made to lift the trophy because she has bagged a role in Ekta’s show. When quizzed about the same in an exclusive conversation with ETimes TV, Tejasswi said, “I find it very funny like I've been saying it. I asked this question to Ekta ma'am also if it is true and she told me there's no truth to it. She told me that I've won this show on my merit. Your winning or losing Bigg Boss 15 would have not changed my decision. The earlier actresses who have played Naagin were not Bigg Boss winners. So all that is happening is funny to me. I know it for the fact that she would have taken me as Naagin irrespective of the result. It's just that people don't want to accept that somebody else has worked hard. Somebody has given their blood, sweat and tears and God knows what all, to the show. I really loved my journey on the show.”

Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah’s Anjali aka Sunayana Fozdar recently joined ETimes TV for a one on one conversation about her life and career. The actress opened up about her struggle days as an actor and revealed all about the difficulties she faced. Talking about the challenges, Sunayana said, “There have been many. For me, touchwood, getting work was never difficult. I am not from this background. I got picked up from college for my first music video on Bappi da’s Gori Hai Kalaiyan. Then I did South films, ads and then I got my first break in TV – Santaan. But the point was, to get good roles was always a struggle. If I did a particular role, I would get typecast in that. So to break free from those stereotypes was a struggle. At that time, while casting people would say, ‘Aap fair ho, you look very modern.’ I started my career playing the role of a middle class girl from a ‘chawl’. People would say, ‘Aap gareeb nahi dikh sakte’. So I would get typecast a lot.”