On 27 September showmanship scaled amazing heights when film-maker Vashu Bhagnani released the music of his last venture Out Of Control (Ritesh Deshmukh, Hrishita Bhatt, Brande Roderick) in an aircraft, en route to Delhi.The producer hired an entire aircraft of Air Sahara to launch the music of the film mid-air. From the boarding cards to the head rests in the aircraft - everything had the logo of the film embossed. Besides, cloth banners of the film were put up at the entrance of the domestic airport (Santacruz in Mumbai).

Then, came producer Manmohan Shetty with his new film‘s launch, Waqt- A Race Against Time on 24 November, at Mumbai‘s Juhu Beach! Starring Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Priyanka Chopra, Paresh Rawal and Rajpal Yadav, the film is being produced by Blockbuster Movie Entertainers and presented by Manmohan Shetty, Kishore Lulla and Sunil Lulla.

If the film industry can get innovative, why should the television industry lag behind? So thought Ekta Kapoor and Sony Entertainment Television. On 21 December, Balaji

Telefilms‘ new serial Kkoi Dil Mein Hai was launched amidst ‘promised‘ fanfare at a surprising venue- Mikanos, a happening discotheque in Mumbai.

The evening was flagged off by a few games which the DJ played with the youngsters around. After a while, a huge cake was cut - it was Karishma Tanna‘s birthday (Psst... thought of asking her which one, but let it pass!). After a few snacks and drinks, we were served the screening of the first episode.

	Every 10 minutes, the DJ (not that we can recall his name!!) gave us a break and asked questions on the serial. ‘Watch it with attention, you dare not drown yourself with more pegs‘ - was the message. Anyways...
Mikanos DJ with Poorva Gokhle at the Kkoi Dil Mein Hai party

Every 10 minutes, the DJ (not that we can recall his name!!) gave us a break and asked questions on the serial. ‘Watch it with attention, you dare not drown yourself with more pegs‘ - was the message. Anyways...

We cannot go by the guys and gals who were asked ‘Kaisa Lag Raha Hai?‘ by the DJ. They ‘had to‘ gush, we believe. So we kept our ears open. The hushed whispers behind our backs revealed that the serial had been accepted, but people found it a bit too similar to Saaya and Jassi. Saaya; because this too has two friends as different as chalk and cheese and Jassi; because the episode starkly preached that beauty lies within, simplicity is the essence of life, blah, blah, blah...

The cr?me de la cr?me of the Balaji camp were conspicuous by their absence. So the party was sans Ekta Kapoor, Jeetendra, Shobha Kapoor and Nim Sood. Neither did any of the leading cast of Ekta‘s other serials grace the occasion, though earlier we had been told that they would.

We saw only Karishma Tanna (in a tight black top and the same black skirt which she wore throughout the inaugural episode!) who made a hurried exit as soon as the screening was over. She said she wanted to celebrate her birthday in ‘Bombay Blues‘.
	SET India executive VP Sunil Lulla, actors Poorva Gokhle & Karishma Tanna at Mikanos

Also present at the party were Poorva Gokhle (in a white top with a pink tight pant), glamorous Ashlesha Sawant (Kahiin To Hoga and ex-Kyunki Saas Bhi Bahu Thi) looking like a million dollars, model-turned-actress Suchitra Pillai (wonder what was she doing there? Her film coffers are not full. Is she going to lean on television? Are we going to see her in the serial as fashionable Karishma Tanna‘s friend, just like we saw Mandira Bedi adding glamour in Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin for a while?), Aditya Dongra (Addi of Kyun Hota Hai Pyarrr) and Sandeep B (who plays the guy sandwiched between the two friends in this show).

The music was good, but hardly anybody took to the dance floor to shake a leg.

The mercury had dipped when we drove back home, nearing midnight. The ‘thanda‘ attendance had compounded the chill.