Latest news with #AkvariousProductions
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First Post
05-08-2025
- Entertainment
- First Post
Meet actress Ahsaas Channa, who shocked everyone by playing Shah Rukh Khan's son in 'Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna', started working at the age of 5
Though Ahsaas is a girl, she began her acting career playing male characters in films. As a child, she portrayed Rohan in Vaastu Shastra, Arjun (Shah Rukh Khan's son) in Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, and Ashu in My Friend Ganesha. read more Ahsaas Channa, who shocked everyone by playing Shah Rukh Khan's son in 'Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna', turns another year older today. She also played Sushmita Sen's son in the 2004 film Vaastu Shastra. She once revealed, 'Since I was four years old, they convinced my mother to let me play a boy. My mom agreed, thinking, 'She's just four, what's the harm?' After Vaastu Shastra, the film became a hit, and word spread in the industry about a new child actor who was good… But the industry didn't let my hair grow back, which could have affected me psychologically as a young child.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The actress added, 'However, I was always aware of who I was — I knew I was a girl. My mother constantly reminded me, so it didn't mess with my identity. I went to school and worked on sets as a girl. I was always told that this was acting and just a part of my job. Somehow, it never messed with my head.' On working with SRK He's just so humble and hardworking. I used to draw greeting cards for him and wrote letters to him on set. He was the first one who started clapping for me after I gave a shot which was a really difficult one that didn't make it to the film. Unknown facts about Ahsaas Began Her Career Playing Boy Roles Though Ahsaas is a girl, she began her acting career playing male characters in films. As a child, she portrayed Rohan in Vaastu Shastra, Arjun (Shah Rukh Khan's son) in Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, and Ashu in My Friend Ganesha. Holds a Degree in Psychology Ahsaas is not just talented on screen—she's academically accomplished too. She earned her degree in Psychology from Mumbai University, managing to balance the demands of acting with her studies with impressive discipline. First Role Came by Chance Ahsaas landed her debut role in Vaastu Shastra partly due to timing—she had just undergone a mundan (head-shaving ceremony), and the casting team was searching for a young boy. Her look and audition impressed them, kickstarting her journey as a child actor. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Passionate About Theatre Beyond screens big and small, Ahsaas has also stepped into the world of theatre. She currently stars in the play External Affairs, produced by Akvarious Productions. The play has been performed at iconic venues like Prithvi Theatre, including a show on May 24, 2025, showcasing her dynamic range as a performer. Comes from a Creative Family Ahsaas is the daughter of television actress Kulbir Kaur Badesron. Being raised in a family connected to the entertainment industry gave her early exposure to acting. While her mother's experience offered guidance, Ahsaas has carved out her own path with talent, resilience, and dedication.
Mint
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Mint
‘Tiki Taka': A play that scores big on life and sports
In director Adhaar Khurana's rehearsal room, actors take a break as he sketches on a piece of paper, much like a coach, the 'tiki taka"game play associated with the Spanish national football team to help an actor understand the strategy. Khurana wants everyone familiar with this game play, often criticised for being less progressive than other aggressive strategies. He need not have worried as the majority of the cast plays or loves football. Khurana himself is a football fan and his new play Tiki Taka is one that he has been dreaming of for years. Three months back, he penned a concept note and got writers Adhir Bhat and Bobby Nagra on board. The script was delivered just three weeks before the rehearsals began in May. For Mumbai-based Akvarious Productions, which is celebrating its 25th year, this is a first-of-a-kind sports play. Though there isn't any real football action happening on stage, the characters of Abhinav and Chaitanya Sharma, brothers and footballers will be seen throwing the occasional ball around. The play goes beyond the game. Khurana insists it's about life itself, quite like the tiki taka game play. 'It's a possession-based strategy, where a team retains the ball for as much as 70% of the time. It involves very few attacks," explains Khurana, 'though now there are versions wherein you not just retain possession but also move forward," he says. Also read: 'Sitaare Zameen Par' review: More life lessons from Aamir Khan Tiki Taka is one of the many new efforts by Akvarious to mark its milestone year. The team is hosting a series of microfests across the country and premiering new plays such as Smile Please, Excess Estrogen and The Tragedy of Ham MacLear. Sports stories are common in film and OTT platforms but don't always make their way to the stage. While it is difficult to replicate game play on stage, Khurana believes that theatre as a medium fuelled by audience imagination, can be an asset for these stories. Like most sports stories, Tiki Taka begins in the locker room. The India football team captain, Paramjeet Gill, played by Chaitanya Sharma, is set for his last match before retirement. This is a prestigious final in a tournament where the Indian team is a surprise entrant. His brother, Amarjeet Gill (Abhinav Sharma), is a footballer too. He is not on the team but hopes to make the cut soon. Then there's the coach, Farooq Bukhari (Faisal Rashid), a Kashmiri Muslim with a challenging personal and professional life who is out to prove himself and win a custody battle. The list of characters includes Etienne Mascarenhas (Joy Fernandes), a forgotten Goan football hero, now a kitman who can't help living in past glory. There's a TV anchor with funny, sometimes scathing, commentary of the matches. There's Tamannah Kataria (Lisha Bajaj), a physiotherapist holding her own in a man's world. Khurana was keen on introducing a female character, who could inhabit a male-dominated space. Each character has a life on and off the field. There's a lot of politics in both the professional and personal realms. Also read: How 'Panchayat' became a second-screen show: Season 4 review As a fan, Khurana was fussy about getting the details right but knew that the play had to rest on its drama. A strand of the central plot has been inspired from a news event. In March, Kalyan Chaubey, the All India Football Federation president, spoke about integrating Overseas Citizenship of India card holders into the Indian team. In the play, this exercise is shown as close to completion. The fictional federation chief is banking on the team's loss to pass the new regulation. Except, the team has made it to the finals. The events that follow create the drama in the play. There's commentary about testosterone-heavy boys locker rooms, a comeuppance for the sole female character, and about sport and sportsmanship. Khurana doesn't preach, wants the laughs, but above all wants to remind viewers that there is more to Indian sport than cricket. For the last few years, we've seen somewhat of an outpouring of sports documentaries, films and series on OTT platforms, including the runaway success of Apple TV's Ted Lasso. Khurana, though, insists he drew inspiration from none of them. 'I love Ted Lasso; the beauty therein is that you don't see a lot of the game. It's centred around the lives of the people," he says. Tiki Taka, which opened to a full house at Mumbai's AntiSocial on a Tuesday evening is similar in its attempts. It's the men in the locker room, behind the numbered jerseys, and not the ones on the field that took the applause. Tiki Taka is all set to be staged on 27 June in Pune, and will be staged again in July and August. Akvarious Productions is also hosting its third microfest until June 29 at The Box, Pune. Prachi Sibal is a Mumbai-based culture writer.
