BY TRUPTI GHAG

It turned out to be hoax alright, but caused quite a stir and a scare when it did. Zee talent hunt Cinestars Ki Khoj's shooting was on at the Famous Studio in south Mumbai. While the chosen few were being screened and preened for the grand finale of the Bollywood Dreams edition, in came a frantic phone call claiming that a bomb was planted right under the sets! Apparently, the trickster had called up a telephone operator, who raised the alarm.

Needless to say, channel officials rushed in immediately to evacuate the premises. So out scurried the heavyweight jury comprising Ken Ghosh, Satish Kaushik and Mahesh Manjrekar with the 'dressed to thrill' chosen dozen in tow.

The police soon arrived with the bomb squad and their sniffer dogs. But eventually, it all turned out to be just a hoax and the makers heaved a sigh of relief.

Speaking to Telly Chakkar, Zee CBDG head Ashish Kaul confirmed the happenings and said, "The police is investigating, so we wouldn't really like to comment on the likely suspects. But it would be a terrible thing if competition has stooped so low. It would be setting a precedent for more of such nightmares."

"But it has to be some mysterious mind behind this mishap," Kaul added. Ahem!