TV show for ’70s actors

Vidya Sinha and Deepak Parashar to appear in a new soap.

Vidya Sinha, who made her acting debut in Rajnigandha (1974), and later saw success with Pati Patni Aur Woh (1978), may have been missing from the big screen, but she’s surely found the silver lining on the small screen. The ’70s actor will now be seen on a new soap, Neem Neem Shehed Shehed, which will be aired on Sahara One from Monday. Another yesteryear actor, Deepak Parashar, will also make his comeback with this show.

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The show deals with the nuances of living in a traditional joint family system against the new nuclear family arrangement. Says the show’s producer, Dheeraj Kumar, “Vidya belongs to the film fraternity and we’ve both enjoyed a good rapport with each other. We were working in the film industry at the same time. Recently Vidya’s good friend, Zarina Wahab reminded me of her. A meeting was arranged and at the very first instance, the character of Ranjanben from the new show flashed in my mind.”

Talking about working with these stars from the past, Kumar reveals that he’s worked with Parashar on the 1982 film Waqt Ke Shehzade. “I have a wonderful bonding with Deepak since the ’70s. Although Deepak couldn’t work under my banner for TV serials earlier, we both believed whenever the right opportunity arrived, we would work together,” he says.

Vidya, who was in the news recently after she won a long-drawn court battle asking her former husband to pay Rs 10,000 per month as maintenance for their daughter, has been seen in shows like Bhabhi, Bahu Rani and Zaara previously. Ask her about her latest project and she says, “I knew Dheeraj, when I used to work in films. But never got the opportunity to work with him. The new show only brings back old memories.”