'Kalcchakra' cut to size

Things which don't work on Indian television have to be either cut to size or withdrawn. The former will apply on Star Plus' Kalcchakra. Come 8 April, the Nausheen Ali Sardar starrer 'Kalcchakra' will be reduced to a half-hour weekly. Instead of 10.30 - 11.30 pm, it will now be telecast from 11 - 11.30 pm. Miditech's Saara Akaash, currently on extension mode, will be fit in the 10.30 - 11 pm timeslot. Explaining the change, Star India officials say, "We think Saara Akaash has a better family viewing. So fitting it into the 11 pm slot would not be ideal." Fine. But why has Kalcchakra been reduced to a half-hour show? The grapevine goes that it is soon going to be taken off air. "Well, those are just rumours," aver officials. Hasn't the show been not promoted enough, as some actors from the show feel? "Please don't expect the promotion levels of a late-night show to match the promotion levels of a prime time show. To whatever extent it was required, we did promote," is the official response. channel officials also deny that Star World's Koffee with Karan, aired at the same time, cut into its viewership, as some actors from the show believe. Nausheen Ali Sardar had opted out of Balaji Telefilms' Kkusum, Sony's channel driver at that time, in which she had been essaying the title role. The lady had said she was uncomfortable playing a character way above her age, when the plot shot ahead by 18 years. "I didn't want to play a mom so early in my career. I would definitely be uncomfortable playing a mother and calling youngsters my age as beta/beti," she'd reasoned. At that stage, Kalcchakra had apparently been promised to her as the next best thing from the Star stable. Goes without saying that Nausheen must be edgy and jittery seeing the way that things have progressed (?) on the Kalcchakra front. It would be interesting to see if Kalcchakra completes its full run of 90 episodes.