'Oon Pauus' to replace 'Avantika' on Alpha Marathi

Alpha Marathi's much adored daily soap Avantika will soon be buried to make way for Oon Pauus. Both Avantika and Oon Pauus are the brainchild of Asmita Productions' Smita Talwalkar.

A scene from 'Avantika'

Talking about Oon Pauus (Sun N Rain), Smita says, "The story is based on veteran novelist Barve's book. Prabhakar Panshikar (another veteran theatre personality) wanted to make a play on this subject. However, it didn't happen and it came to me to be made into a serial. Alpha channel liked the concept and it took the shape of a serial."

The serial has a multi star cast. It has Savita Prabhune, who plays Kusum's mother in Sony's Kkusum, Uday Tikekar and Mohan Joshi. It introduces two new actors Aniket Vishwasrao and Priya Khopkar as the lead pair.

"I wanted fresh faces for this serial. Hence, I chose Aniket and Priya. The serial is about a 21st century girl who is cultured, matured and does not fall prey to temptations. It shows a large family with three generations," she informs.

Says Aniket, "My role is that of a spoilt brat. I play Sagar who indulges in vices. He is insensitive towards his family and friends and then lady in his life transforms him." Aniket had played the lead role in Nayak on Alpha Marathi and also done an international film called Hawa Aane De. He played a small role in Kareena Kapoor starrer Chameli. He has done advertisement campaigns for NIIT and Ringuard. He is currently doing a Marathi play called Nakalat Saare Ghadle.

"I play the role of Mukta. This is my first acting venture," says Priya Khopkar. Priya is primarily a Pune based model who has campaigned for various clothing, jewelry and consumer products. "I got into acting after I played a small but significant role in Uttarayan, that released recently," she adds.

Smita Talwalkar has always been a favourite with the Marathi audience. Her films Saatchya Aat Gharat, Tu Titha Me and Choukat Raja were widely appreciated. It is expected that Oon Pauus will entertain as much as her earlier productions have.