08 December 2004
WATCH IT
jeanm@sph.com.sg
PITY my second helping of Achar left a sour taste in my mouth.
The sitcom premiered with the novelty of an inter-racial marriage and cross-cultural clashes on its side, spiced up by the much-reported off-screen skirmish between its two leads, Bollywood hunk Jas Arora and Chinese-Australian babe Steph Song.
The appealing, fresh-faced couple played opposites-attract newlyweds Ajay and Stephanie.
This season, singer-actress Rui En replaces Steph, and apparently got along swimmingly with Jas.
But maybe some of that old spice goes a long way, because the comfortable chemistry between them is more of the good buddies kind than of the passionate lovers variety.
With her exaggerated gestures and facial expressions, baby-faced Rui En proves she’s better-suited for Channel 8 comedies.
Despite a sophisticated wardrobe and hairdo, she still can’t match Steph’s edginess, and comes across as too young, too bubbly and too childish for Jas that he almost looks like a cradle-snatcher.
And that’s not very funny.
Speaking of which, Achar seems to have lost its recipe for clever humour and relies on leftover stereotypes instead.
The second season opened with Ajay and Steph forgetting their first anniversary, with things getting messier when the meddling in-laws conspire to get their offspring in the mood for love.
Ajay’s roly-poly mum Uma (the ever-reliable Malti Lalwani) scatters tealights, aromatic bath oils, rose petals and gold dust on the floor.
Predictably, Stephanie’s parents bring plastic flowers, a cake, Yomeishu and cheena red lingerie, causing Uma to exclaim: ‘You’re supposed to inspire romance, not horror.’
Unfortunately, Achar 2 doesn’t inspire much laughter either.
Achar 2 is showing over Channel 5, Thursdays at 8.30pm.
Source: The New Paper
Categorised in Achar, The New Paper.
2nd December 2004
视非街 Tv News – 婚姻物语
幕后直击 Tv On Location – 热婚了
Source: I Weekly
Categorised in Achar, I-Weekly, My Mighty In-laws 野蛮亲家.
01 December 2004
HAPPY TOGETHER : Jas Arora (with co-star Rui En) says he gets along fine with her.
Byline: Sheela Narayanan
BOLLYWOOD BUZZ
sheela@sph.com.sg
J AS Arora is one relieved actor.
The 29-year-old Bollywood resident told The New Paper that shooting the second season of the MediaCorp sitcom, Achar!, was ‘like a dream’.
Compared, that is, to last year’s storm in the masala teacup when he apparently fell out with former co-star Steph Song.
Steph was replaced with singer-actress Rui En.
The 23-year-old has been nominated for the Most Popular Newcomer category for this year’s Star Awards.
The actors’ spat in the first season didn’t do the sitcom or Jas’s reputation any damage.
Achar! did quite well in the ratings with 538,000 viewers tuning in to its debut episode last year.
But there won’t be any spicy off-screen falling-out between the new leads.
‘We rehearsed about a week. I guess my producers tried to play it safe to make sure Rui En and I got along fine,’ said Jas ruefully.
Jas took 40 days out of his tight filming and modelling schedule to shoot Achar! 2.
‘It’s just great to come to the set this year,’ he said.
As for Rui En, he has only good things to say about her.
‘She is a sweet girl, simple, not too complicated.’
‘We are all very professional,’ said the Delhi-born actor.
Rui En said she didn’t let last year’s baggage get in the way.
‘I felt it wouldn’t be fair to let all the bad press affect my performance or the way I am with the cast.’
‘I kept an open mind. We are all professionals. We are here to work, not to make friends,’ she said.
But she said it turned out quite well anyway.
‘It was very relaxed since it was a sitcom and we (the cast) were always goofing around.
‘It was comfortable,’ said Rui En.
That’s a weight off Jas’ mind, that’s for sure.
He said with a grin: ‘I just hope without the controversies, we get a higher viewership.’
Achar! 2 will debut tomorrow over Channel 5 at 8.30pm.
Source: The New Paper
Categorised in Achar, The New Paper.
22 November 2004
THE sort of politically correct spiel that avoids any satisfactory engagement of thorny questions is not Rui En’s style. The intrepid singer-actress has, after all, stepped into the role vacated by Steph Song in the sitcom Achar!.
Faced with the fairly generic question of ‘What kind of experience did you have filming Achar?’, she chooses to tackle the unspoken subtext head-on instead.’The experience was quite pleasant,’ says the 23-year-old matter-of-factly in a phone interview last Saturday.
Her experience is in stark contrast to the reportedly tumultuous relationship between her predecessor Song and co-star, Bollywood actor Jas Arora, during the filming of the first season of the Channel 5 sitcom last year.
‘I’m sure everyone has heard all the rumours about the last season,’ Rui En says. ‘When I took on this project, I kept telling myself not to make judgments and to go in with an open mind. And it was fine, really.’
She insists that her screen husband is ‘very well-mannered and gentlemanly in a way that you don’t really see much nowadays’.'He actually does things like opening doors for you. The chivalry is quite refreshing.’
Rui En, who bears some resemblance to Song, first came into the spotlight in 2001, when she appeared in a SingTel TV commercial. She then starred in a Jay Chou music video before releasing a Mandarin album in 2003.
Tackling challenging roles is what she has set her mind on after graduating from her banking and finance course from Nanyang Technological University last year.
‘This character is quite feminine, very different from my previous tomboyish roles and my own personality,’ she recalls.
‘It’s quite a challenge to wear skirts and be graceful. The character’s wardrobe is very different from what I would wear in real life.’
Currently starring in the Channel 8 drama My In-Laws, Rui En has also been nominated in the Most Popular Newcomer category for this year’s Star Awards. ‘I was very surprised when I found out because I’ve only been in a few shows.
‘She adds: ‘I won’t be wearing a dress to the Awards. It’s such a struggle to wear them for work.’
The new season of Achar! starts on Dec 2 on Channel 5 at 8.30pm.
Source: The Straits Times
Categorised in Achar, The Straits Times.
Page 59 – Colour Blend
Source: Lime
10 April 2004
Showtime & Lifestyle
After a two-year hiatus, Channel i is again offering local dramas, starting with Perceptions. JEANMARIE TAN talks to its stars, Eelyn Kok and Steph Song, about potentially career-changing roles.
Whatever the case, Steph is ‘curious’ to see how the second season of Achar will turn out, now that singer/actress Lu Rui En is rumoured to be taking over her role.
She said: ‘It should be an exciting opportunity for (Rui En). And frankly, Achar was a good show and deserves to keep going.’
Source: The New Paper
Categorised in Achar, The New Paper.